Humble King Foundation

Funds are being raised to address the significant gap and lack of access to warm, safe spaces in which individuals can rest and recover in Rhode Island.

Emergency Housing & Support for Rhode Island’s Unhoused Community

Right now, over 670 people in Rhode Island are actively sleeping on the streets and 1,400 people in temporary shelters. You read that right. Welcome to Rhode Island. The average temperature in Rhode Island currently is around 22 degrees. People are actively facing freezing temperatures without access to constant shelter. Despite it being February 19th, there are still no consistent state-funded warming centers to bridge the gaps for unhoused individuals. This is a crisis. In the past year, 55 individuals died as a result of their homelessness. People are sleeping in cars, tents, storage units, under bridges, Uhaul vans, prostituting themselves for a warm room (facing sexual assault), in alleyways, et al. Often when they are going for medical treatment, they are being discriminated against and not receiving the same care as a housed person and placed back on the streets without even their medical needs being addressed, which has caused further medical complications.

Over the past month, a handful of regular day citizens have stepped up to fill this critical gap (with the support and efforts of the unhoused themselves).

Collectively, we:

• Secured 11 Airbnbs to house individuals in immediate need. Currently paused, we are in active conversations with Airbnb regarding an organizational account that can open up spaces for future emergencies and also address gaps when people are discharged from service providers (currently to the streets). Yes, “mandatory reports” are discharging people into the streets.

• Built partnerships with hotels and property managers to expand shelter options and transitional housing..

• Served over 140 people, providing them with safe spaces, food, showers, telephone access, transportation and caseworker connections.

• Currently provide 24/7 support to 100 individuals, ensuring they are not left out in the cold.

• Transitioned 21 people into stable housing and placed one person in a sober house.

• Helped multiple individuals enter detox and rehab to begin their recovery journey.

In just the first month, between $30,000 and $40,000 was spent to provide emergency shelter, food, transportation, and essential services. But the crisis is not over. Rhode Island still lacks the necessary infrastructure to keep people safe—and we are working every day to stabilize our existing operations while expanding support to even more individuals in need.

We need your help. Every dollar raised will go directly toward shelter, food, transportation, and resources for those experiencing homelessness. Your support can help us keep people warm, safe, and on a path toward stability.

Please donate and share. Together, we can save lives and you can do something about it.

Update: Over 140 individuals have received assistance with a warm space and additional resources such as food, connections to detox/rehab, transitional housing etc. As of February 19, nearly 100 people are being provided 24/7 space and efforts to continue to support them are being made.

The Humble King Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization committed to serving as a fiscal sponsor for this initiative and has a history with supporting emergency shelter and housing in Rhode Island behind the scenes. In 2021 it funded a pop up shelter by paying for the heating expenses for 100 days.

Strategic Collaborations:

Betterlives RI has stepped up consistently to support the pop-up overnight shelter at the Davinici Shelter. They also provide case management services and food. Most of their funding is restricted (meaning there is not much room for emergency spending or emergency solutions)

Extreme Weather Shelter:

Pro: Provides much needed safe space for folks to get off the street and access resources such as food/water, bathrooms, clothes, case management, healthcare, et al. Significant less risk of someone dying on the street due to cold, illness, overdose.

Con: Inconsistent, have been nights that have snowed and they are not open, inconsistency has also created a greater need for last minute mobilization to get word out and organize donations, which puts additional burden/stress on already limited resources (volunteers, case workers)

The Davinci Center with the support of many volunteers has opened its doors in extreme cold. This life saving effort also provides an opportunity to connect with individuals on the streets and assist them with placement into temporary rooms, while longer term solutions are in progress.

East Providence Shelter is another space that has thankfully opened up for extreme weather conditions. Unfortunately, as with other "extreme weather condition shelters" there are significant gaps and some nights they have not been open, and it has snowed. These spaces provide much needed space for individuals to get off the street and get access to resources.

West Warwick Civic Center has also developed an emergency 24/7 space for folks to rest and get medical assistance. The trained staff has helped to get individuals into detox and other spaces. Unfortunately, this has also been a temporary initiative under extreme weather conditions, but when open it allows for efforts to amplify and individuals experiencing homelessness to be reached more easily.

Food Not Bombs is a volunteer led initiative that provides boots on the ground support to feed people, assisting with non-violent advocacy, and has stepped up to fill in various gaps such as transportation and mentorship.

Property Management Company: We are partnering with Michie House and are open to partnering with other property management companies and/or landlords to secure rooms/property to get people off the streets and into respite space to begin healing.

Project Weber/RENEW is a leader and partner in harm-reduction. Their trained staff assist with reducing the risk of overdose, transfer of disease, and provide counseling and case work services for individuals with substance abuse.

Artists Helping the Homeless, based in Kansas City, AHH serves as an advisor and advocate to create spaces and opportunities that reduce barriers to growth and healing.