Five Questions With: Shelby Maldonado

STATE REP. Shelby Maldonado, D-Central Falls, is the appointed leader of a special legislative commission that will study the state’s Low and Moderate Income Housing Act. / COURTESY SHELBY MALDONADO
STATE REP. Shelby Maldonado, D-Central Falls, is the appointed leader of a special legislative commission that will study the state’s Low and Moderate Income Housing Act. / COURTESY SHELBY MALDONADO

State Rep. Shelby Maldonado, D-Central Falls, is the appointed leader of a special legislative commission that will study the state’s Low and Moderate Income Housing Act, and compliance with it by cities and towns. The act, created in 1991, was the result of an acute shortage of affordable housing, particularly for residents with low and moderate incomes, and established a 10 percent affordable housing requirement for all Rhode Island communities. The commission started meeting this week, and will report back to the House of Representatives in February. The 13-member commission includes representatives of housing agencies, cities and towns, home builders and legislative members. In a telephone interview with the Providence Business News, Maldonado explained what the law requires.

PBN: What is the 10 percent requirement approved by the General Assembly? Does it apply to rental housing only?
MALDONADO:
It’s actually very simple. It’s requiring municipalities and towns to reach a 10 percent goal of affordable housing. That includes rental and home ownership, it’s both.
PBN: Very few of the state’s communities seem to be in compliance. Are they not trying at all? Is there some effort but not enough?
MALDONADO:
As of right now, there are about five out of the 39 cities and towns that are reaching that benchmark. We have my city, Central Falls, which I represent. And Newport, Woonsocket, New Shoreham and Providence have met the state mandate for affordable housing. The commission, what it’s looking to do is to determine what are those challenges. For example, the cities and towns (will be asked) to show their strategic economic and housing plans, as to what they have done and what they’re planning. This will help us determine what are the challenges, and (determine) is this a realistic goal? Do we need to strengthen policy in some way? Are there resources we should be providing to the towns that are not reaching this benchmark, (but) that have been attempting to do so?
PBN: Is there an enforcement mechanism, either a carrot or a stick, to encourage compliance?
MALDONADO:
As of right now, we don’t see that currently. But that is (the purpose of) these conversations with the members of the commission, to determine what it is we need to do to make sure what we’ve put forward is reasonable and attainable by communities. That is something we want to work on.
PBN: What do you think it will take for more communities to encourage affordable housing creation? Is it just a commitment to it?
MALDONADO:
For me it’s going to be about education … to really become educated about what is affordable housing and what it means. What does it look like? What are the needs that need to be addressed and why are we pushing forward on this? What I think is really going to affect it is educating the remaining cities and towns, so they know about affordable housing and what it means for their town, which may be different. In Central Falls, we have a high number of affordable housing units and a big need for affordable housing. From my perspective, it’s very important. As a millennial, looking to buy a home, it’s challenging. Do we have enough support for someone of the millennial generation to be able to buy a home? For me, it’s important because this commission is bringing in these towns to have that real conversation.
PBN: What is the effect of a lack of affordable housing on families?
MALDONADO:
It’s tremendous. I can share from my experience. I was raised by a single mom, who raised four children on her own. And watching her make the choice, where she had to spend most of her income on rent and utilities and such. She had to choose whether she was going to walk to work, or take the bus. Was she going to feed her children? She sometimes chose to feed her children by stepping back and not eating at that dinner table so that there was enough. This is an ongoing, real issue happening in my city. Purchasing clothing, basic necessities, even health. Sometimes parents are working double shifts to make ends meet, to cover the rent, utility costs, and they’re not thinking about their health. They don’t see the doctor. They don’t see the importance of that because they’re trying to make ends meet.

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