| R 242 |
| 2023 -- H 6281 Enacted 04/18/2023 |
| H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N |
| CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF RIHOUSING |
Introduced By: Representatives Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Speakman, Place, Kennedy, Fellela, Cortvriend, Bennett, Spears, and Potter |
| Date Introduced: April 18, 2023 |
| WHEREAS, RIHousing, established by the Rhode Island General Assembly, is a self- |
| supporting, quasi-public agency chartered with the mission of assisting every Rhode Islander in |
| their quest to buy, rent, build and keep homes. Over the past five decades, RIHousing’s work has |
| taken many forms and has strived to be responsive to the needs of Rhode Islanders; and |
| WHEREAS, RIHousing was created in order to address Rhode Island’s widespread and |
| critical housing issues. One tool utilized is the issuance of tax-exempt bonds to finance affordable |
| housing developments and affordable single-family mortgages; and |
| WHEREAS, Since the launch of its First Homes mortgage program in 1987, that made |
| owning a home more affordable for first-time home buyers, RIHousing has helped more than |
| 85,000 first-time home buyers and has provided $8 billion in mortgage financing. In addition, |
| RIHousing has financed the development or preservation of more than 24,000 affordable homes |
| and apartments; and |
| WHEREAS, In 1991, RIHousing began administering the Housing Choice Voucher |
| Program, a federal program designed to help eligible households find safe housing. Since its |
| inception, the program has grown rapidly and today is available in 19 communities; and |
| WHEREAS, In 2012, in the midst of a major recession, RIHousing launched the Hardest |
| Hit Fund RI, a federally-funded national program that provided assistance to Rhode Islanders in |
| order to prevent foreclosure on their homes; and |
| WHEREAS, In 2021, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, RIHousing started |
| RentReliefRI, a federally-funded program that provided rental and utility assistance to tenants |
| facing financial hardships due to the pandemic. This program provided $275 million in assistance |
| to 37,000 renter households; and |
| WHEREAS, RIHousing currently administers $50 million in funds that assist |
| homeowners impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic through the Homeowner Assistance Fund. |
| Through March of 2023, more than 1,500 households have been helped with almost $40 million |
| through HAF-RI; and |
| WHEREAS, In 2022, the budget passed by the Rhode Island General Assembly included |
| $250 million in federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) to address housing |
| and homeless issues in Rhode Island. RIHousing is administering $210 million of that resource |
| and as of the end of February, has allocated over $30 million to develop more than 1,000 units of |
| affordable housing, and to provide down payment assistance to 41 first-time homebuyers; now, |
| therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby |
| celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of RIHousing; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
| transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to RIHousing. |
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| LC002815 |
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