Homeless shelter for older adults opens in former Charlesgate nursing home in Providence
The former Charlesgate Nursing Center at 100 Randall St., Providence is shown in September 2024. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)
The former Charlesgate Nursing Center in Providence reopened this week as the Rhode Island Department of Housing's first emergency shelter designed specifically for homeless adults aged 55 and up.
State officials announced Thursday the opening of 16 beds at the former nursing home at 100 Randall St., with plans to eventually house about 40 older adults there by March. The shelter is managed by Amos House, a Providence nonprofit social service agency that provides services in Rhode Island for people who are hungry, homeless and in crisis.
About 500 people aged 55 and older were counted across Rhode Island in 2024, according to an annual survey conducted by the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness last January. That represented roughly 20% of the 2,442 unhoused people counted last year.
'Last year, we made a strategic decision to acquire this property to better position the state to address homelessness in the long term — and we are already seeing positive results,' Gov. Dan McKee said in a statement.
The state officially acquired the property last October for $6.9 million.
Unhoused people 55 and older will be selected to live in the building via referral through the state's Coordinated Entry System — a calling system designed to ensure people experiencing housing insecurity have 'fair and equal access' to shelter.
Those staying at the shelter will receive meals, case management, medical support, and assistance toward finding more stable housing.
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The state entered a contract with Amos House to operate the senior shelter on Oct. 1, 2024. Amos House will be paid $1.2 million to provide meals, case management, medical support, and housing location assistance through Sept. 30, 2025.
Under the agreement, Amos House is required to provide monthly performance measurement reports on the number of people receiving emergency shelter and how many have moved to more permanent housing.
'In the midst of our state's housing crisis, certain demographics are more vulnerable due to their specific housing needs,' Amos House President and CEO Eileen Hayes said in a statement. 'Many older adults needing emergency shelter can no longer live independently because of significant medical or behavioral health challenges.'
The state set out to acquire the former Charlesgate Nursing Center after its owner, Davenport Associates Ltd., closed the nursing home in May 2023, citing staffing shortages. Since its closure, the state has leased 57 rooms in the building to shelter families, with support services administered by Amos House.
The department's newest leader, Acting Secretary Deborah Goddard, told WJAR in January she agreed with using Charlesgate to shelter the homeless, but did not believe the state should own the building long-term.
She walked back those comments a day later.
'The state of Rhode Island made the appropriate decision to purchase Charlesgate in response to an urgent shelter demand and does not have any plans to sell the property,' Goddard told WJAR.
Goddard has served as acting housing director since Dec. 2. McKee wrote to the Rhode Island Senate on Nov. 24 requesting the chamber's advice and consent over her nomination. That request was formally placed in the Senate's journal on Jan. 28, but no hearing has yet been scheduled.
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