Assembly approves Victoria Gu legislation to expand online database of affordable housing

First step in getting a place to live is finding one

The General Assembly voted today to approve legislation sponsored by Sen. Victoria Gu and Rep. Thomas E. Noret to expand the searchable online database of low- and moderate-income housing to better serve Rhode Islanders searching for a home.

“A few years ago, the General Assembly tasked RIHousing with creating and maintaining a searchable online database of low-income housing developments to inform the public of low-income housing opportunities,” said Senator Gu (D-Dist. 38, Westerly, Charlestown, South Kingstown). 

“But that law only narrowly applied to the limited number of rental units funded by RIHousing, leaving large gaps that made it difficult for Rhode Islanders searching for affordable housing to find an available unit. This bill expands that database to all low- and moderate-income housing units — including homeownership units — to create a comprehensive one-stop location for Rhode Islanders searching for housing.”

The legislation (2026-S 2690, 2026-H 7778) expands the database to include all residential developments that meet the definition of low- or moderate-income housing, including homeownership units. Currently, the database is limited to rentals in specific low-income housing developments and subsidized housing developments.

“Two years ago, I directed a young professional I know to my local housing authority to register for some affordable housing that I heard was being built in Coventry. Because the units weren’t finished, he was turned away and because there was no affordable housing list, the clerk recommended that he continue to check back on a regular basis to avoid missing when the units becoming available. I worked with RI Housing and the Executive Office of Housing to ensure this legislation created a real and fair process for everyone, statewide and from one convenient location,” said Representative Noret (D-Dist. 25, Coventry, West Warwick). “At this time when home ownership is out of reach of more and more Rhode Islanders, I believe it is critical for home buyers to have easy access to public information about the affordable home ownership opportunities that they might qualify for.” 

To ensure the database is comprehensive, the legislation requires owners of properties qualifying as low- and moderate-income housing to list those properties in the database.

The legislation now goes to the governor for his consideration.