Questions For Candidates
Help us ensure that homelessness prevention and affordable housing are key issues this elections season. Go to your local candidate forum and ask one of these questions:
- What will you do to ensure your community is meeting the housing needs of its residents?
- What will you do to end homelessness in RI? (for the state candidates)
- What will you do to address the homeless issue in your town? (for the local candidates)
- Do you support an increase in the state's investment into affordable housing?
- Do you support identifying a permanent funding stream for affordable housing production and preservation?
- What would you do to address the foreclosure problem in our state?
Detailed Questions
Hosting or moderating a forum or debate? Here are more detailed questions with background information for your local, state-wide, and federal candidates.
Local Municipalities (Mayor, City Council, Town Council)
Background: RI’s Low-Moderate Income Housing Act (a law that has been in effect since the early 1990’s), requires every RI community to have and to implement a plan to make at least 10% of their housing stock permanently affordable.
Question: What will you do to ensure that your community is meeting the housing needs of its residents
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Background: Safe, quality housing is critical for stable and thriving neighborhoods in our community.
Question: What are your plans to improve compliance in the community with minimum housing code, fire safety and lead abatement laws?
State Officials (Governor, Lt. Governor, Treasurer, AG, Secretary of State, State Senators and State Representatives)
Background: The great recession has hit RI hard. Many of our fellow Rhode Islanders are struggling to meet basic needs for their families. Homeless shelter population is at an all time high. RI has a state plan to end homelessness.
Question: What will you do to ensure that the goal of this plan is met? What will you do to help advance this plan?
Background: A recent survey showed that RI voters strongly support state funding for the production of affordable housing, particularly for low-moderate wage workers. Currently the only state funding for affordable housing production is $1.5 million for the Neighborhood Opportunities Program (NOP) and one more year of funding ($12.5 million) from a $50 million housing bond approved by voters in 2006
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Question: Do you support an increase in the state’s investment into affordable housing? Also, do you support identifying a permanent funding stream (i.e. the real estate transfer tax) for affordable housing production and preservation?
Background: Rhode Island’s foreclosure rates have consistently been in the top 15 worse rates in the country (and first in New England). Last year, approximately 10,000 residential properties in the state were in foreclosure and over 30% of those were in multi-family buildings. In addition to displacing both homeowners and renters, the increased number of vacant and abandoned buildings in neighborhoods across the state has devastated local tax bases and housing values.
Question: What would you do to address the foreclosure problem in our state?
Background: Throughout RI, historic mills and their surrounding housing for workers remind us that we once understood the important connection between jobs, housing and compact and smart development.
Question: What will you do to make our state more green and smart in its growth?
Background: Currently one out of 10 jobs in our state is in the construction/real estate industry. Housing and the industry as a whole plays a critical role in our economy recovery as a state. For profit and non-profit developers have repeatedly said that state government often gets in the way.
Question: What will you do to address the regulatory barriers that often significantly delay the production of affordable housing?
Federal (US Congress Representatives)
Background: The President recently released a national plan to end homelessness and has charged the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness to implement it.
Question: Do you support the plan? If so, what will you do to ensure that it is implemented?
Background: Federal funding for housing and community development programs in the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) budget is critical for revitalization of low-moderate income neighborhoods and production of affordable housing across our state. While funding has increased slightly over the past year, it still remains inadequate to address local needs.
Question: Do you support increased funding and resources in the federal budget for these programs?