Rhode Island
Stabilizing rents can reverse rise in homelessness | Opinion
‘People’s State of the State’ gather to protest homelessness at Governor’s State Of The State.
Outside of Gov. Dan McKee’s State of the State address, the ‘People’s State of the State’ was held to bring awareness to homelessness in RI.
Homelessness is too often framed as a personal failure rather than a systemic one. That framing ignores the broader systems that determine who can access and afford housing, and it fuels policies that punish rather than prevent. If Rhode Island is serious about reversing the rise in homelessness, we need an emergency brake on the soaring cost of housing. Rent stabilization is one tool Providence can use to do that.
Decades of research show that rental housing costs are a strong predictor of homelessness. A federal study found that when rent increases just $100 between communities, overall homelessness – the number of people staying in shelters and living unsheltered – increases by 9%. The impact is even more pronounced when counting just those outdoors: in my research, the same rent increase is associated with a 28% rise in unsheltered homelessness. In plain terms, rising rents push more people out of stable housing and into homelessness.
Here in Rhode Island, these numbers are not abstract. Last January, 618 people were counted living outdoors, a 15% increase from the year before and nearly five times the number in 2020. When people staying in shelters are included, nearly 2,400 Rhode Islanders experience homelessness each night, a 35% increase in just one year. These figures reflect real and preventable public health harms, including exposure to extreme weather, exacerbated chronic illness, and increased risk of injury and death.
Meeting people’s immediate needs requires adequate shelter and investments in deeply affordable and supportive housing. Those steps are essential to protect people who are already unhoused. But focusing only on emergency responses is like bailing water from a boat that is still filling. Unless we slow the flow by addressing rapidly rising rents, homelessness will continue to grow faster than shelter systems can respond.
Providence has been named the least affordable metro area in the nation, with the fastest rent growth in the country. Leaders know housing costs are a top concern for voters. In response, the City Council is introducing a rent stabilization measure that would limit how much landlords can raise rents each year. If passed, it would provide renters with predictability and protection from sudden rent hikes, the kind that often trigger displacement and homelessness.
Opponents of rent stabilization argue that it reduces rental supply and discourages new construction. But these claims rely on outdated evidence. Modern rent stabilization policies – Providence’s proposal – exempt new construction and small owner-occupied properties, allow reasonable annual increases tied to inflation, and can account for rising costs such as property taxes or repairs. These policies can reduce displacement and stabilize communities without stopping housing development. This shift in thinking was reflected when 32 economists sent a letter in support of rent stabilization to the Biden administration, pointing to newer studies and urging policymakers to move beyond assumptions.
Rent stabilization is not a silver bullet. It will take broader action to fully address Rhode Island’s housing crisis and end homelessness. But it is a critical prevention tool – one that addresses a primary driver of housing instability before people lose their homes.
Homelessness is not inevitable. It is the predictable result of a housing system that prices out people with the fewest resources and the families who support them. We know what drives the problem. The question facing leaders is whether they are willing to act on what the evidence – and the human cost – make clear.
Molly Richard is an assistant professor of public health at the University of Rhode Island.
It’s not every day a Hollywood legend makes a first-ever appearance like this—especially in Rhode Island. This fall, Michael Douglas is doing just that.
The Oscar-winning actor, known for iconic roles in films like Wall Street and Fatal Attraction, will make his first-ever convention appearance at Rhode Island Comic Con next November.
Fans of the Academy Award-winning star will get a rare chance to see him in person—and even grab a photo or autograph—when the annual event returns November 6-8, 2026, to the Rhode Island Convention Center and Amica Mutual Pavilion.
Of course, getting up close with an A-lister like this won’t come cheap.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images for TCM
While specific appearance times haven’t been announced yet, early listings show photo ops and autographs priced at $329.99 each—a significantly higher price than some of the other big names already confirmed.
READ MORE: Michael Douglas Enjoys Fall Day With Daughter in Rhode Island
For comparison, Happy Days star Henry Winkler will also be at the convention, with photo ops listed at $112.75 and autographs at $88.00. Winkler is scheduled for all three days, while Douglas is expected to appear Friday and Saturday only.
Still, a first-ever convention appearance from Michael Douglas is a pretty big deal—and it’s likely to draw serious crowds to Providence.
It won’t be his first time making headlines in Providence. Michael Douglas was spotted in the city last spring attending his daughter’s graduation from Brown University.
READ MORE: Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones Celebrate Daughter’s Graduation
Along with Douglas and Winkler, Rhode Island Comic Con has already announced the cast of Amazon’s animated series Hazbin Hotel, plus Catherine Bell (JAG, Army Wives), and Bosch stars Madison Lintz and Titus Welliver, with more guests expected in the coming weeks.
Whether you’re a lifelong fan or just love a good celebrity sighting, this year’s Rhode Island Comic Con is shaping up to be one you won’t want to miss.
Items and Activities Banned From Rhode Island Comic Con
Before you show up at this year’s Rhode Island Comic Con, be aware of the items and activities banned by the management.
Gallery Credit: Ariel Dorsey
15 of the Weirdest Laws in Rhode Island
The world has changed and yet some laws have stayed the same.
These are some of the strangest laws still on the books in Rhode Island.
Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall
20 Things To See at Roger Williams Park (Other Than the Zoo)
There are over 427 acres of beautiful landscaping, historical buildings and family friendly spaces at Roger Williams Park in Providence. Gifted to the city in 1872 by the last descendant of Roger Williams, Betsey Williams, the park has become primarily known for its amazing zoo. But throughout this historic district listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, there are plenty of other stunning things to see.
Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall
RICHMOND, R.I. (WPRI) — Break out those fishing rods. Opening day for trout season in Rhode Island is this Saturday, April 11.
In a press release Wednesday, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management shared that it has stocked over 100 freshwater locations, including children’s only ponds, with more than 60,000 fish.
The stocked fish include brook, brown, rainbow and golden rainbow trout. Anyone who catches a golden rainbow trout between April 11 and May 3 will be eligible to receive a golden trout pin.
Anglers who catch a golden rainbow trout between those dates must snap a picture of their catch and email it to dem.fishri@dem.ri.gov. Submissions received after May 4 will not be considered. There is a limit of one pin per person.
ALSO READ: New pedestrian bridges open on East Bay Bike Path with new spots for fishing
Due to a study being conducted by the DEM and the Rhode Island Department of Health on how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as forever chemicals, accumulate in stocked trout, Upper Melville Pond in Portsmouth will be closed to fishing from May 4 until July 2. The pond, also known as Thurston Gray Pond, will be open for the start of the season, but not stocked with fish.
A 2026 fishing license is required for anglers 15 and older. Anglers between the ages of 15 and 65 must have a Trout Conservation Stamp to keep their catch, with some exceptions. You can find information on size and creel limits here. Fishing licenses can be purchased here.
The annual free fishing weekend in Rhode Island will be on Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3. Residents and visitors alike can fish for all species of freshwater fish without a license or trout conservation stamp on those days.
Fishing in trout-stocked waters before April 11 is prohibited. You can find a full list of stocked waters here.
DEM: Designated trout waters in Rhode Island
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(WJAR) — Rhode Island lawmakers are considering several firearm bills on Wednesday.
The House Judiciary Committee will discuss these bills after two mass shootings happened in the region in just six months.
It’s also been nearly a year since lawmakers banned the sale and manufacturing of assault weapons in Rhode Island.
Some of those Bills include:
- A ban on buying more than one gun in a 30-day period
- Requiring anyone looking to possess a firearm excluding police and military, to complete and pass firearm safety training
- One that would ban people with felony convictions from owning a gun
- There is also a bill that would make it permissible for students, professors or employees of any public or private university to carry, and possess a stun gun or pepper spray for purposes of self-defense
One that may not be talked about today but has been introduced, a bill that would outright ban the possession of military-style semiautomatic guns.
Second Amendment advocates are expected to don yellow shirts and pack the state house for the hearing to make their voices heard.
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