EAST PROVIDENCE – A group of four nonprofits called the Taunton Avenue Collaborative recently made requests to members of the General Assembly to set aside $28 million in the state budget to help with the development of affordable housing units on Taunton Avenue in East Providence.
Leaders from the group, which includes the ONE Neighborhood Builders, Crossroads Rhode Island, Foster Forward and Family Service of Rhode Island, requested the funding from the state lawmakers to accelerate the construction of 160 units of affordable housing and commercial space at 330 Taunton Ave., 350 Taunton Ave. and 354 Taunton Ave.
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The collaborative said earlier this year that it had secured $7.1 million to establish the housing development, but that additional funding would be needed to finish the project, with a goal of opening the new apartments by the summer of 2025.
The $28 million funding request for the fiscal 2024 budget comes after ONE Neighborhood Builders announced in April that it purchased the 2.95 acres of land that make up the Taunton Avenue properties, including a dormant, four-story, 63,000-square-foot apartment building once known as Edmund Place, which was constructed in 1975.
The proposed redevelopment is intended to provide housing to “extremely low-income households,” according to ONE Neighborhood Builders, along with youths aging out of foster care and some low- to moderate-income households. The development would also include 6,000 square feet of commercial space, to be used in part for a new “early learning center,” the nonprofit said, along with 1,500 square feet of community amenity space and playground areas.
The principals of the collaborative, including ONE Neighborhood Builders President Jennifer Hawkins, Crossroads CEO Karen Santilli, Foster Forward Executive Director Lisa Guillette and Family Service of Rhode Island CEO Margaret Holland McDuff, released a statement describing the proposal as “a prime example of how we can build housing at meaningful scale” while redeveloping blighted properties in Rhode Island.
“For too long, Rhode Island has been dead last in the nation for new home starts,” according to a joint statement from the nonprofit leaders. “With homelessness rising and families squeezed out of the housing market, it is now more important than ever that we work together: corralling our shared commitment to housing justice and lending our unique skills to this transformative housing development.”
The collaborative said if the project goes forward, approximately 40% of the units will be designed as permanent supportive housing, which pairs housing with case management and supportive services for extremely low-income residents. Of the 160 apartments, 25 units will be supported by Crossroads, which will provide “ongoing support to individuals and families who have experienced homelessness,” while Foster Forward will support 20 units occupied by people who have recently aged out of foster care. Another 20 units will be supported by Family Service of Rhode Island, occupied by families who have been involved with the R.I. Department of Children, Youth, and Families.
The remaining 60% of the apartments will be designated as affordable for households earning a low to moderate income, meaning 60% to 120% of the area’s median income, which is approximately $45,000 to $90,000 for a family of two.
The project has already secured a $2 million congressional earmark for development, along with $1 million from the R.I. Housing and Mortgage Finance Corp. for land acquisition, according to ONE Neighborhood Builders. In addition to that, the collaborative secured $154,000 from the city of East Providence for land acquisition, and $135,000 from the Rhode Island Foundation for acquisition deposits and predevelopment.
Marc Larocque is a PBN contributing writer.
Waste of taxpayer money as evidenced by the inability of these non-profits to raise the money themselves.