Affordable housing developments receive a boost from Providence Housing Authority

The projects awarded will bring approximately 361 new units of housing to Providence — most of which will be considered affordable — in 2024 and 2025.

A rendering of 94 Summer Street for Crossroads Rhode Island, which will become long-term housing for formerly homeless people.Kite Architects/Crossroads RI

PROVIDENCE — The Providence Housing Authority has awarded 50 project-based vouchers to three developers of new affordable housing in the city. The projects awarded will bring approximately 361 new units of housing to Providence — most of which will be considered affordable — in 2024 and 2025.

Project-based vouchers are a way for public housing authorities to dedicate a portion of their housing choice vouchers to specific developers, which provides developers a dedicated revenue source and the ability to serve the lowest income clients.

For at least 20 years, housing opportunities for extremely low-income tenants and a rental income to developers will be provided to the following developments:

• Copley Chambers II and III — Marathon Construction, the developer, will open 124 units of affordable housing across two buildings on Broad and Summer streets in Providence. Supportive service partners include Adoption Rhode Island and House of Hope.
• Parcel 9 East Building — Developer Pennrose will open 61 units of mixed-income housing in a project being built on former 195 land.
• Summer Street Housing — Crossroads Rhode Island is building a 176-unit building on Summer Street to provide deeply subsidized housing to formerly homeless individuals. All units will be one-bedroom apartments and of the 34 project-based vouchers provided to this development, 10 will be dedicated to the HUD-VASH program, which serves homeless veterans.

The Providence Housing Authority selected recommended recipients through a review process that included staff across its departments and representatives of the Providence VA Medical Center. The awards are subject to a local environmental review and a subsidy layering review by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, before the housing authority can sign contracts with the owners.

The authority currently has 237 project-based vouchers under contract, with 32 additional vouchers pending completion of construction in 4 affordable housing developments across the city. These awards bring the authority’s total number of under contract and awarded project-based vouchers to 319, with 158 of those awarded since 2019.

Melissa Sanzaro, the executive director of the Providence Housing Authority, said these awards help advance their strategic goal by partnering to build and preserve the “much needed affordable housing in our community.”

“What is especially important now is being able to secure housing units for the extremely low-income individuals and families who we serve,” she said.