For the first time in half a dozen years, the number of unhoused people in Rhode Island is on the decline.
But the good news comes with a caveat: More people were without shelter when volunteers from the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness conducted its annual winter census for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development all across the state on a frigid night in January.
Among the people who were either in a shelter or on the street counted on the night of Jan. 21, 2025, over 40% had been unhoused for more than a year, according to data released Thursday.
The results of the 2025 Point in Time count were presented to the board of directors for the Rhode Island Continuum of Care — the collection of state departments and nonprofit organizations that manage the state’s homelessness response — during its monthly meeting at the United Way of Rhode Island.
At least 2,373 unhoused individuals were counted across the state on that Tuesday night in January when the temperature hovered around 18 degrees in Providence. The number of individuals is down 2.8% from the record high of 2,442 counted in 2024, marking the first decrease since 2019.
“Although an overall decrease seems really exciting, it’s the result of fewer emergency shelter beds being online,” Kimberly Simmons, the coalition’s executive director, told the 12 board members present.
According to Simmons’ presentation, there were 1,826 shelter beds available in January 2025 — representing a decrease of 71 spots compared to the previous year.
As the number of beds dropped, the number of unsheltered Rhode Islanders rose over 15%. Overall, the coalition counted 618 people whose primary residence is a car, tent, abandoned building, or other outdoor space. Last year that number was 534.
Around 66% of unsheltered people were considered “chronically homeless,” meaning they were unhoused for more than a year and have a substance or mental health disorder. Overall, 1,022 of those surveyed by the coalition were deemed chronically homeless.
The increase in chronic homelessness was the result of longer lengths of stay in motels and other shelter space made available by the state. Advocates and lawmakers had pushed Gov. Dan McKee to call for a state of emergency over the winter to try and open up more shelter beds, with a particular focus on expediting the opening of ECHO Village — the community of 45 pallet shelters off Route 146 in Providence.
ECHO Village opened on Feb. 11, after sitting empty for a year as officials struggled to figure out how the cabins fit into the state’s fire and building codes, which had no category for the shelters.
But McKee resisted the calls to rush the village’s opening, contending that an emergency declaration would not yield any federal funds toward the issue and could create potential problems should regulations be relaxed.
“If it had been open in the beginning of the year, more individuals could have been served,” Simmons said in an interview after the board meeting..
And while the total number of unhoused individuals was down from the prior year, Simmons told Rhode Island Current that the census likely undercounted, as there are many people who are couch surfing or have been forced to double up with relatives or friends.
There were some positives from this year’s census. The number of families who are unhoused decreased by 1.1% — with no unsheltered families counted. Transitional housing increased by three beds and the state saw an additional 37 permanent supportive housing units go up.
Simmons said she is concerned that the state’s homeless population could skyrocket in the future as the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans cut funding for social programs.
“We’re still in the hole,” she said.
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
