Stefan Pryor
Rhode Island’s new housing secretary turns to Commerce playbook to stimulate housing production
Stefan Pryor built a name for himself in Rhode Island by negotiating major deals with private developers, lured in by public subsidies. So it’s no surprise that Pryor’s second act as state housing secretary features a reprise of many of the corporate incentive programs he led as former head of Rhode Island Commerce Corp. Nowhere […]
State to purchase former Charlesgate Nursing Center for nearly $7 million
The purchase price for the state to buy the former Charlesgate Nursing Center to convert into temporary housing for homeless families is $6.95 million, the Department of Housing announced Tuesday. The price was made public one week after the State Properties Committee unanimously voted for the department to enter a purchase and sale agreement with […]
Charlesgate purchase and sales agreement OKed
PROVIDENCE — The Rhode Island Department of Housing is set to acquire the former Charlesgate Nursing home, now being used temporarily as a homeless shelter, in order to pursue plans to make it permanent housing. The State Properties Committee Tuesday morning voted unanimously to approve a purchase and sale agreement with Charlesgate for an undisclosed […]
In the fall, state officials tasked with reducing homelessness think ahead to winter
PROVIDENCE — Shelter capacity for homeless individuals and families across Rhode Island will increase by 30% over last winter under a plan state officials unveiled Friday at a State House news conference with faith leaders and human services nonprofits. From Providence to Washington counties, more than 300 new beds would be made available in motels, […]
10 families can soon move into Zambarano ‘cottages’ in Burrillville
PROVIDENCE — A temporary homeless shelter could be opened in Burrillville as soon as this Friday after the State Properties Committee Tuesday unanimously approved a nine-month lease with the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals (BHDDH) to move 10 families to the northwest corner of the state. The move comes five months after […]
Housing Department hires consulting firm to create statewide housing plans
PROVIDENCE — A Cambridge, Massachusetts-based social equity firm has been selected by the Rhode Island Department of Housing to publish a series of reports for a statewide housing plan through 2024. Rhode Island Housing Secretary Stefan Pryor informed 15 fellow members of the Special Legislative Commission to Study Housing Affordability of the move during a presentation at the State […]
Fresh off General Assembly wins, Pryor looks to tackle state housing crisis
Standing at a podium beneath a scorching sun in Warwick, Rhode Island Secretary of Housing Stefan Pryor celebrated the victory that accompanied the passage of a 13-bill legislative package on the morning of Wednesday, July 5. State officials celebrate Shekarchi housing package in Warwick “We are getting started in earnest,” he told the gathered dignitaries […]
State housing secretary says negotiations underway to purchase Charlesgate as shelter
PROVIDENCE — Workers who lost their jobs when a 120-bed North Main Street nursing facility closed down in June are questioning the state’s role in converting the property into a homeless shelter. The Rhode Island Department of Housing announced June 30 that it would support Amos House by paying $72,000 in monthly rent to Davenport […]
State officials celebrate Shekarchi housing package in Warwick
WARWICK — Even the blistering sun of a Rhode Island July could not melt optimism and surrounding a new beginning for affordable housing development in the Ocean State on Wednesday. Bill promotes housing development close to public transit hubs Gov. Dan McKee signed five bills from the 13-bill legislative package passed in the last legislative […]
Competitive program makes over $9M available to homelessness service providers
PROVIDENCE — The Rhode Island Department of Housing in partnership with three cities and the Housing Resources Commission issued a request for proposals (RFP) Friday with over $9 million in funds available to agencies focused on serving the state’s unhoused. The cities of Providence, Pawtucket, and Woonsocket are part of the plan to provide approximately […]
Winners of the 2023 legislative session
Between the record $14 billion spending plan and a marathon final day that kept lawmakers voting until almost 2 a.m. on June 16, the 2023 legislative session brought a slew of key victories for policymakers and advocates. Here are some of the top winners from the session. House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi The most powerful […]
Record $14B state budget heads to McKee’s desk
A record $14.0 billion tax-and-spend plan heads to Gov. Dan McKee’s desk after passing in the Rhode Island Senate on Thursday. The Senate’s 31-4 vote came after an hour of discussion in which lawmakers lavished praise on investments made in education, housing and other priority areas. Four of five Republican senators – Jessica De La […]