Why is this story important?A new insightful report lays out a “housing first” strategy to address the homeless and housing crisis in Woonsocket.The questions that need to be askedWhat is the best way to change the narrative around housing and homelessness in Rhode Island? What is the connection between the increased number of reported non-fatal overdoses in Woonsocket and the financial breakdown of Thundermist, the city’s community health center? Will the R.I. Life Science Hub be willing to make investments in educational programs for high school students located in Woonsocket? Will the story ever be told about how Lifespan had once planned to buy Landmark Medical Center in 2011 but backed out of the deal?Under the radar screenWhen Josie Byrd had a building named after her in 2023, it served as a reminder of how much of Woonsocket’s cultural history as an economic engine for generations of immigrants seems to be missing from the narrative about our lives and our history. Byrd was the...
