This is glaringly obvious but you will get downvoted for it. I'd wager close to 100% of the homeless population in RI (and in most States) are mentally ill, drug addicted or both. That's WHY they're homeless in the first place not because rents are too high. People love to pretend that's not the case (I'm truly baffled by why that is) and that if you just gave these folks free housing the problem would be solved. However, this has been attempted before with hotels in California. The results were predictably disastrous: overdoses, destroyed property, unsanitary conditions, etc. This is primarily a mental health/drug addiction issue.