Lisa Guillette, the president of Foster Forward, walks through an apartment building
her nonprofit purchased to build affordable housing for young people aging out
of the foster care system. JOHN TLUMACKI/GLOBE STAFF
By
Boston Globe
PROVIDENCE — Less than a year ago, Governor Dan J. McKee was sitting inside a packed bingo room at the Meadowbrook Terrace in Warwick, where he signed a long-sought bill that dedicated $250 million toward housing, with $155 million earmarked for creating new and preserving existing units.
On Thursday, Rhode Island Housing’s Board of Commissioners voted to award more than $100 million in funding to support the construction and preservation of more than 1,480 units that will eventually be built across the state.
“It’s no secret that Rhode Island has housing challenges at multiple levels,” said McKee in remarks during the commissioners meeting. “Historically, our state has underinvested in housing. We need to invest more, and we need to get more built.”
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The $101 million in funding comes from various federal and state resources, which include $82.9 million from McKee’s $250 million Fiscal Year 2023 budget investment in housing and homelessness support programs. Other sources of funding stem from the Housing Trust Fund, Capital Magnet Fund, Low-Income Operating Reserve Program, and other programs.
The new units are spread across 23 developments in 13 municipalities. Interested developers were able to apply for various sources of funding through a single consolidated Request for Proposals. The first round of funding was awarded in June 2022.
Thursday’s awards means approximately $115 million of the $155 million that has been dedicated in housing production has been committed. However, while the awarded projects “represent a significant step forward,” most of these new units will not be ready for residents to move in for years, said Housing Secretary Stefan I. Pryor, who also serves as the board chair of Rhode Island Housing.
“These projects will not sprout out of the ground overnight,” said Pryor, and explained the state still faces mounting challenges in combatting homelessness.
Rhode Island Housing anticipates that developers will be able to apply for another round of funding starting in September.
The developments receiving awards include:
- Broad Street Homes in Central Falls: a proposed development site made up of three proximate lots along Broad Street, adjacent to City Hall. The project will develop 47 new units, which will range in size, from efficiencies to three bedrooms.
- The Avenue in Providence: a development that will consist of two components. The first component contains 46 units located on sites in the Elmwood neighborhood of Providence that will be rehabilitated to ensure they remain safe, affordable housing units. The second component involves the construction of 39 new units, in addition to commercial space and project amenities.
