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.
The Defense of POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced on Friday that a U.S. Army Air Force pilot from Rhode Island killed in World War II was located.
The agency said 2nd Lt. Robert J. Barrat, 20, of Woonsocket, was accounted for on April 30.
According to the organization, Barrat piloted a B-17G “Flying Fortress” bomber in 1945.
On Feb. 9,1945, witnesses reported seeing his aircraft collide with another aircraft during a bombing mission to Lutzkendorf, Germany.
The aircraft was then seen hitting the ground, killing eight of the 9 crew members onboard.
After the end of World War II, the American Graves Registrations Command began working to recover missing American personnel in Europe.
In 1947, members recovered eight sets of remains from marked burials in the Eisenberg Civilian Cemetery.
The remains were transferred to the Central Processing Point at Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium for analysis.
Members identified two sets of remains. The remaining six were identified as the collective remains of Barrat and five of his crew members.
The remains were then buried at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.
In Oct. 1991, a German citizen reported finding the crash site and recovered debris from the aircraft, including two inscribed rings.
The debris was turned over to the U.S. Army Memorial Affairs Activity Europe in Landstuhl, Germany and then to the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii.
In 2024, the remains were re-examined for further analysis.
Scientists said they used anthropological analysis and mitochondrial DNA analysis to identify Barrat’s remains.
According to the University of Rhode Island, he attended Rhode Island State College (RISC) in Sept. 1941 with the class of 1945.
Barrat left college during his second year and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force in Nov. 1942.
He was posthumously cited for Gallantry in Action and Bravery and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Barrat will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Alexandria, Virginia, on May 27.
WOONSOCKET, R.I. (WJAR) — The Woonsocket Police Department said a 17-year-old was sent to the hospital after a pedestrian crash on Park Avenue.
The department said the juvenile’s injuries were non-life-threatening.
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The vehicle involved in the crash fled the scene but was later located and brought to the department for processing, and an individual was being detained.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island Foundation invites Newport County residents to free community dinner June 2 – What’s Up Newp
The Rhode Island Foundation is inviting Newport County residents to share their thoughts about the issues that matter most to them at a free community dinner on Tuesday, June 2.
The event will be held at Innovate Newport, 513 Broadway, from 5 to 7 p.m. It is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Registration is available at rifoundation.org/togetherri.
“We want to hear what matters most to you. Sharing your perspective will help guide our grantmaking, community engagement and more,” said David N. Cicilline, the Foundation’s president and CEO. “Your input will help us better understand how you see things in your community. These conversations will help us shape our work going forward.”
Participants will share ideas over family-style meals, with the Foundation providing moderators to help guide the conversations, though attendees will drive the discussions.
“We’re giving people the opportunity to talk face-to-face with each other over family-style meals,” Cicilline said. “Bring your ideas for improving your community and the local challenges you’d like to see the Foundation address.”
Three additional gatherings across Rhode Island are scheduled through September, and the public can attend any session regardless of where they live. The complete schedule is posted at rifoundation.org/togetherri.
As part of its “the Rhode Island Foundation in Your Community” initiative, Foundation staff will also be at Innovate Newport from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. to talk one-on-one with the public about local charitable giving, grantmaking and nonprofit capacity-building opportunities.
Last year, the Foundation awarded $5.2 million in grants to Newport County nonprofits for work in education, health care, economic opportunity, the arts, the environment and housing, among other sectors.
The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. More information is available at rifoundation.org.
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