Crossroads yesterday celebrated the opening of the Harold Lewis House, a nine-bedroom home that will provide affordable, permanent housing to people age 55 and older.

01:00 AM EST on Wednesday, November 23, 2005

BY KAREN A. DAVIS
Journal Staff Writer

WEST WARWICK -- That a Navy veteran could spend three years serving his country during the Korean War, only to end up dying in the community room of an agency for the homeless 44 years later is a "sad commentary" on the current state of society, Sen. Jack Reed said yesterday.

Sad because it says something about the way we treat our seniors, the way we treat our veterans and the way we treat our residents.

Sad because it serves as a reminder that, "We're not doing all we can," Reed told an audience clustered inside the new facility for a housing program for older people created by Crossroads Rhode Island.

Yesterday, Reed, housing advocates, state and local officials and several elderly homeless clients celebrated the opening of the nine-bedroom house, which will provide safe and affordable permanent housing to people age 55 and older.

The Harold Lewis House at 54 Providence St. is named for the 66-year-old homeless war veteran who, four years ago this month, sat down at a table in the community room of the former Travelers Aid and died.

Since his death, the agency has changed its name from Travelers Aid to Crossroads Rhode Island. However, its mission has remained the same: to provide shelter and comprehensive supportive services to the homeless.

The Harold Lewis House comes as a blessing to Bruce Lacouture and several other Crossroads clients who have plans to move in next month.

"This is a godsend for me," said Lacouture, 55, who has been without a permanent home for about four years.

Lacouture said he has lived in and out of shelters, detox facilities and with family. The former self-employed carpenter said his life took a turn for the worse in 2001, after his common-law wife died and depression overtook his life.

There was a fire in his woodshop and he struggled with alcoholism, said Lacouture, who said he survived with the support of his sister and brother-in-law.

Crossroads officials say Harold Lewis was not as fortunate.

A former toolmaker who worked for Haven Brothers for 10 years, Lewis was "a gentle soul," said Anne Nolan, president of Crossroads.

While he had no family, Lewis made frequent stops at Crossroads and considered the agency his community.

"His premature death was most probably caused by his homelessness," Nolan said, noting that not many elderly can survive for long living on the streets. "We're hopeful that the safe haven this house provides will keep the elders we serve out of harm's way."

The number of homeless elderly and families has grown in recent years, as the state's population ages, Nolan said. This year, Crossroads has provided at least one night of shelter for close to 400 people 55 and older.

The renovated former boarding house, which will be operated by Crossroads staff, will also provide comprehensive services such as help arranging medical appointments and making referrals to substance-abuse programs.

The house will provide each resident with his or her own room, with phone and cable television access and basement storage space.

The facility also includes a second-floor efficiency apartment, which will be used by a staff member who will serve as house manager. It also has a large kitchen and a living room.

Most of their older clients were forced out of their homes due to the increasing cost of housing, according to Michelle Wilcox, a Crossroads official.

At the Harold Lewis House, residents will be expected to pay no more than 30 percent of any income for rent.

That amounts to about $180 per month for a typical elderly resident who receives Social Security.

Residents will be allowed to stay at the facility for as long as they want, Nolan emphasized.

Crossroads was able to buy the house last year for about $350,000 and pay for extensive renovation with $812,000 in government grants.

Seeing the house for the first time yesterday, future resident Deborah Johnson called the facility "a blessing" and said she was "ecstatic" to make a move there from the shelter system, where she has spent the last year.

Nolan invited the prospective tenants to choose the rooms they will move into as they embark upon new lives.

"For all you have been through, for the pain you have suffered . . . we are pleased to be able to say to you all, welcome home," she said.