Members of the Rhode Island General Assembly Urgently Call on Governor McKee to Issue Executive Order Declaring a Public Emergency

The Coalition reached out to a variety of legislators for reaction:

“As someone who sat through hours of testimony from the Department of Housing when they were before House Finance-where we were told in no uncertain terms that they had all the authority, money and personnel on hand to appropriately address the needs of the unhoused through a scalding summer and freezing winter- the response I have witnessed is absolutely not meeting the need. I was highly skeptical of the Department then and am blown away at how poorly they have performed today.” – Rhode Island State Representative Teresa Tanzi District 34

“Although it is heartening that a bipartisan group of state senators and state representatives agree that elected officials at every level of government must prioritize legislation and actions to address homelessness in Rhode Island, it is disappointing that we had to come together because our Governor refused to declare homelessness a public health emergency amid some of the coldest temperatures we’ve had this winter. I don’t understand why the Governor has refused to bypass rules and regulations so that additional overnight shelters could be opened or the pallet homes could be opened. It just feels cruel.” – Rhode Island State Representative Jennifer Stewart District 59