WOONSOCKET – Homeless shelter OpenDoors, 181 Cumberland St. will not close as announced by the organization, after an agreement was reached with the city on an extended lease.
“Great news! The city of Woonsocket and OpenDoors have a mutual agreement on a lease,” stated City Councilor Michael Dubois Wednesday. “The shelter will continue to operate with expanded capacity.”
That turnaround followed a Monday council meeting where councilors passed a lease agreement that OpenDoors said would not work for them, even as the two sides continued to negotiate.
Nick Horton, co-executive director of Open Doors, told the City Council on Monday that they wouldn’t stop trying to find a solution to this impasse until all options had been exhausted in advance of a lease ending on Sept. 30. He said they were very sad to announce their pending closing last week.
“We told staff and residents last week we were closing because our lease is almost up and the Council had proposed a lease we could not sign,” Horton said Monday. “We needed to provide residents and staff sufficient time to prepare. The council decided to pass that same lease, so unfortunately we are still closing.”
But as of Wednesday, a deal has been struck.
“As the mayor of Woonsocket, I see what OpenDOors has done for members of our community,” said Mayor Chris Beauchamp in a news release announcing the extension. “It is vital we continue this relationship, as the shelter and the services made available are critical resources to help those in need move towards long-term, stable housing. I’m encouraged by all the work that has been done, look forward to seeing it continue, and am grateful for this important partnership between the city of Woonsocket and OpenDoors.”
The amended lease agreement reached since Monday, expected to receive final approval at the council’s September meeting, will allow OpenDoors to add 25 more beds, direct city resources from opioid settlement funds to support shelter operations and services for people struggling with addiction, and require OpenDoors to invest dollars from their state-funded project budget in improvements to the city-owned building, including repairs to the elevator and HVAC system.
Councilor Valerie Gonzalez added, “Woonsocket has the heart, but we do not always have the funds. This conversation is bigger than one lease and bigger than OpenDoors. It is about creating a sustainable partnership in which the state, municipalities, and providers share both the responsibility and the cost of meeting needs that extend far beyond the borders of any one community.”
OpenDoors Deputy Director Dina Bruce said that the strong response to Monday’s announcement, including the many residents who came forward to share their experiences, demonstrated the power of community engagement and what is possible when people show up, make their voices heard, and take part in the governmental process.
“I’m so proud of the many brave Woonsocket residents who came came out and am grateful for the support from the Executive Office of Housing, the Woonsocket City Council, Mayor Beauchamp’s office, and everyone who continues to stand behind this project,” she said.
The council, in a 6-0 vote, approved the original lease as presented by the city solicitor on Monday, though Councilor Jim Cournoyer said that hopefully over the next six or seven weeks before the lease expires, OpenDoors would find an answer for a $75,000 gap in funding. Cournoyer said the advocacy should be happening at the state level, as the state has the money Woonsocket doesn’t have and should be putting more money into the shelter.
Horton had earlier concurred with that statement, saying he agrees that the state should be contributing more. He said the counter lease they were proposing still provided $100,000 of revenue to the city, in addition to $100,000 going into the building. He thanked everyone for getting the shelter to this point, saying it’s been a real success story on the part of all parties.
Horton said he didn’t know why the proposed city lease didn’t make use of $100,000 available in federal funds to invest into the building for further improvements.
Councilor Gonzalez said Monday it was premature to talk about anything closing, agreeing with Cournoyer’s earlier statement that they were only voting on first passage of the lease agreement as presented.
A steady stream of residents, many currently living at OpenDoors, expressed sadness about the potential closure of the building and the possible eviction of 50 or so people living there. Several described how much the facility and its services have helped them in their time of trouble, saying it kept them from falling further into a hole.
Jackie Comeau, who said she was previously homeless, shared how OpenDoors has done so much for the community, and it would be a shame for 50 people to be forced back onto the streets. She said she doesn’t understand why anyone has to advocate for it to stay open, questioning putting any price tag on someone’s life.
Cournoyer said no one on the council was looking to close the shelter, and they indeed want to extend the lease. OpenDoors and its staff, including Deputy Director Bruce, have done a great job running it, he said.
Back during discussion on the city’s camping ordinance, he said, he shared how he would be happy to increase the number of beds at OpenDoors, and there were crickets at the time. A lot of discussion has happened, he said, and the city is offering plenty of options, including leases of one, two, or three years. He added that they agreed to increase the number of beds to 75, with no bump in rent, and $75,000 would also go toward maintenance for the elevator, HVAC, and roof.
Cournoyer said OpenDoors representatives should be talking to the state about its contribution, because the city is running on fumes. Responding to regular critic Pat Ford, he said they could also pass the hat around to Ford’s native Cumberland and other surrounding communities to help foot the bill.
In a similar way to Horton saying OpenDoors couldn’t accept the terms of the proposal, councilors felt the same way in reverse, said Cournoyer.
Bruce had shared that OpenDoors is creating an opportunity for changed lives, emphasizing the rules, structure, and accountability that happen there. She said the staff has done incredibly difficult work, and there would be a human consequence of lost jobs in addition to the people who would no longer have a place to live.
Councilor Kristina Fox agreed with Cournoyer, saying everyone wants OpenDoors to stay open as a resource for the homeless.
Gonzalez said the significant expansion of OpenDoors would come at the existing rent of $102,000 for the year, with expansion included. Increasing occupancy also increases wear and tear, said Gonzalez. She said OpenDoors proposed a 50 percent cut on rent, which wouldn’t work with the expansion. The utilities would also go up from $55,000 to $75,000, she said, and the city would effectively lose three-quarters of the financial benefit of the $102,000.
Gonzalez said one potential pathway is an approved $100,000 available through the state being used for capital repairs, as it would expire if used for operational funds. She offered tentative amendments requiring OpenDoors to be responsible for maintenance, and fo$75,000 in opioid settlement money to be allocated to eligible operational expenses or capital improvements.
Council President Dan Gendron then asked Solicitor Michael Lepizzera how those amendments would impact negotiations. Lepizzera urged them to pass it as is to bring authority and certainty, and they would continue dialogue. Gonzalez said she would like to get negotiations on the books as soon as possible.
According to a memo from OpenDoors, the more than 100 Woonsocket residents, including families and elderly and disabled residents, have been sheltered at 181 Cumberland St.
“The rent is $102,000 a year. On top of that rent, the proposed lease makes OpenDoors responsible for all expenses, including the utilities at 181 Cumberland St., roughly $55,000 a year, and for all maintenance and repairs of the building, including the elevator, the HVAC system and the roof, with no limit and no funded source,” they wrote. “Our state contract for this shelter is only able to cover the costs of this program, and nothing on top of that.”
Gendron and other councilors apologized to residents of OpenDoors for the anxiety they were made to feel over a closure that was never going to happen. He said they’ve always had the intention to keep the facility open.
After Wednesday’s announcement, Comeau credited the advocacy of those who attended Monday’s meeting for the news.
“This is the win that we needed. This is a community that comes together,” she said. “I am so grateful that this resource that doesn’t just help during homelessness. It helps through the recovery process. It helps with aftercare and it helps them move forward into apartments. This is the kind of thing we need. Thank you to everyone that showed up to the City Council meeting. Our voices were heard.”
In separate news related to homelessness in Woonsocket, the state has reinstated funding for the Dignity Bus and its 20-person capacity.
Sen. Brian Thompson and other members of Woonsocket’s delegation wrote to Secretary of Housing Deborah Goddard on Tuesday expressing grave concern about the defunding of the bus and citing a disconnect between the administration’s “proclaimed commitment to tackling” the homelessness crisis and the actual actions.
They said they are deeply concerned that he state is shifting the responsibility of addressing homelessness onto the city.
“It is imperative to recognize that this is not solely a local issue; it is a statewide concern that demands a coordinated response,” they wrote. “The state has mandated that all Rhode Island residents should have access to services in Woonsocket, yet it seems that the financial support to facility this is lacking. This ongoing burden is unsustainable and places undue strain on our city’s already limited resources. Woonsocket is teetering on the edge of fiscal constraints, and it is unacceptable for the state to turn a blind eye to the ramifications of its policies.”
