Woonsocket, Rhode Island City Council Unanimously Votes to Fund a Dignity Bus®
Two years ago, The Source, a non-profit Christian Ministry benefiting the needy and the homeless, launched its “first in the nation,” “one-of-a kind” mobile Dignity Bus® in Vero Beach/Indian River County. Dignity Bus® was conceived and designed by Anthony Zorbaugh, the Executive Director of The Source along with Maureen Archer, former Assistant Executive Director, as an emergency overnight shelter for those living in an unsecure, uncomfortable location without a roof over their heads. A little over a year ago, the second of-its-kind Dignity Bus was built and had been used seven nights a week in nearby Palm Bay/Brevard County until it moved to its permanent location in Vero Beach in early 2023. Today, 36 homeless individuals are sleeping on these two Dignity Buses 7 nights a week.
As of June 5, the City Council of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, agreed to purchase a Dignity Bus® as a creative way to help homelessness in their community. This purchase makes it the 2nd city in the country to own one. In referring to the Woonsocket Dignity Bus® as “a mini homeless center,” the 20-bed overnight shelter will house more than half of the homeless population that is currently on the streets of their community.
The Dignity Bus® was originally ordered by the state of Rhode Island in January, 2023 after hearing about the work The Source was doing with the homeless population in Vero Beach. After months of negotiations with Zorbaugh, the agreement between the Rhode Island leaders and The Source fell through. During this period, Zorbaugh had purchased a passenger bus to be retrofitted for Rhode Island. Along with Zorbaugh, a group of Source members, who were previously homeless and formerly skilled in carpentry and construction, worked as the “bus builders” to complete the temporary mobile shelter in preparation for bringing it to Rhode Island. This was an endeavor the team agrees was a project close to their hearts.
Call it kismet, when Woonsocket City Council member Valerie Gonzalez vacationed in Florida in the early spring and called Zorbaugh at the Source to see if she could have a tour of the bus. After returning home, she convinced the Rhode Island government to allow the sale of the already contracted bus to go directly to the city of Woonsocket.
“I think Ms. Gonzalez saw the need and the urgency and said, ‘Hey, we need to jump on this,’” said Zorbaugh in a recent interview with NBC 10 News. “She continued, ‘Look, this makes so much more sense to be able to give this to our city, directly to our citizens.’” Gonzalez said the bus will be located at the Holy Family Church on Main Street.
In a vote at the June 5 City Council meeting, a 6-0 unanimous vote was reached to fund the $150,000 Dignity Bus which will be operated daily by the Woonsocket-based nonprofit Community Care Alliance (CCA) who will provide $90,000 towards staffing the bus for six months. Ben Lennings is the president and CEO of CCA which will handle both overnight stays and social services during the day.
“It’s better than a tent,” said Lennings. “It’s better than someone being holed up in some corner of the woods. So, it’s a step in the right direction.”
The Source is planning a farewell celebration event on Tuesday, July 11 at the Vero Beach Police Department Parking Lot at 10 a.m., immediately following the reading of a Proclamation to The Source at the 9:30 a.m. City Council meeting. This celebration will be filled with safe travels and good luck wishes as the Dignity Bus® embarks on the over 1,300 mile journey to Woonsocket with Zorbaugh and a staff of 4 on board. Upon arrival in Woonsocket, the group intends to hold a two-day training session for those individuals who will be operating the bus, before making the return trip to Vero Beach.
The first Dignity Bus® is a 1999 Van Hool 45-foot motor coach that was converted into a custom-made interior and exterior, providing 20 secure, climate-controlled, individual sleeping pods with privacy curtains, a USB port, an individual light, a lockable door, a private bathroom facility, under-bus storage, pet pods for companion animals, an onboard overnight security person, and monitored CCTV surveillance. When outfitting a bus located in a colder climate, as in RI, an electric fireplace is added by the entrance to the bus for extra heating as passengers enter the vehicle. The second bus is an exact replica but is 40 feet long with 16 sleeping pods.
The Source is currently hearing from cities near and far who are also interested in the concept of Dignity Bus® and inquiring into the possibility of having a bus or buses in their community to be able to combat the widespread global housing shortage, as well as a marked decrease in the availability of suitable housing. Agencies in communities as far away as Canada, California and the Mid-West are creatively thinking outside the box to expand on proper sleeping accommodations for those who are in need of a safe night sleep.
I am Ministries, DBA The Source is a Christian social outreach ministry that has been empowering communities into a lifestyle of service for the homeless since 1995. Founded in Indian River County, the organization serves its homeless neighbors through core programs that include Dining with Dignity-a culinary employability training program, Dignity Catering and Dignity Food Trucks, Dignity Buses-mobile overnight emergency shelters sleeping nearly 40 nightly, Dignity Village-20 affordable housing units, as well as a myriad of programs and services that instill a sense of community. For more information on The Source, contact Executive Director Anthony Zorbaugh at 772-564-0202, Ext. 204 or visit www.iamthesource.org.