The homeless system is at capacity, and freezing temperatures make the need for a Public Health Emergency necessary

The number of calls from people seeking assistance through CES has grown 99.5% over the last four years (103,911 calls in 2024), driven by rising homelessness and economic hardships...

A press release from the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness:

The Coordinated Entry System (CES) Help Center, which serves as a critical access point for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, is currently experiencing sporadic periods with longer wait times because of the bottleneck in the system - there are not enough beds to refer people to and not enough staff members to handle the increasingly high call volume. Agents stay on calls for more than five minutes to refer people to resources without shelter beds. Simply, the number of people experiencing homelessness has sharply increased, and there are not enough shelter beds.

The number of calls from people seeking assistance through CES has grown 99.5% over the last four years (103,911 calls in 2024), driven by rising homelessness and economic hardships due to Rhode Island’s housing crisis, all while we have had insufficient shelter options to refer people to. As more individuals and families face housing instability, the call center has been overwhelmed by the higher demand, leading to delays in connecting callers with essential resources.

In the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress in December 2024, Rhode Island ranked third in the nation for the largest change in the number of veterans experiencing homelessness per capita and sixth highest in the nation for the number of people per capita experiencing homelessness.

The root cause of the increased wait times is clear: there are not enough staff members available to meet the growing call volume, and staff need to stay on the line longer with people to connect them to resources when shelter beds are unavailable. Additionally, CES staff must remain on calls longer to map out the navigation of resources to help people survive while living outdoors in freezing temperatures. Despite the rising demand, CES has not received adequate funding to expand staffing, leaving the existing team to manage a heavy workload with limited resources. With fewer personnel available to answer calls, wait times have stretched, making it more difficult for individuals needing assistance to access help.

“Many of the individuals who call our CES call center are in crisis, and long wait times can have serious consequences,” said Kimberly Simmons, Executive Director at the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness, the organization that manages CES. “We need more low-barrier shelter beds, more winter warming centers, and more staff to ensure that people experiencing homelessness can quickly connect to the services they need. Without sufficient funding, we simply cannot keep up with the increasing demand.”

The CES call center staff plays a vital role in assessing individuals’ needs and connecting them to appropriate shelter and social services. However, the staff has worked throughout the last few years to reduce call handling times and streamline the process for callers, including a revised intake assessment and adding a call-back feature. As call volume continues to grow, the limited number of trained staff is stretched thin, and callers may experience frustration or be forced to wait longer than is acceptable.

The organization emphasizes that this issue is not just a temporary inconvenience but a reflection of the urgent need to address an insufficient homeless response system. Without additional resources, the homeless response system and CES will continue to struggle to meet the demand for housing services, leaving individuals vulnerable and at risk of worsening conditions, especially in the winter weather.

“We call on our local, state, and federal policymakers to recognize the need for emergency shelter and affordable housing," said Executive Director Simmons. “The lack of a statewide plan to end homelessness and a lack of funding to meet the current need will result in people freezing to death in the coming days. Stand outside for an hour and see how it feels. Then picture sleeping out there for days with no hope for relief.”

To address the current challenge, the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness is urging leaders to prioritize funding for emergency shelters. This would improve response times and provide faster access to the critical resources that individuals experiencing homelessness require.

Please visit www.rihomeless.org for more information about the Coordinated Entry System or to learn how you can support this vital service.

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About Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness 

Formerly the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless, the Coalition works collaboratively with advocates, providers, and faith-based organizations to create and advance lasting solutions to prevent and end homelessness. Notably, the Coalition, alongside advocates and constituents, lobbied and successfully passed the country’s first Homeless Bill of Rights in June 2012 (bill S-2052). Day-to-day, the Coalition runs lead on RI’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and the shelter and permanent housing placement end of the Coordinated Entry System (CES), which includes operating the call center (available 365 days), facilitates and leads training sessions, serves as the lead for youth homelessness systems, and, most recently, leads the Pay for Success (PFS) initiative — PFS Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Pilot Program.