Vigil Next Week for Homeless Man, 33, who Died in Abandoned Truck Fire

Michael Bourque was 33 when he died in a tragic abandoned truck fire on a cold March night in Newport.

Many around these parts knew him as "Boston Mike."

Regardless of how the Malden native and construction worker ended up homeless and on the streets, his death shows how perilous are the lives of so many who are down on their luck, struggling with substance abuse or grappling with untreated illness.

Friends, family and advocates for the homeless will be gathering next week in a vigil to remember Bourque, a man who had so much life left to live at the same time they once again sound a call for action to deal with the persistent homelessness problem in Rhode Island.

"We are calling on the General Assembly to increase funding for the rental voucher program so we can continue to house our homeless rather than allowing them to die on our streets," said Karen Jeffreys of the RI Coalition for the Homeless. 

The state coalition is partnering with Newport Citizens to End Homelessness to hold the candlelight vigil, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, April 25 in Washington Square.

The Statewide Outreach Committee of the Coalition vowed this year that any deaths on the streets would not remain invisible to the community. Deaths of those Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness will be honored.

The Coalition calls on the General Assembly to increase funding for rental vouchers to prevent needless deaths like Michael Bourque. The Coalition is circulating an online petition to Senate President Paiva Weed and House Speaker Mattiello calling for support of H7912 and S2461, bills that would increase funding for rental vouchers.