FRANK SHEA, executive director of Women’s Development Corp., a Providence-based organization that develops low-income housing, recently received the 2025 Francis H. Smith Award from Housing Network of Rhode Island. The award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to the creation of affordable housing and who has made a significant impact on community building and neighborhood revitalization.
What does receiving this award mean to you? I had the honor of working with Francis and I saw firsthand his genuine commitment to the Smith Hill and Elmhurst neighborhoods [in Providence]. His ability to approach the most difficult challenges with such positive energy has stayed with me over the years. I began working on housing and community development in Olneyville in January 2000. I was largely on my own in a small, cramped room upstairs at the Joslin Community Center off Manton Avenue, and the Housing Network provided a forum to connect with peers facing similar challenges and receive support. Twenty-five years later, I am grateful that the Housing Network’s advocacy and support continue to help build communities where families can thrive and every individual can live with dignity.
Describe some of the new housing developments and housing achievements across Rhode Island that Women’s Development Corp. has built and/or supported? At WDC, we understand that every community has residents who need access to safe, affordable housing and that each community has suitable locations where such housing can be developed. For more than 45 years, we have worked to develop and manage affordable housing – first [on] the South Side and West End of Providence. More recently, we’ve taken on projects throughout Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts, often in communities without much existing affordable housing. Our most recently completed developments serve families in Exeter, Charlestown and Richmond, and veterans at risk of homelessness in New Bedford.
While affordable housing is being built in Rhode Island, what more is needed to help fully address and mitigate the housing crisis in the state? More housing units of all kinds are needed to address this crisis. Under House Speaker [K. Joseph] Shekarchi’s leadership, the legislature has implemented several land use changes to streamline the development process for both communities and developers. The state is dedicating more funding, including the $120 million housing bond approved by voters last fall. Since these changes, we have had more communities engage with us to advance projects. Additional legislation making development efficient and attractive for communities can drive more and better housing access. However, funding resources are scarce, and we can’t count on the federal government right now.
What, if any, new projects is Women’s Development Corp. spearheading and hoping to launch within the next 12 months? In West Warwick, we have been working with the town and service providers on a 30-unit permanent supportive housing project in the Arctic neighborhood. In South Kingstown, we are partnering with the town’s housing authority to redevelop 40 homes at Constitution Heights and add 33 new affordable units. In West Greenwich and on Elmwood Avenue in Providence, we have been selected to develop vacant sites into new affordable units.
