House Speaker aims to cut red tape hindering emergency shelter construction

Utility vehicles are seen parked outside the ECHO Village pallet shelter community assembled off Victor Street in Providence on Jan. 21, 2025. The opening of the village has been bogged down with delays. Now House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi has introduced a bill in the General Assembly to address red tape faced by such projects. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)

It’s no secret that state officials have been frustrated by repeated delays in getting Rhode Island’s first pallet shelter community up and running. 

That’s why House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi is proposing legislation to ensure the regulatory hurdles bogging down ECHO Village in Providence don’t get in the way of any future projects meant to temporarily shelter Rhode Island’s growing homeless population.

“Temporary housing needs a special category,” Shekarchi said in an interview Thursday. “Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.”

The bill introduced Wednesday creates a new type of emergency shelter under the state’s building code called Supportive and Versatile Emergency (SAVE) units. Shekarchi’s bill would apply to housing units that measure a minimum of 70-square feet, the same as the 45 cabins still awaiting occupancy off Route 146 in Providence.

Like ECHO Village units, which will have both heat and air conditioning, the emergency housing units defined in Shekarchi’s bill must also have climate control, fire and carbon monoxide detectors, extinguishers, a locking door, and windows. 

Shekarchi’s bill would also allow municipalities to be exempt from the normal fire and building codes for 180 days, so long as a city or town declares an emergency.

“These emergencies are usually local issues and are best decided by local governments,” Shekarchi said.

Shekarchi’s bill comes as a response to the slow completion of the 45 one-room cabins and auxiliary buildings that make up ECHO Village. The $3.3 million project faces delays partly due to confusion over how the cabins fit into the state’s fire and building codes.

State Fire Marshal Timothy McLauglin revealed to a legislative panel in December that his office ultimately decided last spring to go with the code used for hotels or dorms, even though the cabins are freestanding structures.

Temporary housing needs a special category. Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.

– House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi

“These pallet shelters and type of housing we’re trying to get at are not hotels — they should not be reviewed as such,” Shekarchi said.

Such delays prompted approximately 62% of lawmakers to call on Gov. Dan McKee to declare a state of emergency to help expedite ECHO Village’s opening. McKee has resisted, contending that an emergency declaration would not yield any federal funds toward the issue and could create potential problems should regulations be relaxed.

McKee’s office did not immediately respond to request for comment on Shekarchi’s bill.

ECHO Village will be managed by the Warwick-based community development corporation House of Hope, whose executive director Laura Jaworski recently led McKee on a tour of the site.

The governor mentioned stopping by ECHO Village during his Jan. 14 State of the State address, but did not state how long he was there. Turns out he spent 15 minutes on site on Jan. 10, Jaworski confirmed to Rhode Island Current.

“With the focus right now being on construction, it is an appropriate length of time,” Jaworski said in a recent interview “It doesn’t matter if it was 15 minutes or 50, what matters is that he was able to see the site himself.”

Shekarchi’s legislation likely wouldn’t have an impact on ECHO Village, now scheduled to open by the end of February. But it could be used in the event of extreme weather caused by climate change such as flooding, the speaker said.

“Unfortunately, weather events are getting more prevalent and more severe,” Shekarchi said. “We need to take a proactive approach to making sure if we need pallet shelters in the future, we can expedite them.”

Shekarchi’s bill will now head to the House Committee on Municipal Government and Housing for consideration, which has yet to be configured for the 2025 legislative session. The speaker said he would like to see his legislation clear the House within the next 60 days.

Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns spokesperson Lauren Green declined to comment on Shekarchi’s bill, saying that municipal leaders are still reviewing the proposal.

No companion legislation has been introduced in the Rhode Island Senate, nor has Shekarchi identified a sponsor.

“I’ve learned long ago never to interfere with the other chamber’s business,” Shekarchi said. “I will work with whoever the sponsor of a Senate version is.”

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