Affordable Housing
Everyone deserves access to affordable, safe and stable housing and Providence, like many major cities, is experiencing a housing crisis. Throughout the country and here in Rhode Island, one in five renters reported that they were unable to keep up with their rent. We know that in our communities of color, renters and families faced the greatest hardships. Housing stock has not kept up with demand, rents are rising too quickly and homeownership is harder to achieve. COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of our lives and so many of our neighbors have struggled to remain in stable housing while balancing a decrease in income and a global pandemic. Providence residents experiencing homelessness require supportive services, not just temporary housing, today.
By increasing housing units priced at affordable rates, more Providence residents will have access to safe and accessible housing options in every neighborhood. By streamlining our building and permitting approval processes, we can build more units at a more cost effective rate. By providing wrap-around services that families need in new affordable housing – childcare care, after school programs, health care –more residents will be supported through a housing first model.
By improving our existing public housing and retrofitting our aging infrastructure to be more sustainable, we are prioritizing our community health and well-being. And by aggressively promoting accessory dwelling units (ADUs), we can help homeowners earn income to stay in their homes, while creating new rental units.
Brett knows that homeownership can impact upward mobility for generations. By incentivizing homeownership for sectors in-demand and educating residents on all pathways to homeownership, Providence can improve economic, health, social-emotional and behavioral outcomes for families and children in every neighborhood.