Earlier this month, Gov. Dan McKee and the Rhode Island Executive Office of Housing launched the Housing 2030 Entry-Level Homeownership Program and the Housing 2030 Public Developer Program, which both aim to increase access to affordable housing for low and moderate-income Rhode Islanders.
These programs were created as part of the Housing 2030 plan, which was launched in December 2025. The plan strives to address “the state’s growing housing challenges, including rising costs, limited affordable and accessible housing options, and an overall shortage of homes,” Emily Marshall, a spokesperson for the Rhode Island Department of Housing, wrote in an email to The Herald.
“The plan’s central goal is to permit 15,000 new homes by the end of 2030, including affordable rental homes, middle-market housing, permanent supportive housing and homeownership opportunities,” Marshall wrote. Funded through Rhode Island’s $120 million housing bond, the plan also aims to create 1,000 new lower-cost housing units.
This goal will be realized through new construction and renovation of existing housing.
As part of Housing 2030, the Entry-Level Homeownership Program endeavors to expand opportunities for low and moderate-income homeownership by working with developers to build new affordable homes. The program, which opened applications on Feb. 5, dedicates $20 million to subsidize the new construction of entry-level homes, Marshall wrote.
The entry-level homes, which must be priced below $400,000, will be sold to Rhode Islanders earning at or below 120 percent of the Area Median Income, Marshall added. Developers who receive funds through the program will be responsible for building owner-occupied housing units such as single-family homes, townhouses and condominiums.
Marshall wrote that developers who want to participate in this program must go through a “competitive” selection process. The developers are required to start construction within nine months of receiving funding and they must build developments with at least five units, among other requirements.
If all of these conditions are satisfied, developers are then scored on a 70-point scale to assess how their projects reflect “key state priorities,” with criteria including lower development costs, accessibility for residents with disabilities and strong community support, Marshall wrote.
The highest-scoring projects will receive funding first, she wrote. Developers will receive up to $100,000 per unit or $4 million per project until the $20 million is exhausted.
“Proposals are welcome in all 39 cities and towns across the state, ensuring communities statewide can benefit from new homeownership opportunities,” Marshall wrote.
One Neighborhood Builders, a non-profit development company, is currently drafting its application for the program, according to CEO and president Peter Chapman. The company is seeking funding for its Sheridan Village development in Olneyville, which will include 20 condominium units across six buildings.
“Sheridan Village is a critical piece of the puzzle to redevelop this corner of the neighborhood,” Chapman wrote in an email to The Herald.
The program will “provide developers with the resources needed to get shovels in the ground fast and ensure that the homes are sold affordably to low- to moderate-income households,” Chapman wrote. It will “(create) opportunities for families to build intergenerational wealth for individuals who otherwise do not have access,” he added.
But “any state housing plan must prioritize building housing for the most vulnerable,” Eric Hirsch, a professor in the sociology department at Providence College and the interim director of the Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy Project, wrote in an email to The Herald. He noted that in January 2025, the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness counted 2,373 unhoused people in Rhode Island.
“We need permanent supportive housing units that are affordable to people who may be disabled, unable to work and who get only $1,000 to $1,300 a month in SSI or SSDI payments,” Hirsch wrote.
Marshall did not respond to The Herald’s additional request for comment.
McKee and the Executive Office of Housing also opened applications for the Housing 2030 Public Developer Program on Feb. 10. This $10 million initiative aims to work with Rhode Island’s Public Housing Authorities to build more affordable rental housing units that are priced for low and moderate-income households, according to a press release announcing the project.
The program will select two or three PHAs to support.
“Public Housing Authorities are essential partners in addressing Rhode Island’s housing challenges,” Secretary of the Department of Housing Deborah Goddard wrote in the press release. “This program will revitalize and strengthen PHAs, giving them the resources to lead will not be solved with bold, innovative projects that deliver safe, affordable rental homes.”
The rental housing units created through this initiative will prioritize Rhode Islanders earning at or below 30% of the Area Median Income, according to the press release.
Rose Ott, executive director of the East Providence Housing Authority, wrote in an email to The Herald that “it is encouraging to see resources being provided to many fragile yet resilient” Rhode Islanders through the Public Developer Program.
“These programs have the potential to be very helpful,” Ott wrote.
“Our housing crisis will not be solved with one policy or program, but instead a sustained and broad effort from all stakeholders in the General Assembly, Governor’s Office and developers,” Chapman wrote.
