In the Nov. 7 election, Rhode Island voters will decide whether to approve a ballot measure that would provide $50 million to build affordable housing.
Community organizations as well as a group of Brown students have worked to advocate Ballot Question 9 in recent months, coordinating events and attempting to increase awareness about Rhode Island's housing market.
The median sale price for a single-family home in Rhode Island has more than doubled from $126,000 in 1999 to $283,000 in 2005, according to estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Information collected by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2000 showed that Rhode Island's median household income was $42,973. In 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that median income had risen to $45,006.
According to HousingWorks RI - a coalition that aims to end Rhode Island's perceived housing crisis by promoting well-planned and high-quality residential construction - families with a combined income less than $50,000 are not capable of purchasing a home within the state and can only afford rent in three counties.
"The reality is that Rhode Island is in the midst of a housing crisis," said Ari Matusiak '99, executive director of HousingWorks RI.
Supporters of the "Vote Yes On 9" campaign - whose slogan "Home. There's no place like it" - assert that the $50 million bond will help make affordable housing feasible in the state by allowing for the construction of new homes and the conversion of abandoned houses, mills and other buildings into housing. All housing created with the money will be subject to local planning standards, ensuring that it fits the character of a given community.
Question 9 is designed to facilitate implementation of locally directed strategies created by towns under the Low and Moderate Income Housing Act amended four years ago by Gov. Don Carcieri '65. The bond money, which will be paid back in full within 10 years, will benefit the economy by creating jobs and attracting business opportunities, according to Alan Flam P'05, a member of the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless and senior associate University chaplain.
The issue received increased attention from politicians as a result of the efforts of the Rhode Island Foundation, United Way of Rhode Island and Rhode Island Housing, three of the biggest nonprofit organizations in the state devoted to affordable housing. These groups joined religious leaders, politicians, housing advocates, realtors, bankers, builders and other interested citizens to promote additional affordable housing.
In May, the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless, a nonprofit that helps provide housing and care for homeless citizens in the state, held a five-day march to draw attention to the issue of homelessness and affordable housing. The marchers ended their walk at the Rhode Island State House, according to Flam.
City officials have also taken steps to address the issue. PolicyLink, a national nonprofit research organization, presented a report to the City Council in March on the feasibility of providing increased affordable housing in Providence without causing developers to lose profits.
"The issue's moving forward because housing is unaffordable for a huge chunk of the population in Rhode Island," said Ward 1 City Councilman David Segal. "The city's been supportive of the bond issue, but as it's a state bond, most of the advocacy for it has taken place at the state level."
Both HousingWorks RI and the "Vote Yes On 9" campaign are currently trying to "put faces to the statistics," Matusiak said.
The U.S. Census Bureau and the Corporation for Enterprise Development, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing economic opportunity, ranked Rhode Island's rate of homeownership at No. 47 nationally in terms of affordability in 2005.
According to a Sept. 18 Providence Journal article, more than 40 percent of Providence residents spend more than 30 percent of their gross income on housing. The article also highlighted how subsidies make some housing affordable by driving sale or rent figures below market rates.
Along with community organizations, a student group on campus called the Student Hunger and Housing Action Coalition has paved the way for students to become involved in support of Ballot Question 9. Last fall, SHHAC sponsored a "Day of Action" on campus that was designed to increase awareness of the issue.
Fiona Heckscher '09, president of SHHAC, said the issue of affordable housing affects more than just a city's homeless population.
Heckscher, along with other Brown students, was present at a "Vote Yes On 9" event on Sept. 9 at which the campaign debuted its Web site.
So far, there has been no substantial committed opposition to the bond, according to Flam and Hecksher.
