Crossroads Rhode Island has been serving those in need for more than 130 years.

How We Started

We were founded in 1894 as Travelers Aid by members of the local Young Women's Christian Association. Their goal was to assist people traveling to Providence, many of whom were young women. Through the decades, our programs and services continued to evolve to help those most in need in our community.

In 2004, to reflect our changing mission, Travelers Aid rebranded as Crossroads Rhode Island. We also moved from downtown Providence to our current headquarters at 160 Broad Street, which some may remember as the former YMCA.

Explore our full timeline below!

1851

During the California Gold Rush, Mayor of St. Louis Bryan Mullanphy left a $1 million trust to his city for the purpose of "furnishing relief to immigrants and travelers coming to St. Louis on their way west." The bequest, reportedly written on a napkin, was the beginning of "traveler's aid." Other cities, including Providence, soon followed suit.

1894

Inspired by St Louis, members of the local Young Women's Christian Association founded a Travelers Aid Committee in Providence. Their goal was to provide protection and aid to women and girls traveling to Providence alone to look for work.

Early 1900s

The original charter of Traveler's Aid was to protect "...young girls on arrival of the city, taking them to friends that failed to meet them, directing them to safe boarding places and finding employment for those who are without money or friends, thus preventing what might be their first step to ruin..."

1919

Travelers Aid proudly reported helping nearly 4,000 women since its inception.

1929

Travelers Aid began focusing its efforts on the "unattached transient" traveling by bus, trailer, automobile and train. These travelers, who ranged in age from 12 to 96, included those with lost tickets or wallets, immigrants, the unemployed and runaways.

1941

After Pearl Harbor, the work of Travelers Aid shifted to help the war effort in response to a 50% increase in requests for assistance from sailors, soldiers, defense workers and Marines. True to its charter, which stressed cooperation with other agencies, Travelers Aid worked closely with the United States Organization (USO).

1943

Travelers Aid had received 57,626 requests for assistance. When the war ended, Travelers Aid was awarded citations from the Navy and the War Department, as well as countless thank you letters from servicemen who said they were proud to fight for "...a country with an organization like Travelers Aid."

1950s

By mid-century, the rise of the automobile brought about a marked shift in how people traveled. In response, Travelers Aid information was posted more broadly in service stations, police stations, phone booths--even T.F. Green Airport.

1960s

As fewer people relied on public transportation, Travelers Aid began shifting its focus from a directory service to casework, assisting "individuals and families who needed help with problems, causing them to move, or resulting from their moving, whether for sociological, economic or psychological reasons."

1970s

Following the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill in the 1970s, communities began struggling with increased mental health, alcohol and substance issues. Reflecting those concerns, Travelers Aid added crisis intervention professionals. As the minutes recall, the agency's mission "...is an every-changing one affected by economic and social factors and it must shift priorities within its human services."

1980s

Sparked by a deep recession, lack of affordable housing and drastic cutbacks in Federal housing funds, homelessness hit crisis levels in Rhode Island. In response, Travelers Aid evolved rapidly into a comprehensive, multifaceted agency, offering 24/7 services, mobile medical services, runaway youth programming and education and employment services. 

1994

In response to increasing homelessness, Travelers Aid acquired its first housing property, turning former Navy Housing in North Kingstown into transitional apartments for families. Today, this property, which is known as Kingstown Crossings I and II, provides 104 1BR, 2BR, 3BR and 4BR permanent supportive apartments for families and individuals.

2004

Travelers Aid rebranded as Crossroads Rhode Island and moved into its current location at 160 Broad Street in Providence. As part of this move, the agency took over ownership and management of 192 permanent supportive housing apartments within the building.

2006

Two years later, Crossroads opened the Harold Lewis House in West Warwick, a permanent supportive housing development for formerly homeless veterans and adults aged 50+ with nine bedrooms and shared bath, common room and kitchen space.

2007-2009

Homelessness spiked again during the Great Recession, particularly among veterans returning from the war in Iraq.

2013-2014

It took a full decade for Rhode Island to recover from the Great Recession. For an extended period between 2013 and 2014, the state had the highest unemployment rate in the nation. 

In response, in a sweeping philosophical shift, Crossroads implemented Housing First. Because housing is the only proven solution for ending homelessness, Housing Fist moves those with the greatest needs out of shelter and into housing as quickly as possible. Once stabilized in housing, Crossroads provides the wrap-around services and support necessary to help individuals and families maintain their housing and work towards self-sufficiency.

2016

First two lines of DV copy OK as is. Later that year, Crossroads assumed management of Harrington Hall, the largest men's shelter in Rhode Island, and partnered with Whitmarsh House to develop the Mike Terry Apartments, an affordable housing development featuring 11 efficiency apartments in Providence.

2020

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Rhode Island had one of the lowest rates of homelessness in the nation. Since then, however, the number of people experiencing homelessness has more than doubled.

An insufficient supply of affordable housing units, soaring rents, and wages that have failed to keep up with inflation, pushed more and more individuals and families into homelessness, including people with jobs, families with children and a growing number of seniors.

2021

In response to the growing need, Crossroads completed redevelopment of its Crossroads Family Housing in 2021, providing 30 beautifully renovated apartments for formerly homeless families in 14 scattered site buildings across the city.

Preserve Rhode Island later awarded the Crossroads Family Housing project a 2022 Rhody Award for Historic Preservation. Crossroads was recognized for addressing the affordable housing shortage, while also preserving the historic character of the 14 buildings spread across iconic Providence neighborhoods. 

2023

As homelessness reached record levels, Crossroads cut the ribbon on four newly renovated permanent supportive apartments for families on Beach Avenue in Warwick. With the addition of these new apartments, a former convent and family shelter in a quiet, tree-filled neighborhood is now home to eleven formerly homeless families, serving as a great example of how underutilized properties can be turned into permanent housing for individuals and families in need.

Just a few months later, Crossroads broke ground on its largest housing development to date: its 176-unit Summer Street Apartments in Providence.

2025

As construction of Summer Street neared completion, in June Crossroads leveraged a combination of public funding and private philanthropy to break ground on a 35-unit Health & Housing Apartment building on nearby Pine Street in Providence.  

A few months later, in October, Crossroads celebrated completion of the Summer Street Apartments, which now stand as the largest permanent supportive housing apartment building in New England. In addition to 176 one-bedroom apartments, the net-zero building offers onsite supportive services, community gathering spaces and a beautifully landscaped courtyard for residents to enjoy.

2026

In late 2026, Crossroads will complete construction of its Health & Housing Apartments. This innovative facility will provide 35 permanent supportive apartments for medically vulnerable adults experiencing homelessness, a healing garden and connections to health, mental health, and other services as required.

Today

Thanks to the ongoing support of our corporate partners, charitable foundations and generous donors, Crossroads is the leading provider of housing and services to the homeless in Rhode Island. Our agency owns or manages more than 410 residences statewide and provides services to thousands of individuals and families each year.