Speaker Shekarchi Joins Crossroads Rhode Island to Celebrate New Apartments for Families Experiencing Homelessness

Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi joined Crossroads Rhode Island, the state’s leading provider of housing and services for people experiencing homelessness, to celebrate the completed renovation of the Beach Avenue Apartments today. The ribbon-cutting ceremony in Warwick comes just over a year after Crossroads hosted a wall-breaking ceremony. The now-completed renovation transformed former shelter space into four beautiful new apartments for families experiencing homelessness, demonstrating how underutilized properties can be turned into permanent housing for individuals and families in need. Rep. Camille F.J. Vella-Wilkinson (D-Dist. 21, Warwick) also participated in the event.

“Everyone needs and deserves safe, stable housing. It’s the foundation for success in every aspect of life, including people’s health and wellbeing,” said Speaker Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick). “Rhode Island is experiencing a housing crisis and a homelessness crisis. We need housing at all price points, but people at risk of homelessness are especially impacted by our housing shortage. I thank Crossroads for its exceptional work in combating homelessness, and I am very excited to welcome the new residents of the Beach Avenue Apartments to my hometown of Warwick.”

The four new Beach Avenue Apartments include two (2) three-bedroom apartments; one (1) two-bedroom apartment; and one (1) accessible one-bedroom apartment. The addition of these four apartments brings the total number of units at the Beach Avenue Apartment building to 11. The renovation of the Beach Avenue property began in 2018, shortly after Crossroads took ownership of the Warwick Family Shelter. The renovation was supported by several public and philanthropic funding sources, including:

• $1.5M in Building Homes Rhode Island bond funds managed through Rhode Island Housing;
• $98,802 in Community Development Block Grants awarded through the City of Warwick; and
• $200,000 from the Bezos Day One Families Fund.