George Greene grew up in Charlestown in the 1960s, spending much of his free time as a kid clamming and quahogging. After getting married in his early 20’s, George had two kids – a son and a daughter. He worked for his father’s general contracting business, but a physical injury and a mental health condition forced him to leave the company. He spent subsequent years bouncing around from job to job, trying to stay afloat.
Now, at the age of 71, George finds himself divorced and living in a small apartment in Canonchet Cliffs, an affordable housing complex in Hope Valley. He relies on social security and disability payments for his income. It’s not much; about ten-thousand dollars a year. And although he receives federal rental assistance, George says it’s getting tougher to afford basic necessities like food and air conditioning.
“I’m going to have to save,” George said. “I’m going to have to cut more corners. I’m going to maybe have to go without that organic burger for a while. Maybe I’ll just do veggies, I don’t know. But I have a lot of friends and they all do organic gardening so I’m not going to starve.”
George has faced challenges like this before. In the summer of 2020, he found himself living at the Westerly WARM Center, a local homeless shelter. He says he ended up there after having a falling out with his sister, whom he was living with at the time. His kids couldn’t provide much help. They both live in the sun belt and have families of their own. To make matters worse, George was also without a car following a serious crash in December of 2019.
With barely any money and no support system, George felt like he’d hit rock bottom. But he says living at the WARM Center was the wakeup call he needed. He sought counseling and was eventually able to move to his current apartment in Hope Valley. He’s enjoyed his time at Canonchet Cliffs, but George admits that it’s becoming more difficult to pay for all of his expenses because of the recent price increases. He says he’s strongly considering dropping his cable subscription after seeing his latest monthly bill.
“I would rather have the almost $200 in my pocket to use for something else,” George said. “I’ve got a radio and I listen to that more than I actually watch the TV. I think it’s too much money for me. I think it’s beyond my range of affordability.”
Because food prices are way up, George often settles for just one meal a day. But speaking from experience, he says one meal a day is better than none. George says not having a car has actually helped him in some respects; he doesn’t have to worry about things like gas, insurance or maintenance costs. Still, he admits he’d like to drive again someday and be less reliant on RIPTA bus transportation. It’s part of his long-term goal of being more independent and living closer to the ocean, where he grew up.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be here,” George said. “Perchance, I’ve always dreamed of being able to have more income. Just a little bit more, and then I could jump out of this place, this subsidized housing. But I feel I’ve got a winning attitude and I’m in a good place. If it’s going to happen, it’ll happen to me.”
Even though he doesn’t have much, George is grateful for what he does have. He says living in subsidized housing has been a blessing in disguise because it’s forced him to live modestly, which has helped prepare him for the current challenges brought about by soaring inflation and a higher cost of living.
Joe Tasca can be reached at jtasca@ripr.org
