PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — ECHO Village will need additional approvals before it can welcome residents, according to officials. These 45 single-occupant shelters were initially expected to open in the spring, but now they are not expected to open until the new year. Housing Secretary Deborah Godard said during a meeting yesterday that she is confident these shelters will be operational this winter. “Honestly, initially, the timeline was quite aggressive, with an anticipated opening in March 2024. However, as the project evolved, we realized it was more complex than originally understood,” she said. “Structures like pallet units were not contemplated within the existing building and life safety codes, something obvious and critically important,” she said. As the weather gets colder, advocates warn that the unhoused population continues to grow. The latest point in time count shows more than 24,000 hundred unhoused people within Rhode Island, with more than 50 unsheltered residents in providence alone. To ensure the safety of Rhode Islanders at ECHO Village, installations of fire systems, road paving, and adherence to building codes have been priorities for state and city officials. An official date for its slated opening this winter has not been determined yet. Categories: News