Amos House's Response to Growing Needs in the Community
Needs for a healthier community
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic created ripple effects across many different areas that are impacting the community Amos House serves. From a rising and deadly opioid epidemic to record shortages in housing availability and a changing job market, Amos House has adjusted programs to meet these needs.
Opioid Crisis
Current Concerns
Despite what appeared to be a trend of reducing drug overdoses, the combination of pandemic timing and increases in Fentanyl in the market caused a surge of overdoses and deaths in Rhode Island. Rhode Island needs to invest in life-saving substance use disorder recovery efforts including; recovery housing, harm reduction actions, and increased access to behavioral health services for all Rhode Islanders regardless of financial means.
Impact of Covid Pandemic
The timing of this spike in overdoses is not coincidental. For those dealing with substance use disorder, the isolation of the pandemic was particularly difficult to navigate. Community substance use disorder supports such as in-person NA and AA meetings were unavailable for almost two years. The inability for face-to-face counseling and therapy sessions as well as a staff shortage of psychiatric providers exacerbated these challenges and created even more life-threatening obstacles.
Workforce Development
Current Concerns
The workforce has changed drastically in recent years. Even for jobs traditionally categorized as “low skilled,” there is a need for increased digital literacy in the application, preliminary qualifications, and testing requirements. For the segment of the population that falls into the “hardest to serve” category, these can be challenges that are insurmountable without support.
Impact of Covid Pandemic
With living costs increasing across the board, there is a greater focus on preparing employees for jobs that pay a living wage. Pathways that create upward mobility such as union apprenticeships and other inside industry placements are hard to access. Investments are needed in new training pathways that offer opportunities to Rhode Islanders with significant employment barriers such as justice involvement and gaps in employment.
Housing
Current Concerns
The available housing stock in Rhode Island is at an all-time low. Units designated as low income or supportive are at a critical level.
Impact of Covid Pandemic
With the end of the eviction moratorium coinciding with the housing market boom, many landlords have raised rents to levels that price our most financially vulnerable neighbors out or are choosing to sell the property, forcing tenants out. These scenarios, combine with already critically low levels of affordable, subsidized, and supportive housing have led to historic levels of unhoused individuals and families. We currently lack space in all types of housing; shelter, transitional, low income, subsidized, supportive, and recovery. While large investments in housing development are helpful and will address these issues moving forward, building new housing takes years and the impact on those who need it now won’t be felt for some time. We need both short-term and long-term plans and investments in all forms of housing.
Food Insecurity
Current Concerns
Food insecurity is growing in Rhode Island. For our neighbors who are unhoused, access to prepared meals, like those served from Amos House’s Soup Kitchen, is vital to their health.
Impact of Covid Pandemic
In 2021, average food costs increased by almost 7%, with meat costs increasing between 14-20%. So far, only three months into 2022 we’ve already seen an additional 5% increase over the elevated 2021 numbers. Benefits have not increased to meet this inflation. For Rhode Islanders who were already financially vulnerable, this is a burden they cannot shoulder.