rhodyjourno

rhodyjourno OP t1_it4r2xy wrote

Reply to Three years after closing for renovations, Providence’s Duck & Bunny plans to finally rebuild by rhodyjourno

FROM THE STORY: On his left shoulder, Dan Becker’s only tattoo is the logo of the first restaurant he ever owned in his hometown: the Duck & Bunny.
For the decade it was open, Duck & Bunny was a snuggery that was nothing short of a smash hit. They served speciality crêpes, charcuterie plates, scones, and gourmet cupcakes. Their afternoon tea time was served with a selection of finger sandwiches and cookies. Cocktails had a delicate elegance to them, some prosecco-laced and flavored with lavender or garnished with bright berries.

The building was painted pastel pink, which blended with the rest of colorful, but quaint, Wickenden Street. Inside, the walls were adorned with paintings of ducks and bunnies that were playful — like a duck wearing pearl earrings.
The snuggery was an appropriately warm and inviting place, mimicking the snuggery taverns of old England, where the owners — Dan Becker and his wife Jessica — were able to marry their desire of opening a bar and a teashop together, respectively. And they earned numerous restaurant awards from local publications.
But since 2019, the Duck & Bunny hasn’t been open. Becker told the Globe in an exclusive interview that the Duck & Bunny, what he calls his “most prized restaurant,” will begin rebuilding soon and make its full return “within the next year.”

READ MORE: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/10/19/metro/three-years-after-closing-renovations-providences-duck-bunny-plans-finally-rebuild/

18

rhodyjourno OP t1_is78sir wrote

Reply to Providence announces new program to acquire vacant land to build affordable housing by rhodyjourno

FROM THE STORY: In the middle of a statewide housing crisis, the city of Providence has a favor to ask: Do you know of any vacant plots of land where affordable housing could be built?

On Thursday morning, Mayor Jorge O. Elorza announced the creation of the Providence Neighborhood Land Bank, a new program funded with $8.5 million of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds that will acquire, hold, and transfer underused vacant land throughout the city with the goal of generating new affordable housing.Rhode Islanders can email suggestions of blighted, vacant lots for the Land Bank program to LandBank@providenceri.gov.

The program is designed to reduce barriers to development, such as site control and pre-development costs, to promote the construction of affordable housing. Other cities, like Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New Orleans all have land bank programs to spur affordable housing development and develop urban agriculture. But third-party organizations in some cities, such as the Philadelphia Coalition for Affordable Communities, have raised questions over the program’s effectiveness and slow pace of sales after almost a decade of that city’s land bank program.

More details at the link: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/10/13/metro/providence-announces-new-land-bank-program-aquire-vacant-land-build-affordable-housing/?p1=StaffPage

16

rhodyjourno OP t1_is75twd wrote

Reply to Podcast: My colleague went boxing with GOP nominee Ashley Kalus. She took swipes at McKee and ducked questions. by rhodyjourno

DETAILS: Back in the day, Republican gubernatorial candidate Ashley Kalus was a serious boxer. She even won a Golden Gloves championship in 2001. These days, she trains at a gym in West Warwick. My colleague Ed Fitzpatruck, a political reporter at the Boston Globe's Rhode Island Bureau, dropped by to learn a few moves from Kalus's coach – and to let her take a swing at some policy questions.

​

READ THE STORY HERE: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/10/12/metro/ring-kalus-takes-swipes-mckee-ducks-questions/

​

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE OF THE RHODE ISLAND REPORT PODCAST *FOR FREE*

−5

rhodyjourno OP t1_iqxdyij wrote

Reply to comment by CaptnProlapse in Homelessness in R.I. could reach an all-time high this winter, advocates say by rhodyjourno

If you are able to read the story, it talks about how people also simply can't find apartments because of the lack of a housing stock in Rhode Island. Here's a snippet from the story:

There are 49,032 extremely low-income households in Rhode Island and a shortage of 24,050 affordable and available rental homes — which is an 11 percent increase in shortages compared to 2021, according to The Gap. “I think that number is fairly conservative,” noted Cortney Nicolato, the CEO of United Way of Rhode Island, on a call Monday.
So people who do have housing vouchers, which help pay the rent, are at risk of losing them. If they can’t find an apartment by the six-month deadline, the vouchers will be taken away. Some people wait years to get on a housing voucher list.
“If you have a safe space to live in another state, we’ll send you there,” said Hunt. “I just sent a mom and her daughter to Oregon because they had family out there. It was a one-way ticket. They can’t come back. There’s nothing here for them.”

19

rhodyjourno OP t1_iqx7qj0 wrote

Reply to Homelessness in R.I. could reach an all-time high this winter, advocates say by rhodyjourno

PREVIEW FROM THE STORY:

Holding hand-written signs that read, “Housing is a human right,” and “End homelessness now,” about 50 advocates for the homeless marched to Governor Dan McKee’s office Monday, demanding the state declare a state of emergency over the inadequate number of shelter beds available this winter. Advocates and outreach workers say they are expecting more people will be forced to live outside this winter than at any other point in decades.
“I’ve been tracking this data since 1990. We’ve never had this many people outside as winter is approaching,” said Eric Hirsch, a Providence College sociology professor and co-chair of the state’s Homeless Management Information System Steering Committee.

Approximately 1,260 people — including children — were waiting for shelter in Rhode Island, according to data by the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness as of Sept. 24. That’s an increase of 70 people compared to the week prior. Of those, 405 people reported that they were living outside or in their cars between Sept. 11 and Sept. 24. Some say that’s only skimming the surface of the problem.
“Those are only the people who reported being outside or that we can find,” said Ehren Hunt, a housing specialist at Tri-County Community Action Agency, on a recent call regarding the data. “There are plenty of people living in the middle of the woods. Then there are those who are living in their cars with children and are hiding because they’re afraid of DCYF getting involved.”
The Rhode Island Department of Housing announced on Friday it was distributing $3.5 million to six local organizations to create 231 shelter beds in addition to the 64 beds that were funded this summer. But housing specialists say that’s not enough.

One of the main issues, Hirsch said, is that nonprofits and providers have been unable to identify sites — both rapidly deployable and in existing buildings — for shelter beds. For example, Pallet Shelters is a Washington-based company produces tiny prefabricated homes that can be erected in half an hour. In Rhode Island, House of Hope CDC has a proposed a group of those tiny homes called ECHO (Emergency COVID Housing Opportunities) Village. But after two years, they haven’t been able to find a location for the village. “We need the governor’s help to override the ‘Not in My Backyard’ sentiments that we find in the towns and cities,” said Hirsch.
Kristina Brown, a program officer at the United Way of Rhode Island, said homelessness can be an “invisible issue” to those who live outside certain neighborhoods in Providence, Woonsocket, and other cities where many social services are concentrated. “There’s a lot of ways people can detach from these issues,” said Brown, who explained this detachment could be fueling “NIMBY-ism.” “But the people who are suffering are not just from Providence. They are your neighbors.”
Brown said the unhoused population represents “every town and city” in Rhode Island.

It does not appear that McKee will declare homelessness an emergency, but while it’s a relatively new strategy to combat the issue, other cities on the West Coast have declared states of emergency over the last two decades.

READ MORE IN THE LINK. TY!

22