Find...
Useful Links to Rhode Island Organizations
Crossroads Rhode Island
"Help for the journey called life." State's largest homeless services provider. www.crossroadsri.org
GrowSmart RI
"Strengthening our cities, preserving our countryside." For: community revitalization, preservation. Against: sprawl. Online: News, well-stocked toolbox, legislative briefs, research, a Yellow Pages. Free monthly e-newsletter is required reading for anyone in housing, preservation, planning and conservation. www.growsmartri.com
Housing Network
Member organization for RI's nonprofit affordable housing developers, founded 1992. Mission: "rebuilding communities, house by house, neighborhood by neighborhood." www.housingnetworkri.org
For a directory of the Housing Network’s nonprofit housing developer members: Click here.
LISC Rhode Island
Providing cash, training and other technical assistance to communities and nonprofit developers, LISC has been among the state's most important catalysts for low-income housing since the local branch opened in 1991. LISC is a national organization devoted to transforming "distressed neighborhoods into healthy communities." www.lisc.org/rhode_island/
One Rhode Island
Coalition promoting economic security for all Rhode Islanders. http://www.oneri.org/matriarch/default.asp
The Poverty Institute at the Rhode Island College School of Social Work
Rigorous, independent tax and policy analysis. Takes the position that state government can grow the economy (and contain taxes) while still helping Rhode Island's poorest families achieve a decent standard of living. www.povertyinstitute.org/matriarch/default.asp
Providence Preservation Society
See the PPS's annual "10 Most Endangered Properties List." Celebrates, among others, efforts of SWAP and neighborhood groups in rescuing abandoned property and restoring it to the tax rolls as affordable housing. www.ppsri.org/advocacy/tenmost/2004.php
Rhode Island Association of Realtors
Home sales and rental listings. www.riliving.com
Rhode Island Builders Association
Representing the state's construction industry. www.ribuilders.org
Rhode Island Chapter of the American Planning Association
"Making great communities happen." Association of town and other professional planners. Includes links to 32 RI municipal websites. www.riapa.org
Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless
More than 100 organizations working together to end homelessness in Rhode Island. And they have a plan: "Building Homes, building hope, a blueprint for ending homelessness in RI" (downloadable). The Coalition advocates, tracks homeless data, trains case managers, provides legal assistance. www.rihomeless.com
Rhode Island Community Action Agency Network
Association of Rhode Island’s community action programs (CAPs). http://www.risoftsolutions.com/ricaan/Index.cfm
For a list of the state’s CAPs http://www.risoftsolutions.com/ricaan/Agencies.cfm
Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation
Makes the state's case to potential employers, spurs job growth. Sees affordable workforce housing as a top priority. Site includes community profiles (with departments and officials listed). www.riedc.com
Rhode Island Housing
The state's principal housing agency. "Since 1973, we have helped 175,000 Rhode Islanders find houses and apartments they can afford." RI Housing finances homeownership for low- and moderate-income Rhode Islanders, as well as construction. Online: info on loans, programs, grants and tax credits; RI State Consolidated Plan (2005-2009); info related to RI's Low and Moderate Income Housing Act; the Developers Handbook, "the bible" for anyone developing affordable rental property. www.rihousing.com
Rhode Island Foundation
Heavily invested in solving the state's housing crisis. www.rifoundation.org
Rhode Island KIDS COUNT
Everything there is to know about the health, housing, education and well-being of RI's children and their families. Consolidates data from dozens of sources. Publishes its annual Factbook, the 'bible' for policymakers and children's advocates. www.rikidscount.org
Statewide Housing Action Coalition
Advocacy and community organizing. www.shac-ri.org
United Way of Rhode Island
Heavily invested in solving the state's housing crisis. www.uwri.org
back to top
Rhode Island Affordable Housing Developers Online
East Bay Community Development Corporation
www.ebcdc.org
The Elmwood Foundation
www.elmwoodfoundation.org
Habitat Providence
http://habitatprovidence.chronofish.net
Habitat West Bay and Northern Rhode Island
www.habitatriwestbay.org/news.htm
Olneyville Housing Corporation
www.olneyville.org
Omni Development Corporation
www.omnidevelopmentcorp.com
Pawtucket Citizens Development Corporation
www.pawtucketcdc.com
Providence Preservation Society Revolving Fund
www.ppsrf.org/about.cfm
Smith Hill Community Development Corporation
www.smithhillcdc.org/home/index.php
South County Habitat for Humanity
www.southcountyhabitat.org
West Elmwood Housing Development Corporation
www.wehdc.org/?skip=now
Woonsocket Neighborhood Development Corporation
www.wndc.org
For a more complete list of affordable housing developers, Click here.
Rhode Island Public Housing Authorities Online
East Greenwich Housing Authority
http://eghousing.com
Narragansett Housing Authority
www.narragansettri.com/housing
Pawtucket Housing Authority
www.pawthousing.org
Providence Housing Authority
http://pha-providence.com
West Warwick Housing Authority
http://westwarwickha.org/welcome/index.html
Woonsocket Housing Authority
http://woonsockethousing.org/welcome/page.php
For a more complete list of public housing authorities in Rhode Island,
Click here.
Other Useful Links to Data
Census 2000 Fact Sheet on Any Zip Code
Click here.
Official Wage Data and Other Labor Statistics in Rhode Island
Click here.
Home Ownership by State, 1984-2005
RI's home ownership remains near the bottom nationally, as it has for 20 years. US Census. Click here.
Housing Permits Issued by State, from 1980 to 2005
RI's production has fallen dramatically. In 1986, developers built 7,274 privately-owned units here. In 2005, it was down to 2,836. US Census.
Click here.
HUD's Fair Market Rents (FMRs) in RI
FMRs help determine the eligibility of apartments for the Section 8 program. The 2005 FMR in RI for a two-bedroom unit ranges from $760 to $965. Click here.
HUD's Median Income in RI
Click here.
KnowledgePlex
Online knowledge archive serving affordable housing and community development professionals. Dozens of topics include financing, gentrification, homelessness, land use, quality of life, many more. The brainchild of the Fannie Mae Foundation. Online: vast resource library; tools and research; discussion groups; recent, relevant news feeds from across the US; events calendar; free weekly e-newsletter. Click here.
Rents in RI, 2005 vs. 2004
From Rhode Island Housing. See Year End 2005 Rent Survey, downloadable PDF.
Click here.
RI Household Income and Poverty Data
US Census. Click here.
Quarterly Updates of Median Home Sale Prices by Town
For both single- and multifamily. From the Rhode Island Association of Realtors. Click here.
Rental Vacancy Rates by State, 1986-2005
In 2005, RI was one of the country's toughest places to rent, with a vacancy rate far below the national average. US Census. Click here.
RI Town/City Fact Sheets with Data on 60 Indicators of Child Well-Being
From Rhode Island KIDS COUNT. Click here.
US Census
Online: demographic data (age, income, education, etc.), data on home production, home ownership statistics. www.census.gov
back to top
Useful Links to National Information Sources
Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor
www.bls.gov
The Campaign for Affordable Housing
Publications and tools. www.tcah.org
Center for Housing Policy
Publishes major studies regarding workforce housing needs nationally. Research affiliate of the National Housing Conference. www.nhc.org/housing/chp-about/
Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University
National-level research on housing and the housing industry. www.jchs.harvard.edu
National Alliance to End Homelessness
Online: "The Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness." Other tools, background and research on the issue, with best practices. www.endhomelessness.org/index.htm
National Association of Realtors
Pro-affordable housing (in case you were wondering). Online at Realtor.org: Tools and research that promote Smart Growth and other forms of good community planning. www.realtor.org/sg3.nsf/pages/commdesigndensity?OpenDocument
National Home Builders Association
Up-to-date data on construction. www.nahb.org
National Low Income Housing Coalition
"Dedicated solely to ending America's affordable housing crisis." Focuses on renters, which make up a third of US households. www.nlihc.org
National Multi Housing Council
Pro-apartment and urban revitalization. Overturns myths. Research on attitudes and trends. www.nmhc.org
National Priorities Project
"Shows what federal tax and spending policies mean to your community." www.natprior.org
Smart Growth America
Doing something about sprawl. "We believe that the American people deserve healthy cities, towns and suburbs; homes that are both affordable and close to jobs and activities; fewer hours in traffic and more opportunities to enjoy recreation and natural areas; air and water of the highest quality; and a landscape our children can be proud to inherit." www.smartgrowthamerica.com
Smart Growth Online
Books and other resources to help you make the case that affordable housing and higher density can be assets to the community. www.smartgrowth.org/default.asp
US Department of Housing and Urban Development Online: Home ownership assistance and advice, search for a subsidized apartment. www.hud.gov
back to top
Items for Advocates and Policymakers
1998 Report on the Fastest Growing Occupations in Rhode Island and Their Generally Low Wages
Click here.
Archive of Recent News Articles about Affordable Housing in RI
Collected by Statewide Housing Action Coalition. Click here.
Archive of Recent News Articles about Poverty, Community Development, Housing and More in RI
Collected by The Fund for Community Progress. Click here.
Comprehensive Overview of Inclusionary Housing Techniques
Click here.
Facts on Homelessness in RI
Click here.
What's Being Built, Renovated, Torn Down in RI
Includes photos of mills and other historical sites under redevelopment, etc. ArtInRuins worries that redevelopment often forces artists and small business out of affordable space. Click here.
"Out of Reach" Report
How many hours does a minimum-wage earner have to work to afford a median two-bedroom apartment in RI? This annual report compares income to Fair Market Rental (FMR) costs in every state. RI is worst in the nation for "combined non-metro areas" and in the bottom third in every other category. Click here.
2005 Advocate's Guide to Housing and Community Development Policy
Stay current on a wide range of issues, programs and tools. Also serves as a primer for those new to the field. Published by the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Click here.
The NIMBY Report
Monthly news from around the US on the struggle to get more affordable housing built. Published by the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Click here.
Governor Donald Caricieri http://www.governor.ri.gov/
Rhode Island General Assembly http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/
Secretary of State http://www.sec.state.ri.us/
List of state agencies http://www.ri.gov/government/a_to_z/
U.S. Representative Patrick Kennedy http://patrickkennedy.house.gov/
U.S. Representative James Langevin http://www.house.gov/langevin/
U.S. Senator Lincoln Chafee http://chafee.senate.gov
U.S. Senator Jack Reed http://reed.senate.gov/
U.S. House of Representatives http://www.house.gov/
U.S. Senate http://www.senate.gov/
>back to top
Items for Builders and Town Planners
Affordable Housing Design Advisor
Includes a gallery of well-designed homes, lots of checklists and tools for getting great design. Sponsored by HUD. Click here.
Directory of Nonprofit Affordable Housing Developers in RI
See the Housing Network member list. Click here.
Information on Water and Wastewater Permits
From the RI Department of Environmental Management. Click here.
June 2005 Amendments to RI State Law Regarding Housing
Includes official definitions of "affordable". Click here.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Section 8 (now known as Housing Choice) Vouchers
For landlords. Written by the RI Coalition for the Homeless. Click here.
Report on Rhode Island Historic Preservation Investment Tax Credit Program
Click here.
Types of Loans and Other Financing Available through Rhode Island Housing
Click here.
back to top
