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.
Rhode Island
State agencies advise avoiding contact with three Rhode Island waterbodies over algae blooms – What’s Up Newp
The Rhode Island Department of Health and Department of Environmental Management are advising people to avoid contact with three waterbodies, including Upper Melville Pond in Portsmouth, because of harmful algae blooms.
The advisory also applies to Wenscott Reservoir in North Providence and Wilson Reservoir in Burrillville. Water samples were collected by DEM and tested by the Health Department’s State Health Laboratories, and initial samples at all three locations exceeded the advisory threshold.
All recreation, including swimming, fishing, boating and kayaking, is considered high risk and should be avoided at the affected waterbodies, the agencies said. The blooms are caused by blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, which are naturally present in bodies of water but can produce toxins harmful to humans and animals.
Officials urged caution in all areas of the three waterbodies, as blooms can move locations within ponds and lakes. People should not drink untreated water or eat fish from the affected waters, and pet owners should not allow pets to drink or swim in them. The advisory remains in effect until further notice, with follow-up samples to be collected to confirm the water is safe before it is lifted.
Skin contact with water containing the blooms can cause rashes, sore throat and irritation of the eyes and nose, while swallowing the water can cause stomachache, diarrhea, vomiting and nausea. More serious but less common effects may affect the liver and nervous system or cause irregular heartbeat, dizziness or seizures. Young children, pets and people who are immunocompromised or have certain underlying health conditions may be at greater risk.
Anyone who comes into contact with a bloom should rinse their skin with clean water right away and shower and wash their clothes afterward. Pets exposed to the water should be washed immediately and kept from licking algae from their fur, and a veterinarian should be called if a pet shows signs of illness such as tiredness, loss of appetite, vomiting or diarrhea within a day. People who feel sick after contact should call a healthcare provider.
Officials said affected waters may show bright to dark green scum along the shoreline, with thick algae floating on the surface resembling green paint, pea soup or green cottage cheese. People and pets should avoid any water that looks like this.
Suspected blooms can be reported to DEM’s Office of Water Resources at DEM.OWRCyano@dem.ri.gov or by calling 401-222-4700. More information and a Cyanobacteria Tracker Dashboard listing current advisories are available at dem.ri.gov/bluegreen.
Rhode Island
Exclusive | Not everyone’s happy about Taylor Swift’s MSG wedding, as Rhode Island residents are left at altarÂ
Not everyoneâs happy about Taylor Swiftâs marriage to Travis Kelce being at MSG
Reports previously speculated that Swift and her fiance were going to tie the knot on June 13 at the posh Ocean House hotel in tony Watch Hill, the Rhode Island, where Swift famously owns a home.
The “Shake It Off” singer even allegedly cut a major check to another bride-to-be who’d booked her wedding at the venue. But it was revealed that the pop star and the NFL star changed the location to accommodate more people… and are now getting hitched at the much less intimate Madison Square Garden.
You’d think that residents of Watch Hill would be relieved to avoid the attendant media circus and other headaches that would descend on the intimate enclave. But it turns out they’re bummed the nups won’t be in their proverbial backyard. In fact, more than one Watch Hill regular told us on Wednesday that they were disappointed Swift had changed venues.
The wedding would’ve also been a boon to the local economy, they said.
“Taylor has done a very good job of endearing herself here, and not being a jerk,” bluntly summed up a longtime Watch Hill habitué.
An insider added, “Taylor is a very good neighbor, and a very good member of the community. [She and her family] shop locally and go out of their way not to create problems — she has her own home with her own security. She’s really truly not an inconvenience to anyone.”
“In terms of the wedding, from a financial point of view, even the town next door, Westerly, they were going to get a little economic boom. Or at least a bump!” a source said.
As for the supposed previous wedding venue, “The local hotel, Ocean House, would make an enormous amount of money from the wedding,” said a source.
Then again, they added, “A regular room with the taxes goes right up against $2K a night. Thatâs like the regular room. Bottles of water are $18.”
Page Six has reported that Swift’s wedding will last 10 hours and include 1,000 guests!
On the wedding day, doors open for guests at 3:30 p.m., with cocktails beginning at 4 p.m. on the sixth-floor concourse at MSG. The ceremony will then start at 5:30 p.m. on the arena floor.
The night before, there will be a more intimate rehearsal dinner for just 100 guests at the arenaâs Infosys Theater on Thursday.
Some Watch Hill types were left wondering how their town, which one inhabitant described as being “two city blocks,” could have handled that influx.
“The real locals were just a little concerned about just having access to their lives… They thought the whole place was going to be shut, including the streets, and how would they get in and out, etc.”
The latest “Real Housewives” franchise is already facing a casting shake up.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 01: Liz McGraw visits SiriusXM Studios on April 01, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
“Real Housewives of Rhode Island” star Liz McGraw announced she is leaving the show after one season.
“I am full of gratitude for the amazing opportunity to appear on this show,” she wrote on Instagram on Wednesday. “As filming for season 2 begins, I have made the decision to take a step back and focus on my family, my work and my passions.”
McGraw continued, “The RHORI cast is an amazing group of women who have created something special. I’ll be watching next season and rooting for the continued success of this franchise.”
“For now, I look forward to enjoying this little corner of the world from the other side of the camera,” she concluded.
Bravo’s Andy Cohen was already ready to invite McGraw back writing in the comments, “The door is always open. Just sayin’!”
McGraw recently became a grandmother, going by the nickname “Gigi” after her stepdaughter Brianna McGraw, who she shares with husband Gerry McGraw, welcomed a baby girl.
THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF RHODE ISLAND — Season:1 — Pictured: Liz McGraw — (Photo by: Bronson Farr/Bravo)
“She is just pure love,” McGraw said on a recent episode of “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island After Show.” “You feel that energy when she’s in your arms. Gerry’s addicted to it.”
She added, “We pop in, we pop out, we bring gifts, [and] we spoil.”
Ahead of the debut “RHORI” season, Ashley Iaconetti told PauseRewind’s Kevin Zelman, “On ‘Bachelor,’ it’s about love and drama and on ‘Housewives’ it’s a little bit more about drama, that’s the big difference for me. It was a totally different experience.”
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