Housing Governance Report 2024

The FY25 Enacted Budget included a new reporting requirement for the Department of Housing. This report – due December 31, 2024 – will review and recommend options for housing governance.

To date, the Department has developed a draft landscape analysis which reviews, analyzes, and assesses housing functions across all state departments, quasi-public agencies, boards, and commissions. The analysis was compiled through input from all of those entities, review of current state statute, review of prior housing governance reports, and stakeholder interviews and surveys. This report includes a short summary of the Housing Organizational Plan process and an assessment and review of the governance of housing functions within Rhode Island’s current housing governance landscape.

This draft report is being circulated to solicit feedback from any and all interested parties. If you have edits or feedback, especially if there are inaccuracies or omissions, we welcome your input. Please contact Kayla Rosen, Chief of Staff, RI Department of Housing (kayla.rosen@housing.ri.gov).

Phase 1 and 2 Draft Housing Organizational Plan Report for input

As discussed at the November Housing Resources Commission meeting, we have been developing governance options for consideration to be responsive to the findings in the landscape analysis. Please find below a link to a set of slides that lay out two "straw options," the goal of which is to be a foundation for discussion. 

For Discussion-Housing Governance Straw Options 12.3.24
 

We would welcome your feedback on these straw options-- in particular, the benefits and considerations of each option. There are a few ways to provide feedback:

 

Statutory Language: “On or before December 31, 2024 develop a housing organizational plan to be provided to the general assembly that includes a review, analysis, and assessment of functions related to housing of all state departments, quasi-public agencies, boards, and commissions. Provided, further, the secretary, with the input from each department, agency, board, and commission, shall include in the plan comprehensive options, including the advantages and disadvantages of each option and recommendations relating to the functions and structure of the department of housing, including suggested statutory revisions.” 

This webpage will provide information and updates about the development of the report throughout the process.  If you would like to receive updates and notifications regarding this project, please reach out to Kayla.Rosen@housing.ri.gov. As of October 15, Faulkner Consulting Group has been contracted to provide capacity support for this project. 

There has been significant work done to review and consider the best approach for governance of housing functions in Rhode Island. This report will build on these efforts, not start from scratch. Recent efforts which will inform the report include: