Jennifer Hawkins, executive director of ONE Neighborhood Builders, expressed support for the legislative package of bills signed into law on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, to address Rhode Island’s housing crisis. In a June 30 article in Providence Business News, she also stated that the budget allocations and legislation are “absolutely early steps” and that more funding is needed to make a significant impact.
Hawkins noted that the funding for the Statewide Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program is a “really big win” and that Rhode Island and New Hampshire are the only two states in the Northeast that don’t have state-level initiatives to complement federal incentive programs. She said she would have liked to have seen bigger steps taken, adding “For each dollar allocated, you really need to be adding a ‘zero’ to all of these investments … and do that every year. This can’t be a one-time infusion.” Nevertheless, Hawkins said she is thrilled to see housing prioritized through the package of bills.
