Senator Gu thinks people have the right to more affordable housing information
“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) would expand 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.
To ensure the database is comprehensive, it would require owners of properties qualifying as low- and moderate-income housing to list those properties in the database.
The bill received supportive testimony in committee from
RIHousing and the Executive Office of Housing.
The bill now moves to the House, where Rep. Thomas E. Noret
(D-Dist. 25, Coventry, West Warwick) has introduced companion legislation (2026-H 7778).
