Home Economy RIPEC: Troubled housing commission needs reform

RIPEC: Troubled housing commission needs reform

By

Christopher Allen

-

05/19/2025

statehouse-bill — THE RHODE ISLAND Public Expenditure Council is calling on state officials to reform the R.I. Housing Resources Commission. /PBN FILE PHOTO/WILLIAM HAMILTON

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council is calling on state officials to reform the R.I. Housing Resources Commission, saying it suffers from potential conflicts of interests and, despite having wide statutory authority over housing policy and programming, shares many of the same responsibilities with the R.I. Department of Housing. In its policy brief

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PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council is calling on state officials to reform the R.I. Housing Resources Commission, saying it suffers from potential conflicts of interests and, despite having wide statutory authority over housing policy and programming, shares many of the same responsibilities with the R.I. Department of Housing.

In its policy brief released Monday, RIPEC conducted a 50-state analysis and determined the HRC’s “combination of membership size, responsibilities, funding authority and persistent issues with conflicts of interest makes it unique among housing stakeholder agencies nationwide.”

RIPEC CEO and President Michael DiBiase said it remains “unclear which is the state’s lead entity for housing.” With only 18 of 28 spots currently filled and 10 awaiting gubernatorial appointment, 13 of the R.I. Housing Resources Commission's seats now include representatives of non-profit advocacy groups and service providers, according to RIPEC. Since 2016, three community development corporations with representatives on the commission have received $17 million of $90 million available in bond funds under its control, according to the report. In addition, the analysis found that members routinely miss public meetings. Attendance has declined every year since 2019, and fewer than half of sitting HRC members were there on average in 2024. There are also frequent instances of members with matters before the commission needing to abstain from votes. RIPEC recommends policymakers remove all HRC funding authority and reconstitute it as an advisory body while enforcing term limits on members. DiBiase said, “No other states have stakeholder housing bodies that are organized or operate like the HRC.” “With declining membership and attendance, conflicts of interest, and lack of transparency… HRC is not the appropriate agency to hold decision-making authority over housing policy, programming, or funding,” he said. Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com