Press Release: Providence announces expanded warming center services

City Also Secures $200,000 Grant to Boost Overdose Prevention

Press release:

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley today announced funding to expand and extend capacity at three warming centers, furthering the Smiley Administration’s commitment to providing services for unhoused individuals. Through a Warming Center Request for Proposals (RFP), issued on February 6, the City of Providence today selected recipients for earmarked funds that expand access to warming sites and trauma-informed care, ensuring that vulnerable residents have a safe and warm refuge when temperatures drop. The City also announced that it has secured additional funding to expand overdose prevention initiatives.

“Ensuring our most vulnerable neighbors have a safe and welcoming space during extreme weather events is a top priority for our Administration,” said Mayor Smiley. “By partnering with experienced service providers and working in tandem with state partners, we are strengthening Providence’s response to the needs of unhoused individuals, ensuring a continuum of services that reinforces our commitment to a compassionate, safe and trauma-informed approach.”

Selected nonprofit partners include existing operators Crossroads Rhode Island and Emmanuel House, and a new hub at Mathewson Street United Methodist Church operated in partnership with Better Lives Rhode Island. Through this emergency procurement process, these service providers will receive funding to staff and operate warming centers as extreme weather condition necessitate. These warming centers will offer access to critical case management services, including referrals to shelters, housing, healthcare, and social services, bridging system capacity gaps as new permanent beds and affordable housing are brought online. The awarded providers will offer support from the date of award through April 30, 2025, with operations activated as weather conditions necessitate.

“Through the Municipal Homelessness Support Initiative, the Department of Housing is committed to providing municipalities with the resources they need to address homelessness swiftly and effectively,” said acting Secretary of Housing Deborah Goddard. “We are grateful to the City of Providence for submitting an application and for their continued, unwavering support and collaboration in addressing homelessness.”

The City will contract $82,433.50 for this initiative, sourced from federal Treasury State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) passed through the state Department of Housing. Selected providers will be responsible for staffing, site coordination, and upholding a low-barrier, harm reduction approach that prioritizes safety, dignity, and accessibility for all individuals seeking refuge.

"Every day, hundreds of our neighbors sleep outside. When the weather turns too cold to survive, people die,” said Providence City Council President Rachel Miller. “City Councilors have been tireless advocates for expanding options for our unhoused residents, especially during the coldest months of the year. We need to use every tool in our toolbox to save lives, and I applaud and support this emergency action to increase capacity. Homelessness is a policy choice, and measures like this prove that better choices are possible when we have the political will and the courage to make them.”

The warming centers will operate in collaboration with local agencies, including participation in the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness’ case conferencing system, to connect individuals with long-term housing solutions. Providers will also work closely with City officials to report on service utilization and emerging needs.

In addition to expanding warming center services, the City of Providence has been awarded a $200,000 Opioid Settlement Municipal Incentive Fund grant from the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health & Human Services to enhance mobile outreach services in Downtown Providence, a high-need area for behavioral health and social services. The City will deploy a consistent outreach team during peak hours, including nights and weekends, to provide basic needs resources, peer recovery support, harm reduction supplies, and referrals to critical services. This funding will also support coordination with community providers, facilitate transport to treatment centers and respond proactively to overdose alerts, ensuring a comprehensive and compassionate approach to addressing the opioid crisis in Providence.

The City remains committed to enhancing supports for unhoused residents and community emergency response capacity. A community volunteer training session will be offered on March 15, 2025 from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm at the Providence Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), 591 Charles Street, Providence. Participants will learn the basics for operating a warming center, including registration and check-in, setting up a food distribution area, ensuring cleanliness and safety, practicing harm reduction, and following basic fire safety protocols. Online registration is available. For more information about current Providence warming center hours and locations, please visit the City's website.

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