In an op-ed for the Providence Journal, Jeanne Cola, executive director of LISC Rhode Island, makes the important case for state government to leverage private and public resources to create quality housing that can stem the affordability crisis and boost local economies. Writes Cola, of the current funding opportunities, “We must get this right.”
The excerpt below was originally published by The Providence Journal
Opinion/Cola: Governor, legislature must do more to address housing crisis
By Jeanne Cola, executive director of LISC Rhode Island
It’s no secret that we are in a housing crisis. If you haven’t seen the headlines ("Housing crisis: Are month-to-month leases a good idea in RI's crazy real estate market?," News, May 3), just ask anyone who is looking for an apartment. The crisis erodes our economic vitality, education programs, workforce development initiatives, and has an overwhelmingly negative impact on our health.
We were one of just six states to win a planning grant to address the health implications of housing insecurity. Rhode Island has made transformative changes in the way we address health by creating Health Equity Zones, a system that relies on community led initiatives to address health. The rationale is that residents know best what their needs are, and if given agency and resources, they could work together to improve health in their neighborhoods. LISC has led the Pawtucket Central Falls HEZ since the program started, and that approach is making a difference.
The focus on housing was highlighted as residents struggled through COVID. Overcrowded, unsafe and inadequate housing created a perfect storm during the pandemic. Clearly, if there is to be health equity, there must be stable housing. Resident-led organizations, the Health Department, and community leaders are all on the same page – we need more housing, urgently.
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island recognized this critical need and has made safe and affordable housing a focus of its community investments, based on data collected through its annual RI Life Index, a partnership with the Brown University School of Public Health. BCBSRI made a transformational award of $4 million to LISC and worked with us to create a Health and Housing framework. That investment of flexible funding has allowed us to leverage significant national resources and provide substantial investment into several health-focused housing initiatives well beyond what our resources typically permit. For example, LISC was able to provide Crossroads Rhode Island with $1.1 million of predevelopment financing. The Rhode Island Foundation awarded LISC an additional $1 million at the start of this year, which we will deploy in much the same way.