Providence City Council Chamber Opens As Emergency Warming Center

The Providence City Council Chamber has been opened as a warming center for those seeking shelter from the cold.

Homelessness service providers and trained volunteers are on-site to help with transportation and connecting those in need with shelter beds.

Councilor Justin Roias says the goal is to keep people alive and extraordinary measures were needed to provide warmth and safety for those who have nowhere else to go.

While councilors say it was a matter of keeping people alive, Mayor Brett Smiley was not a fan of the council action. In a statement last night the mayor said:

"I oppose tonight’s action by the City Council. City Hall does not have the resources, expertise, or proper facilities to serve as an emergency shelter. The City is supporting multiple emergency warming shelters across Providence with available beds that are professionally staffed with the resources and tools our unhoused vulnerable population needs. Opening City Hall as a shelter disrespects the hard work of our community partners who have the expertise to adequately provide support for our community."

With cold temperatures again tonight it is unclear whether the council will keep the chamber open.

Last year the city recorded 54 deaths among the homeless population.

(Photo illustration by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)