Little cohesion exists between entities attempting to aid abandoned houses or stem the tide of vacant homes. In Providence, Rhode Island, below is a rough outline detailing the relationship of federal through neighborhood institutions and their roles within the removal and revitalization of blight in our neighborhoods. In part, a focus of Forgotten Providence will be to document and hold accountable the street level progress and effects of each institution.
In addition to a subjective detailing of each agency, big or small, playing a role in Providence’s housing crisis, this page contains a list of policies in which to leverage strength to fight abandonded and vacant homes, and the barriers still facing progress.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- focus: Neighborhood Stabilization Grants
- abandoned homes proximity: removed
In addition to the purchasing a sorry list of homes for sale within Providence, RI and offering accompanying loans for reconstruction, HUD is providing city and state assistance under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act.
The Neighborhood Stabilization Program grants are made only to state and city governments for dissemination at their will. Unlike HUD owned homes, non-profits and residents are not eligible for direct HUD financing, grants, or loans.
The State of Rhode Island is set to receive $19.6MM to buy and rehab foreclosed properties and provide down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers. The city of Providence has been granted $900,000 to demolish 30 vacant or abandoned “units” in 2009, at a cost of $30K/unit.
At the outset, the $30K/demolition figure seems high, and this project aims to publish the list of addresses scheduled for demolition. The city of Providence Department of Inspections and Standards is set to administer demolition funds; thus far, they have been unreachable (role defined below).
Making Home Affordable
- focus: foreclosure prevention through mortgage refinancing
- abandoned homes proximity: removed
StimulusWatch.org
- focus: citizen publication of Providence city projects requesting stimulus funds
- abandoned homes proximity: removed
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
State of Rhode Island Housing Resources Commission
- focus: Neighborhood Stabilization Program
- abandoned homes proximity: close
The State of Rhode Island is using the above federal funds to provide purchase and rehabilitation loans for foreclosed, abandoned, vacant, and blighted homes, in addition to demolition. This plan has just been set in motion by the US government’s stimulus plan, as funds released through HUD. What is not clear is how funds will be administered locally, a plan for accountability, transparency, and public dissemination of where and how funds are being spent.
CITY OF PROVIDENCE
City of Providence Department of Planning and Development
- focus: low interest repair loans/low-income buying assistance
- abandoned house proximity: close
The city of Providence, Rhode island offers several loan programs aimed at helping home owners repair houses in need, including, no-interest Senior Home Repair loans (up to $10K), Emergency Home Repair loans (up to $10K), and Low Interest Home Repair loans (up to $25K). The city of Providence also offers low-income homebuyer assistance loans and is currently in development of a program to assist with the purchase and reconstruction of foreclosed properties using part of the $19MM grant awarded above to the state above.
City of Providence “Code Enforcement”
Sheila Barrett Director of the Department of Inspections and Standards
no web address
- focus: unclear
- abandoned houses proximity: unclear
Theoretically, the Department of Inspections and Standards handles structural “code enforcement” for the city of Providence. This is not to be confused with a division of this department that handles code enforcement for the rest of the city’s municipal codes (signage, health permits, etc.) This government entity has been decidedly missing from the picture of boarding and starting the seizure process for vacant homes; arguably to the point Forgotten Providence would not usefully scale were it not for their absence.
A portion of Forgotten Providence will be dedicated to decoding the city’s “code enforcement” surrounding abandoned structures and making public the ticketing, fine, lien, seizure, and demolition process surrounding vacant and rotting houses. It is assumed part of this measure will delve into the actions of the courts.
ProvPlan
- focus: data warehouse, public records
- abandoned houses proximity: educational asset
ProvPlan is a semi-public data aggregator and statistics compiler. Their work is ongoing for city and state institutions (such as Providence Police Department COMSTAT meetings/analysis) and also on a project by project basis for inquires into everything from tax assessments, demographics, population densities, and educational achievements of the public schools.
Most relevant to residential home assessments, ProvPlan maintains the city’s online property record database (The Mapper). The city of Providence, Rhode Island has around 42,000 residential parcels (properties), about 65,000 housing units (apartments within properties), and a population of around 178,000 people (~2.7 people per unit, or ~4.2 people per parcel).
The records are not perfect. In a major part, ProvPlan struggles with finding relevant data sources related to deed transfers, home sales, owner contact information, utilization records, tax assessments, liens or other property violations, incidences of crime, and foreclosures. Most of all city records must be complied by hand by ProvPlan staff and interns; that is to say data collected by the city, in few ways, is recorded digitally. The city does not have a fluid structure for collection of property data; a major barrier to enforcement, forecasting, and prevention of abandoned homes and blocks.
ProvPlan has been a tremendous help to the mission of Forgotten Providence. Their importance as an asset to the city cannot be overstated.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS
West Elmwood Housing Development Corporation
- focus: loans/grants/rehab services for homeowners
- abandoned houses proximity: very close
The WEHDC provides the most direct connection between preventing vacants/vacant revitalization. Their loans, grants, neighborhood cleanup, and asset management programs have transferred many blighted homes to neighborhood set pieces. Their goal is neighborhood construction and rehabilitation with funding secured through state, city, private equity lenders, and historical tax credits.
Another of the non-profit’s main role is to identify, procure financing, and oversee reconstruction of abandoned structures into apartments and affordable housing, including the $13MM renovation of the Rau Fastener Mill complex off Dexter St now known as Westfield Lofts.
West Broadway Neighborhood Association
- focus routing city tax dollars and infrastructure services to the West Broadway neighborhood
- abandoned houses proximity: educational asset
The WBNA functions as the first place for neighbors to ask for aid, raise concerns, or contact city/state government officials about neighborhood problems including blight, broken infrastructure, crime, revitalization, and graffiti. In addition to hosting neighborhood forums, the WBNA also provides a tool bank offering residents rentals of common tools needed for home, garden, and landscaping repairs.
Olneyville Housing Corporation
- focus revitalization of Olneyville neighborhood through affordable housing renovations/construction
- abandoned houses proximity: very close
Stop Wasting Abandonded Property (SWAP)
- focus: redevelopment of forgotten properties
- abandoned houses proximity: very close
SWAP is a non-profit dedicated to procuring and financing re-development of vacant and abandoned homes and lots into affordable housing and apartment units. Their infill projects can be seen all over the city, and even more vacant lots bear their signage of revitalization to come.
Housing Network Rhode Island
- focus: data center for affordable housing needs
- abandoned houses proximity: educational asset
HNRI is a non-profit organization assisting for-profit and non-profit developers of revitalization, infill, and affordable housing projects across Rhode Island and also offers homebuyer education classes, and lobbies policy makers to change fire and building codes, lead paint legislation, and land trust agreements.
WATCHDOGS
Art In Ruins
- focus: decay of commercial and industrial structures around Rhode Island
- abandoned houses proximity: educational asset
Run by J. Hogue of Highchair Designhaus, AIR chronicles the rise and fall (mostly fall) of statewide, historical structures, buildings, and sites, and the changing landscape of the cities effected. Since 2002, AIR has chronicled the demise of many once-glorious buildings and offers a glimpse into many bygone and long-demolished structures.
Rhode Island history buffs, rejoice. The site also loosely documents the connection between historic structures and buildings on the radar of the Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission and Providence Preservation Society.
Greater City Providence
- focus: Providence, Rhode Island urban planning critique
- abandoned houses proximity: removed
GCP is concerned with creating a Providence of the future that is more walkable, affordable, and vibrant. The site covers Providence urban planning issues as well as local policies and politics.
HousingWorks RI
- focus: affordable housing/reporting on tax-funded expenditures of affordable housing projects
- abandoned houses proximity: removed
HousingWorks RI is a non-profit coalition of over 100 Rhode Island community banks, builders, chambers of commerce, colleges, other non-profits, municipal officials, and individual volunteers. Their aim is to provide data to policy makers and the general public about the need for, and lack of, affordable housing throughout the entire state of Rhode Island.
Their year-end fact-books offer a quick sample of the affordable housing problem and also in-depth financial analysis of what can be done, and what is being done around the state to procure and build affordable housing units.
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Amendments, suggestions, and additions to this primer can be made in the wiki or addressed to forgottenprovidence@gmail.com