Rhode Island home prices are through the roof, and House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi sees a state housing czar and tiny houses as elements in the affordability solution.
The first-year speaker on Monday unveiled an eight-bill legislative package that would include making it illegal for landlords to refuse to rent to tenants who pay with housing vouchers. The Fair Housing Practices Act, sponsored by Rep. Anastasia Williams, D-Providence, is scheduled for a House vote Tuesday and has strong support in the Senate, where it s passed in prior years.
“Long before the COVID-19 pandemic reached us, Rhode Island was facing a profound housing crisis, Shekarchi said. Our housing is not affordable, in short supply, and our housing stock is aging and often not in safe, livable condition.”