STATE HOUSE – Social ventures – privately-funded companies seeking to serve a public good – are a growing trend in new business formation. Rep. Christopher R. Blazejewski has submitted a piece of legislation that would help Rhode Island become a national leader in this emerging economic sector.

“With many students graduating from our colleges and universities with a focus on entrepreneurship and community service, Rhode Island is well-positioned to become the Silicon Valley of the social venture movement,” said Representative Blazejewski (D-Dist. 2, Providence, East Providence). “As a tool for economic development, it is critical that we aid investment and foster growth in these socially responsible businesses.”

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4/26/2011                 Bill would recoup lost revenue from companies getting tax credits that relocate out of RI      

STATE HOUSE – What could happen to Rhode Island’s already damaged economy if large companies benefiting from tax credits suddenly pack up and leave with little or no warning?

That is a concern that Sen. John J. Tassoni (D-Dist.22, North Smithfield, Smithfield) has been faced with since Fidelity, the nation’s second largest mutual fund and investment company, announced it would move its 1,000 employees out of Malborough, Mass., and into Rhode Island and New Hampshire.

To protect Rhode Island and its taxpayers from a similar scenario, Senator Tassoni has introduced legislation requiring any company earning tax breaks/credits that relocates out-of-state during the term of its agreement with the state to repay the entirety of the tax liability on the credit the company received during that respective tax year.

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4/25/2011                 HEARING: Senate Judiciary to consider Secy. of State’s Voter ID bill

STATE HOUSE – The Senate Committee on Judiciary considered legislation requested by Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis to require proof of identity for any person attempting to vote in any primary, general or special elections in the state.

Introduced by Sen. Harold M. Metts (D-Dist. 6, Providence), the legislation, (2011-S0400), lists the types of identification that would be considered valid for voters and also provides for the use of provisional ballots for individuals who fail to provide the required ID at the poll.

4/20/2011                 Rep. Tomasso cosponsors bill to prevent welfare fraud

Rep. Lisa P. Tomasso (D-Dist. 29, Coventry, West Greenwich) is cosponsoring legislation aimed at preventing fraud by requiring photo identification for food stamp program participants.

Under the bill (2011-H6063) introduced, any person using an electronic balance transfer (EBT) card or a supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) card to purchase food or secure money would be required to produce a valid form of photo identification as proof of identity.

Representative Tomasso said the bill would prevent cases in which someone sells his or her EBT card and then requests a replacement from the state. If everyone was required to show photo identification when using their cards, selling them would essentially be pointless, she said.

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4/15/2011                 Senate votes to establish permanent council on homelessness

The Senate has approved legislation sponsored by Sen. Frank A. DeVall Jr. (D-Dist. 18, East Providence) establishing a permanent Interagency Council on Homelessness.

The bill (2011-S0539Aaa) was introduced as a result of a series of hearings conducted by the Senate Committee on Housing and Municipal Government, of which Senator DeVall is vice chairman, dedicated to exploring the homelessness problem in Rhode Island. As a result of the committee’s focus on homelessness, Governor Chafee issued an executive order on March 1 to reactivate the Interagency Council on Homelessness.

Senator DeVall’s bill places the reactivation of the council into statute so that it is not dependent on action by the governor. Rhode Island’s participation in the Interagency Council had lapsed because it requires an order from the governor to continue participation, which was not done by the previous administration.

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4/13/2011                 Safe Schools Act, computer crime bill before Senate Judiciary

STATE HOUSE – Legislation directing the state Department of Education to establish a model policy on cyberbullying prevention will be heard by the Senate Committee on Judiciary.

(2011-S0733), sponsored by Senator Lanzi at the request of the Office of the Attorney General, that would create various criminal offenses relating to Internet activity.

(2011-S0636), by Sen. Juan M. Pichardo (D-Dist. 2, Providence), that would create an office of gang and youth violence within the Office of the Attorney General to study the problem and make recommendations to the Attorney General and legislature on how to deal with the problem.

4/11/2011                 Funding low-income utility payment plans

STATE HOUSE – The Senate Corporations Committee heard legislation establishing a fund that would allow low-income utility customers to pay a percentage of their income toward their gas and electricity bills.

The bill (2011-S 0412), sponsored by Corporations Committee Chairman Joshua Miller (D-Dist. 28, Cranston, Warwick), was heard, Tuesday, April 12.

The legislation establishes the Universal Service Fund, remitted to the Office of Energy Resources, which would be used to fund a percentage-of-income payment plan program that would help low-income Rhode Islanders both with their current bills and with arrearages, allowing them to pay what they can afford to prevent shutoffs and pay down utility debts.

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4/11/2011                 Out-of-state youth placements

STATE HOUSE – The House Judiciary Committee met for hearings on a number of bills including one banning out-of-state placement of children in state care and another concerning adult adoptees’ birth certificates, and other bills including:

2011-H 5746 – This bill sponsored by Rep. Roberto DaSilva (D-Dist. 63, East Providence, Pawtucket) would ban Rhode Island Family Court from placing children at out-of-state residences, facilities or treatment centers.

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3/29/2011                 Katie’s Law, John Gordon bill before House Judiciary Committee

STATE HOUSE – The House Judiciary Committee held hearings on several high-profile bills on Wednesday, March 30.

Among the bills scheduled for hearings is “Katie’s Law” (2011-H 5132), sponsored by Rep. Brian Patrick Kennedy (D-Dist. 38, Hopkinton, Westerly), which would require the collection of DNA samples from any person arrested for a crime of violence. The bill provides for expungement of DNA samples taken from arrestees whose cases are not charged through indictment, are dismissed or who are found not guilty, and no DNA samples would be provided to agencies outside of law enforcement.

Even if the person manages to find a homeless shelter, often the time period for stay and policies around stays negate the ability to remain for any length of time and get assistance on issues that made this person susceptible to become homeless. Only their physiological needs are met and only for short periods of time. Even if a transitional home with a longer stay is found, regardless of the best intentions of those running the facilities, these people often do not get their safety needs met. They know that at any time they could be thrown out if they break the rules.  They also know that the time of stay is limited. When leaving transitional facilities the homeless do not maintain the support structure that was built.  They are often embarassed by the fact that they were homeless. This negates the ability to even think about belonging and needs being met as they hide that part of themselves. Thus there can even be grief about not being able to be open about oneself. While that is not always the case with people in transition, it is more often than not.

In my experience with the homeless, transitional homes, supportive services and counseling for urban persons in Virginia, I found the homeless had so many experiences that would cause grief but were not allowed or did not allow themselves time to grieve fully and heal. They rarely get out of the stages of grief, but transition back and forth from shock and disbelief to denial to anger to depression but hardly ever to acceptance and reorganization. There are success stories in the community, but many more join the ranks of the chronic homeless.

I have heard arguments about whether it is the ‘fault’ of the homeless person, or if it is due to no fault of their own that they became homeless.   I have come to a conclusion that it is somewhere between. These people have experienced so many hard knocks that they have given up hope and just learned negative behaviors that lead to negative consequences. They have not had as many opportunities to heal and learn positive behaviors leading to positive consequences. They have a difficult road to travel to meet their physiological, safety, and belonging needs so that they can gain self-esteem and create a successful life.

The homeless are difficult to access and work with due to these very issues. Yet they need the assistance greatly, but often resent it while feeling that they do need help. Think about yourself.  You are without a home, a job, a telephone number and skills.  You are thrust into a situation where you have to rely on strangers who tell you what you can and can’t do.  You are pushed into activities (counseling/education) that may be good for you but are required rather than self-initiated. Wouldn’t you feel a sense of resentment, anger and grief too? Most people want to have a sense of self and independence.

As a woman who has never been homeless but worked with the population, I cannot commend enough those who have experienced homelessness and made a success of their lives.  Nor can I commend enough those who work full-time with this population.  Both have a difficult path in order to join together so that healing and transitioning can take place. The homeless themselves can do the hard work of acceptance and reorganization that leads to a self-sufficient and productive life. It is my hope that this healing can be facilitated by more attention to the homeless, their rallying for help and by their working to promote understanding.

Getting control over your urges and opportunities is like getting control over a bicycle or roller skates or anything else. You’re not going to start out as an expert. You will get control of it only by forcing yourself at first to act differently than you feel! It looks like the bike should fall over, and it may feel very difficult or strange, but by practicing over and over, you learn to ride the bike! So the reason people correctly “feel” that they don’t have self-control is because they haven’t been practicing what would give it to them. In this case, the skill is in resisting urges or opportunities to use.

Along with other related strategies, at SMART Recovery® we learn how to stall, distract and resist those urges. If sometimes we don’t succeed, we keep trying and resist discouragement, like getting back on the bike if we tumbled! Those who do practice resisting urges, after a while report that it becomes easier and easier to continue. They have been exercising and building their self-control and now have begun to show a fair amount of skill. In everyday language, thinking that you must first have “self control” before you can acquire a change in your behavior is “putting the cart before the horse.”

In one famous study, children were left with a candy bar and told that if they didn’t eat it they would get two candy bars. The children who resisted the temptation while alone were secretly observed using verbal self-reminders and distracting activities. Children who didn’t resist were later able to do so after being taught new strategies for better self- control. Things like learning that urges are time-limited, and they will crest and subside if we stall and divert the thoughts to something else.

Reprinted with permission. If you or someone you know wants help and support for recovery please see the back page for a list of local support groups. SMART Recovery®  provides free worksheets, articles, essays, online meetings and a 24-hour recovery chat network at smartrecovery.org.

To address the unique circumstances and difficulties of homeless people with minor criminal violations, some states have developed a homeless court program. The movement to create homeless courts originated in 1989 in California. The Superior Court there began holding special sessions at local homeless shelters to help homeless people resolve misdemeanor charges against them. Since that time, California has expanded its program and other states have developed similar homeless court programs. According to the American Bar Association, homeless courts exist in Michigan, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, Utah and Washington.

Rather than compound the problems of the homeless with traditional criminal convictions and penalties, homeless courts use alternative forms of sentencing and plea-bargaining. For example, a “sentence” or plea agreement may entail having the defendant participate in life skills training, substance abuse programs, computer or English literacy classes or volunteer work as an alternative to fines or imprisonment.

Getting involved in a homeless court program typically starts at the shelter level. Local homeless shelters help identify the people who would benefit from the program and guide them into the system. Shelters may have caseworkers that help the residents through the process. A homeless defendant ordinarily meets with a designated attorney before the hearing in the homeless court. The attorney and the defendant talk about a proposed plea agreement and evaluate the various support programs that might benefit the individual as part of an alternative sentencing plan. The defendant should expect that he or she will need to demonstrate satisfactory participation or other proof of compliance with any court-ordered program. If the defendant has already participated in a program before the hearing date is held, he or she may be “credited” with that time as part of the plea agreement or the sentence.

The benefits of homeless courts are numerous. For homeless participants, these less formal courts can resolve small criminal matters without the cost of hiring an attorney or go through the complex and often intimidating regular court system. At the same time, the “sentence” may actually benefit the homeless defendant by channeling that person into a program designed to address some of the root causes of homelessness such as chemical dependency or unemployment. The courts benefit overall by reducing the amount of time and the number of hearings needed to resolve even small criminal cases and removing the homeless cases from their main docket. Statistics suggest that an average of 90 percent of the cases that go to homeless court are resolved and dismissed. If the homeless court is able to help a homeless defendant regain his or her independence and become self-sufficient, it saves the judicial system from spending more resources in the future for repeat offenders. Finally, helping homeless defendants regain their lives benefits homeless shelters by reducing the number of clients they need to serve.

Rhode Island does not presently have a homeless court program. Starting such a program would require a consensus among the judiciary, homeless people and their advocates, and state government leaders. If such a consensus could be reached, there are plenty of resources for start-up programs. The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans has put together a manual entitled “Homeless Court: Helping to Remove Veterans’ Barriers to Employment” that offers step-by-step guidance for starting a program (http://nchv.org/docs/HCP%20Manual.pdf).

The American Bar Association (ABA) Commission on Homelessness and Poverty has also developed a manual for creating a homeless court (www.abanet.org/homeless).

If you have legal issues or topics you would like us to address in future articles, please e-mail your topics to us at streetsightslegal@gmail.com. Don’t have email? Use the “Have Your Say” form on the last page of this issue and drop it off at any Street Sights submission box.

Shelter constituents say: A lot of things had to go wrong that created the mess in our lives.

Case managers to constituents: I don’t want you to go from one problem to another.

Shelter constituents must be able to turn their lives around and reveal the best of who they are and what they aspire to be.

Constituents must put mistakes behind them. They can’t change the past and can’t change any thing that has happened, but they have the opportunity for a fresh start. It depends on whether they are willing to learn. A few more life lessons won’t cure their problem, but will create improvement.

Who cares about how shelter constituents feel? They feel insecure in the shelters and uncomfortable about their biggest dream in their lives, which is: To find a home.

I think case managers are trying to wash their hands of constituents instead of looking at the whole picture.

Question: Why do homeless people lives spiral out of control?

Question: Do managers of the emergency shelter system know what chaos they have unleashed?

Shelter managers: a lack of commitment to shelter constituents.

I am asking the Rhode Island emergency shelter system leaders to a forum to air some private grievances and get assurance for the liberty to air what was said about the grievance publicly. Case managers have an obligation to graduate constituents from the shelter.

I don’t necessarily want to overturn the boat, but I will rock it.

The only reason I’m writing about this is because I wanted to see about how many constituents are graduating from the shelter. This is my concern I told them I’m not going to jump on the bandwagon and let you all make money from all the constituents that are in the shelter and not say anything.

Legislation pending in the Rhode Island Senate would make it easier for homeless individuals to obtain driver’s licenses and state-issued identification cards from the Division of Motor Vehicles.

Senator Harold Metts, a Democrat who represents Providence in the Rhode Island Senate, introduced the legislation in February.  Known as Senate Bill 220, it would require all applicants for driver’s licenses and identification cards to present an identity document, a document with the applicant’s signature, and two documents providing proof of residency in Rhode Island.

Some documents, such as a passport, can be presented under more than one of these categories.  Examples of identify documents include a birth certificate, a passport, or a valid driver’s license from another state.  

Signature documents can include a credit card, a work or school identification card, or any other valid original document signed by the applicant that can be used to verify his or her signature.

The bill sets forth a long list of documents that can be used to prove residency, such as a welfare check stub or food stamp card with the applicant’s name and address.

For readers of this newsletter, the most significant aspect of the proposed legislation is its guarantee that if an applicant claims to have no permanent address, he or she can provide documentation from a government service organization or a community-based organization that serves the homeless.

For example, a homeless individual could apply for a driver’s license with a letter from Crossroads stating that he resides there.  The Division of Motor Vehicles would be required to accept such documentation confirming that the applicant is a state resident as proof of residency.

Under existing law, to obtain a license or state-issued identification card, individuals must present a certified birth or baptismal certification, a U.S. or foreign passport, a U.S. naturalization certificate, or a valid immigrant or refugee document issued by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Some people may have difficulty obtaining these documents.  Those who are homeless may have lost track of personal records such as a birth certificate, and passports are costly ($165 for first time adult applicants).

By allowing individuals to prove identity and state residency through the use of several different types of documents, the bill would make it easier to obtain a license or state-issued identification card.  This is good news for people who have had their license revoked in the past and are now eligible to reapply for a new license.

The bill also specifies that proof of lawful presence in the United States shall not be required to obtain a driver’s license and states that an applicant shall not be denied a license based solely upon his or her immigration status.

However, all applicants must provide either a valid Social Security number or a certified copy of a photo page of a foreign passport or a consular identification card.  In addition, the legislation would lower the fee for state-issued identification cards, from $25 to $15.  (People age 59 or older are not required to pay this fee.)

The bill also seeks to lower the renewal fee for identification cards issued to people who have been designated as permanently and totally disabled by the Social Security Administration; that renewal fee currently stands at $25, and the bill would lower it to $15.

The bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration.  If the bill is scheduled for a hearing, interested people may appear before the committee and either submit written comments or give oral testimony.  You may monitor the status of this legislation on the General Assembly’s website at http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/.

If you have legal issues or topics that you would like us to address in future articles, please e-mail your topics to us at streetsightslegal@gmail.com.

This is more work that remains to be done; the search process to find solutions for constituents should begin now.

The homeless community leaders unanimously voted to develop a few proposals and request a meeting with the R.I. Shelter System leaders to discuss these processes and begin the process to find solution to the shelter constituents problems.

Will this process be a building block to educate the constituents by doing it right? Many of the shelter constituents situations/problems are not too easily to resolve.

Case Managers: They must find a range of solution for constituents by a matter of practice, education, with a collective effort and with help and common sense to correct their length of stay and it is serving as a new beginning . . .

Homelessness in R.I. is a crisis issue on our doorstep; management must take the time to listen to its homeless constituents.

Cost is not the driver; but the shelter managements must improve the quality of care of our constituents, by their experience and resolve and focus which will bring success.

But some case managers look at the constituents’ situation and the run in the opposite direction. The shelters still need to correct their errors, to build success. Constituents are willing to change and that holds the key to constituents’ survival.

Shelter management must monitor their constituents, where they come from, where they are going is very important, and looking where they’ve been? Wait until you see where they are headed, they can still achieve and prosper because some of the constituents are very resilient?

Case Managers: They must do their part to move constituents forward; they must have their finger on the pulse of what is happening …

-Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

My first love in childhood was nature.  In my childhood my family moved around a lot.  From age three to five, I lived in the projects in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. I had trouble fitting in with the other children, since I was shy and dreamy, so I turned to nature.

I would go into the woods behind the Project buildings and explore the rich landscapes of soft mosses and beautifully delicate little blue and white flowers.  I would keep these adventures to myself, since others (even my family), would not understand the joy I felt in exploring this secret world of nature.  I felt that these walks in the woods brought me such relief and were a refuge from my wounded childhood.

I was a sensitive child with a harsh father, whom I could never seem to please.  I guess I wasn’t the tough kind of boy he would have preferred; hence the woods were a means of escape form the drama of this dysfunctional relationship.

In Catholic School, I found more of the same disapproval, the teachers said that I did not pay attention or follow directions.  I felt I was not meant for this world of cold hallways and stone faces. I would play in the leaves in a make believe world, like the story of the “Secret Garden,” by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

One day there was a fire in the woods, and my heart fell as I watched the fire trucks and firemen trample the delicate beauty of those precious woods.  It had been ruined, burned and trampled, the plants, mosses and little flowers were all but gone. Sadly, as far as I know, it never grew back the same.

Then it wasn’t long before my family moved to a cabin in the woods of Box Pond in Bellingham, Massachusetts.  Again I found sanctuary in the woods, though it was different, there were beautiful wild lady slippers tucked away among the leaves under those tall pine trees, and I was grateful.  I still missed my trampled little flowers and mosses back in Woonsocket, but I had to move on.  The lady slippers captured my imagination with their incredibly gorgeous, delicate and endangered flowers.  I would often walk through the woods and connect with nature as Henry David Thoreau advised. On the first day of school, I remember being so nervous that I got sick waiting for the school bus, then I got on the wrong bus coming home, perhaps it was symbolic of being a lost boy.  My memory is full of loud, scary thunder storms and the roof leaking in that old run down cabin. Life must be examined backward, but lived forward. My family and I only stayed there for about a year, and then we moved to Point Judith, Rhode Island, where I fell in love with the ocean.

I loved to swim in the clear water and loved making sand castles in the soft sand. The beauty of long walks on the beach and seeing the colorful sunsets filled me with awe.

A few years ago, while watching the movie, “Into the Wild” I really identified with Chris McCandless in his journey of exploration, openness and aliveness. The movie seemed to put so many expectations and illusions into perspective. Through the years my life has taken many twists and turns, but I’ll never forget my first love of nature, which continues to enrich my life and awareness.