Survey Shows Housing Woes are Top of Mind for Rhode Islanders

According to a new survey, Rhode Island voters think state lawmakers need to do more to facilitate the construction of affordable housing

According to Neighbors Welcome! RI, 78% of survey respondents said there are not enough homes to rent or buy in their communities that average people can afford.
According to Neighbors Welcome! RI, 78% of survey respondents said there are not enough homes to rent or buy in their communities that average people can afford.
Alex Nunes/The Public’s Radio
1 min read
Share
According to Neighbors Welcome! RI, 78% of survey respondents said there are not enough homes to rent or buy in their communities that average people can afford.
According to Neighbors Welcome! RI, 78% of survey respondents said there are not enough homes to rent or buy in their communities that average people can afford.
Alex Nunes/The Public’s Radio
Survey Shows Housing Woes are Top of Mind for Rhode Islanders
Copy

Rhode Islanders are collectively voicing their concerns about the high cost of housing.

A new survey by the housing advocacy group Neighbors Welcome! RI shows that 57% of respondents think the ongoing housing crisis is the biggest issue facing the state.

“We’ve got a pretty big hole to dig ourselves out of,” said Claudia Wack, president of Neighbors Welcome! RI.

The survey includes some sobering findings.

According to Neighbors Welcome! RI, 78% of respondents said there are not enough homes to rent or buy in their communities that average people can afford. In addition, 88% of respondents think state lawmakers should take action to address the housing shortage and the cost of housing.

“Voters are very supportive of the state and their elected officials prioritizing building more homes, even if that means there are potentially some tradeoffs,” Wack said.

Many Rhode Island lawmakers, including House Speaker Joe Shekarchi, have been reluctant to support legislation that would give the state more power over cities and towns when it comes to approving affordable housing projects. But Wack says the General Assembly may be forced to reconsider that approach.

“At the end of the day, the situation is so difficult on the ground for people that, ultimately, voters want results,” Wack said. “They want to prioritize getting those new homes built over other potential considerations.”

Wack says the vast majority of survey respondents support her group’s legislative housing proposals, including allowing more homes to be built in commercial districts (87%), allowing single-family homes on smaller lots (81%), and streamlining the housing permitting process (76%).

March 27 - April 27, 2025
Accreditation review, staffing up, and reform legislation all happening now
Complaint alleges projects halted, staff layoffs possible if grants don’t start flowing
According to a new survey, Rhode Island voters think state lawmakers need to do more to facilitate the construction of affordable housing
A lawyer for Fabian Schmidt, a German green card holder and longtime U.S. resident who was detained at Boston’s Logan Airport earlier this month while attempting to re-enter the country, is speaking out for the first time on behalf of his client
But the state’s top elected officials say Dr. Rasha Alawieh’s alleged sympathies with Hezbollah are also a potential source of concern
The contract clause deleted from federal regulations last month dated back to the mid-1960s and specifically said entities doing business with the government should not have segregated waiting rooms, drinking fountains or transportation