(light music) - [Announcer] Tonight, a closer look at the housing crisis with the new head of Crossroads Rhode Island.

- The number of people experiencing homelessness in Rhode Island has really skyrocketed.

- [Announcer] Then behind the scenes at Trinity Rep. - One look can tell you so much.

- [Announcer] And meet the local man behind several toy innovations.

(light music) (light music continues) (light music continues) - Good evening.

Welcome to "Rhode Island PBS Weekly."

I'm Michelle San Miguel.

- And I'm Pamela Watts.

We begin tonight with some staggering numbers.

Each year, roughly 7,000 Rhode Islanders experience homelessness.

- And with shelter beds full, there is simply not enough housing to meet their needs.

One nonprofit here in Rhode Island is hoping to change that by creating more lasting solutions.

Our contributor, Steph Machado, sat down with Michelle Wilcox, who this year rose to president and CEO of the state's largest provider of housing for the homeless: Crossroads Rhode Island.

- [Steph] Thank you so much for sitting down with me.

- Thank you.

- You have been president and CEO of Crossroads Rhode Island for about six months now, but you've worked here for a very long time.

So tell me what is your vision for Crossroads, sort of in the immediate, and then also in the long term?

- The immediate plans really are, we have a very ambitious and exciting housing development plan in place.

We are under construction right now for the Summer Street Apartments.

It's 176 one-bedroom apartments that's slated to be completed next year.

We have a first of its kind in Rhode Island, a health and housing facility at 371 Pine Street that's gonna begin construction very shortly, within the next couple of months.

So we have about 300 new apartments that are in the immediate pipeline.

- [Steph] Many people think of Crossroads for its shelter system, but the majority of the people they serve are placed in permanent apartments owned and operated by the agency.

- Emergency shelter is absolutely a necessary part of the solution to address homelessness, but permanent housing is the only solution, the only real solution to homelessness.

And so that's where we focus.

- Between the permanent housing and the shelters, you have the capacity to serve roughly 2,000 people at a time.

How does that compare to the total need in Rhode Island?

Are we really crunched?

Are there fewer beds available than individuals experiencing homelessness?

- Yes.

The number of people experiencing homelessness in Rhode Island has really skyrocketed since the pandemic.

So the number of folks that have experienced homelessness in Rhode Island this year is probably about 7,000, and that's double what it was in 2019.

Annually, Crossroads serves about 4,000 people.

So of those 7,000 we're gonna, you know, serve about 4,000 of them this year.

And the need is great and growing, unfortunately.

You know, the homelessness crisis in our state, but also in the country; everywhere in the country has really gotten so much worse since the onset of the pandemic.

- And how full are your shelters?

You know, is there a wait every day for people to get in, or could individuals, you know, where we are here near Downtown Providence, there's a lot of individuals sleeping on the street, would they be able to get into one of your shelters tonight?

- So unfortunately, the shelters across the state are always full.

And so there are waits for shelter.

And that's why one of the programs that we operate is called Housing Problem-Solving.

And it's why it's so critically important.

Housing Problem-Solving helps folks who are experiencing homelessness, maybe skip that shelter placement and go directly to housing.

Emergency shelter is absolutely a necessary piece of the overall solution, but other programs like Housing Problem-Solving, and frankly, an unrelenting focus on building more affordable housing is what all of those things are needed to solve the problem.

- [Steph] Crossroads is well-known for the tower at its Broad Street headquarters, visible from the highway, which is officially called Travelers Aid Housing.

Crossroads is planning to completely empty that tower and turn it into apartments.

- Travelers Aid Housing was formally the YMCA, and so there are 176 nine x 11 rooms.

There are no kitchens, there's no recreation or living space.

It's shared bathrooms.

So Summer Street Apartments is really exciting, because everyone who's living in the Travelers Aid Housing, when Summer Street is complete, will move in, and they'll have a complete one-bedroom apartment.

And then that will enable us to undertake a renovation of the Travelers Aid Housing, turning those 176 rooms into about 80 new apartments.

- Do you think that model of single-room occupancy housing is sort of over?

- Absolutely.

It's not how anyone should live.

And in fact, during the pandemic, I'm so grateful that we did not have really significant loss of life.

When you think about people living in those close quarters and some of the really terrible outcomes that happened in other congregate living situations, think nursing homes and places like that where you have that many people so closely living together, it's not a good solution for permanent housing.

And especially when you think about the folks that we're serving, many of the people that we serve have pretty significant mental health concerns, often substance use challenges, other health conditions.

And so having their own apartment where they can prepare meals for themselves, and can really have the space that we all have in our homes is really important.

- Is the idea for them to eventually get out of the Crossroads-owned apartments, or can they live there indefinitely?

- So it really depends on the individual.

Permanent housing is just that: folks can stay permanently.

For some individuals, households, families, they may stay with us for a period of time, a number of years, and then their situation changes.

They no longer have the need for the wraparound services and supports.

And so they will go live in other housing.

For some of our clients though, or residents, they may stay with us, you know, for their whole lives.

And that's okay.

- I want to ask you about a project that is not a Crossroads project, but the Pallet shelters that were supposed to open in Providence.

The idea was that these were going to be sort of rapid housing that you could deploy.

But they were supposed to open in March, and here we are in December, and there have been permitting issues and fire code issues and they're still not open.

Is there just too much red tape to get help for homeless individuals in Rhode Island?

- I really can't comment on the specifics of that program.

It's not something that Crossroads is directly involved in.

But I will say that it can be challenging when government dollars are involved, because there's another level of regulation that I think happens: rightly so.

We want to make sure that public dollars are being spent properly and wisely, but sometimes it does add a layer of complexity that you wish, you know, wasn't there.

- There was a story recently in Johnston, there's a 250-unit affordable housing development proposed.

And a planning department member said, "This project is the future Chad Brown of Johnston."

And that was him opposing the project; of course, Chad Brown, the well-known public housing community in Providence.

How do we break this stigma that having affordable housing in your community is somehow a bad thing?

- I think people don't often realize that affordable housing is something that they may have benefited from at a point in their lives, or that their neighbors or their children or, you know, their coworkers or the person who, you know, is serving them their coffee in the morning.

Affordable housing just means that it's housing that is affordable for people at different income levels and at lower income levels.

Affordable housing, public housing, is not today what it was 30 or 40 years ago.

I think we have learned a lot in the business of housing and creating housing that is attractive, that is suitable, it's safe.

And while sometimes large developments are certainly much more cost-effective, Crossroads owns and operates housing throughout the city of Providence that you would never know is Crossroads and would never know it's affordable housing, right?

So I think helping folks to understand who the folks are that are going to live in this housing, and that it's really, it's your neighbors, it's your friends, it's, you know, people just like me and you.

- What do you make of the sort of new-ish housing department that's had a bunch of missteps that have been well-reported, is now on its third secretary in two years.

Do you think that this experiment, I guess, has been successful so far?

- We were absolute advocates for creating a housing department and a housing secretary, having someone at the cabinet level whose focus is on housing, and by extension, homelessness, is incredibly important.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the new housing secretary is going to, you know, state for her vision and goals.

We are here to support that work.

And, you know, I'm hopeful that third time's the charm.

- And you can listen to an extended version of this interview on the Rhode Island Report podcast at globe.com/rhodeisland.

Up next, a holiday tradition for many Rhode Islanders is flocking to Trinity Repertory theater to watch a performance of "A Christmas Carol."

And although the Charles Dickens story is timeless, the theater company is known for keeping what's old and making alterations.

This season is no exception.

Producer Isabella Jibilian goes behind the scenes with the show's costume designer to learn how she's putting her stamp on this Christmas classic.

- [Isabella] At Trinity Repertory Company, the costume shop is racing against the clock.

- It's never low pressure (laughs).

I guess I could say that.

- [Isabella] Amanda Downing Carney is the director of the shop.

She's worked the theater for 18 years.

- "A Christmas Carol" is the biggest show we do every year.

It spans so many time periods.

It's a big cast, it's a very heavy costume show.

- [Colleague] Oh my God.

- [Isabella] In just 10 weeks, the team must be ready to dress 24 actors, some of whom have up to five costumes and multiple wigs.

Usually, outside talent is brought in to design the costumes for "A Christmas Carol."

And then the clothes are made in-house.

But after years of waiting in the wings, it's Amanda Downing Carney's turn to design the Christmas show.

- The stakes feel a little raised.

It's the biggest chance I've gotten to present like my art and work, like on this large stage for thousands of people.

- Downing Carney got her start in costuming at the University of Rhode Island.

But she didn't always have theater in mind.

She originally was gonna study crime.

Criminology, costuming.

- Right.

- What is similar about those things?

- I do think that they use similar skills; with criminology, what always appealed to me about that was, you know, getting into the mind of a serial killer, and like why somebody would do what they do.

Now, as a costume designer, you have to empathize with each character in order to know what they would wear on a specific day, you know, within their own circumstances too.

So it's sort of abstractly, again, like empathizing and getting into the minds of these characters.

- [Isabella] This show has her getting inside the mind of one of the holiday season's most recognizable characters.

- Tomorrow is Christmas, sir.

- Very well.

- [Isabella] Ebenezer Scrooge.

(bells ringing) (whimsical music) - It's Christmas.

Humbug!

- How is this "Christmas Carol" a bit different from other Christmas Carols people might have seen?

- The biggest difference I think from this year to maybe some other years is that our Ebenezer Scrooge is a woman.

And I did some research at the time period, 'cause I wanted to make sure that what I wanted to design was actually something that could be worn at that time.

And the director really wanted Scrooge in pants.

And it's really, it's an early time for women to be wearing pants.

- [Isabella] "A Christmas Carol" takes place in conservative Victorian England.

- I found some images of some women that were like equestrians and would do horseback riding.

And they had top hats, and they also would bustle their dress up and wear some sort of legwear.

But at this time, people started riding bicycles too.

And so, like, dresses were hard to wear riding a bicycle.

And so there were like these bloomers, like long bloomers.

And then the dresses got short.

So we gave her pants, but we also gave her, you know, sort of a split front dress, which was important, to walk the line of masculine and feminine.

And then she also has a top hat, which I love.

I love a lady in a top hat.

- [Isabella] After graduating, Downing Carney worked on national and international touring productions.

On the road with the musical "Fame," a talented young actor came to fill in.

- Who's this new person coming in?

And like, will they mesh with us?

And like, is he cute?

And like, you know, does he like girls?

(laughs) Is this musical theater?

You know?

And like, who is he gonna like?

- [Isabella] 20 years later, she and Joe Carney are married with two children.

- And it turns out (laughs) the new guy did like me.

- [Isabella] Besides gaining a life partner, Downing Carney also learned valuable lessons from helping actors with quick changes on tour.

- Transitions can be really the death of a show.

You gotta keep it moving, and it's gotta feel seamless and magical.

- [Isabella] And that's what she's striving for in this production of "A Christmas Carol," her vision for the Ghost of Christmas Past is a costume worthy of Marie Antoinette.

- The set designer, Michael McGarty, told me he wanted her to come out of an elevator on set.

I said, "How big is this elevator gonna be?"

And he said two feet.

And I said nope.

And he said three feet.

And I said okay.

- [Isabella] They needed to find a way that this giant dress could pop out of a small compartment on stage.

She tapped Alyssa Carnes to make the magic happen.

- She has this great big wide skirt, but she's coming in a very small door, so she needs to be quite little.

And then also come out gracefully every time.

- [Isabella] It's not the only surprise that Downing Carney has planned.

- It's not too heavy, but it's squishy, it's silicone.

you know, it's a wild idea.

- [Isabella] The Ghost of Christmas Present, also played by a woman, will be portrayed as a divine mother.

- I don't think I've ever seen a pregnant ghost here at Trinity Rep. (sewing machine whirring) - [Isabella] But costuming isn't all fun and games.

- My days have looked like madness (laughs).

- [Isabella] In the weeks leading up to the production, the team shifts into high gear.

- I'll get up at 3:30 or 4:30 and start, you know, making a dressing list, or ordering some shoes that I didn't get a chance to the night before.

- [Isabella] So that each ghost caroler, accountant, and mourner- - I try to accomplish as much as I can.

You know, every second I'm multitasking.

- [Isabella] is ready for the show to start.

(festive music) - As a Rhode Islander, like, it feels like a big deal.

- [Announcer] Tonight's show will be begin in 15 minutes.

- What can a costume do?

- It can tell a whole story.

Like one look can tell you so much.

A costume and clothing have power, always.

Or there wouldn't be dress codes or there wouldn't be restrictions or there wouldn't be rules.

It's telling the world who you are or what you want the world to know about you without saying a word.

I think that is powerful.

- Finally, as Christmas fast approaches, many families are scrambling to get those last-minute gifts, including toys for the kids.

Tonight, in our continuing My Take series, we revisit a story that producer Isabella Jibilian first brought us in 2022, on a longtime Rhode Island-based toy designer who gives us his perspective on making toys.

- So people have asked me, which toy, of all the ones you've made, is your favorite.

And I have to say, it's this one, the Snoopy Copter.

(toy whirring) (claps) My name is Khipra Nichols.

And this is my take on toys.

I'm an industrial designer.

And I'm also a professor at Rhode Island School of Design.

I designed toys at Hasbro for 20 years and two months exactly.

I think the most recognizable toy that I worked on for sure is My Little Pony.

♪ My Little Pony, My Little Pony ♪ ♪ Tie a ribbon to show how much I care ♪ One of the fun things about doing a playset for My Little Pony is that you get to design all of the little accessories within the playset.

I came up with the idea of having a baby dragon.

- Wow, purple spiky things.

- [Ponies] Oh wow.

- And so Spike became the baby dragon friend of Majesty, who is the pony that comes in the My Little Pony Dream Castle.

So one of the fun aspects of the feature for Spike is that he gets to ride up and down in this little basket.

And I have to admit, the inspiration for this feature came from watching the movie "Rear Window."

(jazzy cinematic music) Another really fun toy to work on was Mr. and Mrs.

Potato Head.

So before this character that we worked on, Mr. And Mrs.

Potato Head were very kind of plain; they were plastic like this, but they had very little personality.

And so we had the job of, you know, bringing freshness and more life and animation into the characters.

♪ Mr.

Potato Head, I made you ♪ It was my idea to have this little hatch.

And it was inspired by the Dr. Denton onesies that toddlers wear, that have a little flap in the back when they're learning how to potty train.

And so this just opens up, and it's plenty of room to put the parts in.

And we made sure the parts were flexible enough and soft enough that they could bend and flex and this can change.

♪ Put them all together ♪ ♪ And take them all apart ♪ ♪ Put them all together ♪ ♪ And take them all apart ♪ One day, one of the G.I.

Joe group guys came over and asked me if I would like to be a G.I.

Joe character.

And I thought, "Are you serious?"

Before you know it, I had my character.

This was Doc, actually, from the first series of the small G.I.

Joe characters.

Probably 1982 was when this came out.

Toys are important, because this is how children start to understand the world that they're in.

So imagine a toddler sitting in a wading pool, and you give them a block, a wooden block.

And, you know, they kind of splash it in the water And it floats to the top.

And they get very excited about that.

And then when you hand them something that doesn't float, you know, they put it in the water right away and they do the same thing and it doesn't come up to the top.

And so what looks like play, and it is play, is also discovery.

So one day I had a prototype for a toy, and I had the opportunity to sit next to an eight-month-old who was going to teach me about the human factors of the toy.

Did I get the shapes right?

Did I get the size correct?

Is it gonna be fun for the child?

So I sat down next to the child and I took the toy out of the box, and the child got very excited about the box.

Actually, the box was more interesting than the toy, because the box was something that the child could put on their head, and then they could put it down on the floor, and then they could put something in the box, then they could dump something out of the box.

So yeah, sometimes the box is even more engaging than what's in the box.

(claps) I'm Khipra Nichols, and this has been my take on toys.

- That's our broadcast this evening.

Thank you for joining us.

I'm Michelle San Miguel.

- And I'm Pamela Watts.

We'll be back next week with another edition of "Rhode Island PBS Weekly."

Until then, please follow us on Facebook and YouTube, and visit us online to see all of our stories and past episodes at ripbs.org/weekly.

Or listen to our podcast on your favorite streaming platform.

Goodnight.

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