Thu, November 12, 2020 | by Ry Marcattilio-McCracken Originally posted on November 12, 2020 at Muninetworks.org When the pandemic hit American shores this past spring and cities around the country began to practice social distancing procedures, Rhode Island-based nonprofit One Neighborhood Builders (ONB) Executive Director Jennifer Hawkins quickly realized that many of those in her community were going to be hit hard. As spring turned to summer, this proved especially to be the case in the Olneyville neighborhood in west-central Providence, where Covid-19 cases surged among low-income residents with fewer options to get online to work, visit the doctor, and…
“The internet is a public utility – No one questions whether you should have access to clean water and heat and so forth, right? For so long we just considered the internet to be a luxury, a convenience. But it really has absolutely transcended that at this point in time.“ October 7, 2020 Steve Ahlquist Upriseri.com ONE Neighborhood Builders has achieved its fundraising goal of $200,000 to launch ONE Neighborhood Connects, a mesh WiFi network that will cover five million square feet in Olneyville and provide approximately 4000 neighborhood residents with access to free, high-speed internet. The WiFi mesh will be live…
Quality affordable housing proposed for Lower Fox Point The Fox Point Neighborhood Association recently endorsed a $23 million mixed-use development proposed for Parcel 9 of I-195 land, located in lower Fox Point just south of Wickenden Street, near the Our Lady of the Rosary Church. The “Ernestina” project, which was submitted for approval to the 195 Commission in August by the nonprofit organization ONE Neighborhood Builders, will include affordable apartments, a Children’s Friend child care center, community space, and a combination of onsite and nearby (leased) parking. ONE Neighborhood Builders adheres to the City’s Comprehensive Plan in developing this project, and FPNA points…
PROVIDENCE – When the insurance company where Tinisha Brice works told employees in March that they would need to begin working from home because of the coronavirus, a wave of anxiety swept over her. She had been through a lot over the years, even battling homelessness, but she had finally found an apartment that she loved in Olneyville at the western edge of the city, just steps away from a playground. She had a newborn child and a daughter in high school at home. But the family was missing a tool that would make it nearly impossible for Brice to…
PROVIDENCE – Two developers with two visions for creating more mixed-income housing pitched their proposals Wednesday to the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission, competing for the right to develop Parcel 9 in Fox Point. The property, which runs alongside the exit from I-195 into South Main Street, is adjacent to the historical Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic church. In the request for proposal, issued by the commission earlier this year, the language stated clearly that projects involving housing that create workforce or affordable rate apartments would be given priority. The commission is expected to decide which proposal to move forward…
How ONE Neighborhood Builders continues to develop Providence neighborhoods through affordable housing and more For many Providence residents, the most consistent reason to go to Olneyville was to “dine” at the famed Olneyville NY System, the Home of RI’s Best Wieners established in the 1930s. The once-vibrant manufacturing center that employed thousands declined rapidly after World War II as factories closed or moved south; as jobs fled, so did the residents, and with the Woonasquatucket River polluted with chemical waste and raw sewage, the problem only worsened. Then, when the Route 6 connector was built, the neighborhoods were divided and…
ONE Neighborhood Builders Receives $10,000 In Funding from Tufts Health Plan to Expand High Speed Internet Access in Providence PROVIDENCE, RI – Sept. 4th, 2020 – ONE Neighborhood Builders (ONE|NB) has received $10,000 from Tufts Health Plan to support the creation of a wireless mesh network over the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence. “The Covid-19 health crisis has brought great suffering to a Providence neighborhood that already suffers from some of the highest poverty in Rhode Island—and average lifespans that are nearly nine years lower than those of other Providence neighborhoods,” said Jennifer Hawkins, executive director of ONE|NB. “What may have…
The Canonicus Prize: ONE Neighborhood Builders/led by Haley Hardwick-Witman, was 1 of 2 proposals recognized as outstanding. The ONE Neighborhood Builders team led by Haley Hardwick-Whitman presented a sensitive and realistic scheme that imagines transit-oriented development with 3-5 story multi-family dwellings. The proposal, which they named “Canonicus Commons,” is a mixed-use, mixed-income development designed to serve the neighborhood with pedestrian-scale residential and commercial buildings. A public market occupying the 1921 bank building was featured in this proposal, and in many others, and was applauded by the jury. Providence Preservation Society Read Full Article and Interview with Haley Hardwick-Witman on the…
For additional information please read “Taking aim at coronavirus in 10 Providence neighborhoods” published by the Providence Journal and written by Madeleine List PROVIDENCE, RI (August 3, 2020) On Monday, August 3, ONE Neighborhood Builders announced its launch of Central Providence Conquers COVID-19. While the pandemic has affected all peoples and places, certain ZIP codes have been disproportionately impacted due to the social and economic conditions of their residents. The purpose of Central Providence Conquers COVID-19 is to reduce the imbalance of cases in these areas, many of which are high density communities of color. In order to address this disparity, ONE…