Local Community Gathers to Learn More About Homelessness

Jan. 21, 2011 - PRLog -- On January 19 people from the West Warwick and surrounding communities gathered at the West Warwick Senior Center for an informational meeting on the topic of “Homelessness: Challenges and Solutions.” The meeting was sponsored by Grace Family Church of Rhode Island, The West Warwick Senior Center, and Cozzi Video Productions.

During the meeting a panel of experts from the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless, Crossroads Rhode Island, the W.A.R.M Shelter and the West Warwick Senior Center addressed the participants sharing information and personal experiences on the current state of homelessness in our State, and answered questions from the audience.

After a brief introduction from Pastor Luciano Cozzi, senior pastor of Grace Family Church of Rhode Island, who moderated the meeting, Kyle A. Macdonald, Vice-President of Adult Services at Crossroads Rhode Island, presented an update on the current state of homelessness in the State, and shared comments on the challenges that agencies face in servicing the homeless. This was followed by a short presentation from Constance Vergowven, from the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless, who shared her personal experiences with homelessness. Russell Partridge, Program Director at W.A.R.M. Shelter of Westerly, commented on the struggle that the system poses to people who become homeless, and how shelters, while necessary, are not the solution to homelessness. This was followed by a discussion on affordable and supportive housing, and by a presentation by Manny Murray, President and CEO of the West Warwick Senior Center, who spoke about the situation in the local area.

“I was very impressed with the number of people who came to the meeting to hear of the crisis that many Rhode Islanders face today, becoming homeless through no fault of their own and the pressing issue being that we do not have enough affordable housing,” Constance Vergowven remarked. “This is the way change happens. It will be heard because someone heard, and understood that there is a growing crisis. To make a real change one person needs to gather a group of like minded people, and that is exactly what happened here.”

Mike Aballo, a community member who attended the meeting, stated “I was encouraged to see the size of the crowd interested in learning more about this issue and I look expectantly forward, equipped with this new understanding, to how we can make a difference in mobilizing more resources toward a final or at least a better resolution.”  He commented that “The meeting certainly fulfilled its promise to inform those who attended, providing a vision of how the problem can ultimately be solved.  Short and long term solutions were presented and discussed, which will ultimately require a full community response involving government, business and non-profit agencies and groups, especially our faith-based organizations, working together to muster the support and resources needed.”

In response to the request from many of the participants, additional events are being planned and organized for the near future.

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About Grace Family Church of Rhode Island:

Grace Family Church or Rhode Island is a Christian community based in West Warwick, RI, which offers a number of services to the community, including biblical counseling. Their services are held at 125 Washington St, in West Warwick every Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m., and Bible studies are conducted on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m. The church offers training in biblical counseling which is accredited for certification by the International Association of Biblical Counselors. Senior Pastor: Luciano Cozzi.