The location was chosen because the Providence police had earlier asked some homeless people to leave the site and not sleep overnight.

09:18 AM EDT on Tuesday, May 17, 2005

BY SCOTT MacKAY
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE -- A group of advocates for the homeless held a religious service and slept outside under a Route 195 bridge Sunday, then marched to the State House yesterday morning to petition General Assembly leaders to do more to alleviate homelessness in Rhode Island.

Journal photo / Connie Grosch

"Every year it [homelessness] gets worse," says the Rev. Duane Clinker, who officiated at Sunday night's Pentecost service.

The Route 195 overpass bridge near the confluence of the Providence River and the Point Street Bridge is often used by the homeless as a place to sleep. So a group of Rhode Islanders organized as People to End Homelessness and members of the Hillsgrove United Methodist Church in Warwick held a Pentecost service Sunday evening, before the "sleepout."

About 65 people attended the Pentecost service. Pentecost is the Christian holiday celebrated on the seven Sundays after Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus Christ's disciples.

The Rev. Duane Clinker, pastor of Hillsgrove Methodist, officiated at the service. "Every year, it [homelessness] gets worse. Housing is just not affordable for most working people in this state. The homeless are just the tip of the iceberg," Mr. Clinker said.

The location under the bridge also was chosen because the Providence police on May 11 had asked some homeless people gathered there to leave the site and not sleep overnight, said Cathy Rhodes, a member of People to End Homelessness.

"As a state we must do more to help people get affordable housing," said Rhodes. "Everybody ought to have housing."

On Sunday, the Providence police visited the area but did not ask the activists to move, Rhodes said. "The officer actually offered us assistance."

By 9 p.m. Sunday, about 15 activists -- some who said they were once homeless -- were setting up a makeshift camp in the evening chill, illuminated by a bank of votivelike candles.

"It is dangerous to sleep out here, it isn't really safe for anyone," said Rhodes.

Yesterday morning, the group who slept outside were joined by about 15 more advocates in a march to the State House on Smith Hill, where they dropped petitions off to the Capitol police for delivery to House Speaker William Murphy, D-West Warwick, and Senate President Joseph Montalbano, D-North Providence.

"They [the Capitol police] were not that happy to see us; they wouldn't let us into the legislative leaders' offices," said Ron Messier, a member of People to End Homelessness. "They were happy to see us leave."