HousingWorks RI has released a new Issue Brief entitled Historic Preservation and Affordable Housing: A smart investment in Rhode Island's economy.

Having a strong historic preservation tax credit program that incorporates long-term affordable housing is a strategic investment for Rhode Island’s economy. The Issue Brief examines how other New England states with an abundant stock of historic properties are maximizing their own historic preservation tax credits to build strong, diversified economies with a wide range of housing options for their workforce.

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HousingWorks RI today released its analysis of foreclosures in Rhode Island for Q4 2012. The report looks at the number of foreclosures in each of Rhode Island’s 39 cities and towns and offers regional comparisons.

Quick Glance Findings:

• Q4 2012 saw an 11.2 percent drop in the number of residential foreclosure deeds filed in Rhode Island compared to Q4 2011, and a 36 percent decline from Q4 2009, when data was first readily available.

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For many, owning a home is part of living the American Dream but new data reveals that this aspiration is out of reach for the average Latino household living in Rhode Island. The Latino Policy Institute (LPI) at Roger Williams University and HousingWorks RI released an infographic today that shows 71 percent of Latino households in the state are renters, compared to 39 percent of the state’s overall renter households.

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As Rhode Island families get ready for the holiday season many families headed by women are feeling the pinch. The gendered housing cost burden is outlined in a new infographic jointly released by Women’s Fund of Rhode Island and HousingWorks RI, looking specifically at women and housing in Rhode Island.

”The majority of families headed by women in Rhode Island are renters and one in three of those families is spending 50 percent or more of their income on housing expenses,” said Jessica Cigna, the research and policy associate at HousingWorks RI. “It’s not surprising to see that 44 percent of those families are also living in poverty.”

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The 2012 Housing Fact Book released today by HousingWorks RI, shows a persistent housing cost burden for Rhode Island renters. This annual publication provides data analysis on housing affordability and actual foreclosure rates, as well as a look at the housing challenges facing Rhode Islanders.

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HousingWorks RI invites you to come see our new home on the Providence campus of Roger Williams University (RWU).

Date: Tuesday, July 31st

Time: Noon - 1:30 p.m.

Location: 150 Washington Street, Suite 304, Providence

Join us for some deliciously light snacks and refreshments.  Learn more about our relationship with our newest partner, Roger Williams University.  Meet up with other HousingWorks RI coalition members and get an update on the upcoming $25 million housing bond campaign.

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HousingWorks RI is pleased to welcome Jessica Cigna as Research & Policy Associate.
Prior to coming to HousingWorks RI, Jessica served as an Urban Information Specialist at The Providence Plan. Her focus there was on neighborhood change, healthy housing, and children's wellbeing including lead poisoning and educational outcomes. She has also served as a Research Associate in the Metropolitan Housing and Communities Center at The Urban Institute in Washington, D.C.

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New information shows that efficiencies in the state's Building Homes Rhode Island program are helping build another 57 long-term affordable rental and ownership homes.

We last reported that the state's Building Homes Rhode Island (BHRI) program had helped to fund the development of 1,255 long-term affordable rental and ownership homes across Rhode Island by the end of its four-year cycle in July of 2011. Thanks to a reallocation of funds realized through cost-efficiencies, BHRI has now supported the development of 1,312 long-term affordable rental and ownership homes.

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HousingWorks RI today released its third annual special report on foreclosures in Rhode Island. The report looks at the number of foreclosures in each of Rhode Island’s 39 cities and towns.

Key Findings:

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A national study released today by the Washington-based Center for Housing Policy shows Rhode Island as one of the most severely cost burdened housing markets in the country. The report, titled Housing Landscape 2012, provides an in-depth look at housing affordability trends for working households between 2008 and 2010 focusing on the relationship between employment, income, and housing costs.
 

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