Members of the New Shoreham Town Council, along with Housing Board Chair Cindy Pappas, Town Manager Maryanne Crawford and advocate Alicia Miro, attended a hearing before the Rhode Island House Committee on Municipal Government and Housing on April 12, to plead the case for House Bill 7723.
The bill, introduced by Representative Blake Filippi, seeks to change the affordable housing eligibility standards for New Shoreham to include households making up to 140 percent of the area median income (AMI).Affordable housing eligibility standards are set by the state and are based on median incomes published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The income limit throughout Rhode Island is currently set at 120 percent of AMI for fiscal year 2022. This translates to an income limit of $125, 880 for a family of four to participate in affordable housing programs on Block Island through the Housing Board. The goal of the bill is to raise the eligible income level on Block Island to 140 percent of AMI, or $151,200 for a family of four.The bill recognizes “the on-the-ground-realities” of Block Island, Filippi told the committee in his opening remarks. He listed the high cost of living on
