State chooses Providence site for village of 45 pallet shelters. Will it ease homelessness?

PROVIDENCE − Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the limitations of congregate homeless shelters became clear as the world shut down against a new disease, House of Hope Executive Director Laura Jaworski has been thinking about pallet shelters.

Three years later, as Burlington, Vermont and Boston have set up their own pallet shelters, Providence could be next in line with a plan for 45 individual tiny shelter buildings, 70 square feet, with screened windows, fire extinguishers, smoke and carbon-dioxide detectors, electrical outlets and their own heating and cooling systems.

State officials are "pursuing" a plan to open a 45-unit pallet-shelter village on state land off Victor Street in Providence, state Department of Housing spokeswoman Emily Marshall wrote in a news release.

An additional four "office units" are in the plan, as the site would be staffed at all times, as well as a "free-standing community room" and a combination shower/bathroom and a laundry room. The shower and bathroom would be Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.

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The state has submitted a request for a lease, set to go before the state Properties Committee on Jan. 23, but is not applying for permits or variances from the city, Marshall wrote in an email.

In a statement, Housing Secretary Stefan Pryor wrote that the project "reflects our dedication to fostering well-being, dignity and opportunity for vulnerable Rhode Islanders."

Where is the proposed pallet shelter site?

The proposed site is on 1 acre of a 4-acre half-moon-shaped lot on Victor Street that is bounded by the on-ramp for Route 146 from Douglas Avenue, as well as by Route 146.

One street over, on Chalkstone Avenue, is the Foxy Lady strip club.

When will the proposed pallet shelter open?

If everything goes smoothly, the village could open "early this year," Jaworski said.

"We're optimistic, and hopefully it will be weeks, not months," she said.

It is unclear how long people will stay, but it's meant to help them stabilize and move into permanent housing.

The shelter could make a big difference for people with the highest vulnerability and level of need, Jaworski said.

Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy Project Director Eric Hirsch said the pallet shelters are very needed and will make a difference to the state's estimated population of 300 people sleeping outdoors.

"These are a particularly good option, and I like the way they've set it up, with one person in each unit, so you don't have to worry about roommate conflict," Hirsch said.

Meeting people where they are

The pallet shelters will take referrals from the state's Coordinated Entry System, including those who have been chronically homeless.

The pallet-shelter initiative is largely a result of outreach workers listening to people struggling with homelessness, and the reasons they would rather live outside than go to congregate shelters, where their lives and behavior are largely controlled by the operators, Jaworski said.

Pallet shelters bring a great deal of dignity to people experiencing homelessness. In congregate shelters, there is no privacy, people are often kicked out early in the morning and not allowed to come back until late in the afternoon and do not allow people to decompress and begin shifting from survival mode to secure residency.

"This is not a homeless service provider coming in and saying 'this is a trendy thing we've seen, let's do it here,'" Jaworski said.

Among the ways the pallet shelter would meet people where they are is allowing pets, including having a dog run, and allowing couples. Generally, each person in the village would have their own unit, but couples will not be told they can't comingle, she said.

Pet ownership being banned and couples being separated were two of the major things that providers found were preventing people from taking offered shelter options, she said.

Each shelter would also have electric service, which is especially important for people who need medication to be refrigerated, including anyone who needs insulin.

Public hearings for the proposed pallet shelter village

The complex will need to go through a series of approvals. The city Board of Contract and Supply has scheduled a Jan. 16 hearing on a proposed $475,763 contract with House of Hope, paid for with American Rescue Plan Act funds, as well as a $475,394 outlay for Amos House to extend its program, or add shelter beds, at the Charlesgate shelter program.

The pallet shelter is also set for a lease hearing in front of the state Properties Committee on Jan. 23.

In an email, Providence spokesman Josh Estrella wrote that, because the proposed shelter community would be built on state-owned "public right-of-way land," it is exempt from city zoning regulations.

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Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite at wcowperthwaite@providencejournal.com or follow him on Twitter @WheelerReporter.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence picked for RI pallet shelter program of 45 mini-homes