by Kristina H. Reardon ’08

The five-day “The Journey Home” march took place in May, but for Dr. Eric L. Hirsch, professor of sociology, the journey toward ending homelessness in Rhode Island is far from over. Reflecting on the march from Westerly—in the southernmost part of Rhode Island—to the capital city of Providence—Hirsch said it is “morally wrong to allow 6,500 people to be homeless [in Rhode Island], given the resources that we have.”

It is his commitment to inform the community about those resources that inspired Hirsch to plan and march in “The Journey Home” on behalf of the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless. His passion to end homelessness led him to join the organization in 1990, when he moved to Rhode Island to teach at the College. For his efforts, he was presented the Voice for the Voiceless award from the Fund for Community Progress in 2001 and the Carol McGovern R.S.M. Memorial Award in 1999.

“The Journey Home” began on May 21 and ended four days later with a rally at the Statehouse. Each day, at least 50 to 60 people marched, and some days saw in excess of 120 marchers. Between 500 and 600 marchers processed from Crossroads Rhode Island, on the outskirts of Downtown Providence, to the Statehouse for the rally on the last day. Crossroads, formerly known as Traveler’s Aid, is the largest homeless service organization in the state.

Hirsch noted that PC’s Dr. Michael L. Hayes, assistant professor of social work, marched for three days and that Dr. Alison Caplan, assistant professor of Spanish, marched the eight miles on the first day from Westerly to Charlestown.

Over the course of the five days, Hirsch coordinated interfaith services and rallies in the four communities in which the marchers stopped for the night to sleep in either churches or a city hall. He said that one particularly memorable service was held at St. Bernard’s Roman Catholic Church in Wickford and involved a Protestant minister, a Jewish rabbi, and a Muslim leader. The Most Rev. Thomas J. Tobin, D.D., bishop of the Diocese of Providence, led a prayer for the marchers at the church the next morning.

Hirsch called homelessness “a moral, a religious, and an ethical problem” and said the march drew the attention of top legislators. The event was supported by 18 groups or entities, including the Diocese of Providence and the statewide Housing Action Coalition.

Saying that permanent supportive housing would solve homelessness for 85 percent of the state’s homeless population, Hirsch noted that the goal of the march was to get legislators to add a $50 million bond to the November ballot that would be distributed over four years to subsidize rental housing.

“We know what the solution is,” he said, “and we wanted to walk to dramatize this.”

After the march, the bond was placed on the ballot after originally having been left out by lawmakers. Hirsch knows his work and the work of other local groups, along with marchers, made a difference. The success is not something Hirsch will soon forget; he plans to talk about the event in sociology classes this semester. “It’s a good illustration about how society movements work and what they can accomplish,” he said.

Hirsch will continue to work with groups to promote a professionally organized campaign to help the  bond to pass in November.