Rhode Island Housing and KeepSpace Partners: Working together to bring you home
Q. Does the KeepSpace initiative change how Rhode Island Housing finances affordable homes?

A. Rhode Island Housing’s statutory mission is to encourage the production of healthy homes for low- and moderate-income Rhode Islanders. This will continue to be its priority and the KeepSpace initiative is one more way that Rhode Island Housing is working toward our goals. Rhode Island Housing will continue to offer its existing line of comprehensive products and services designed to support the creation of more homes that Rhode Islanders can afford to buy and keep.

Q. How will developments selected for KeepSpace be evaluated within other competitive funding programs of Rhode Island Housing such as HOME and Housing Credits?

A. Each of Rhode Island Housing’s programs has its own criteria, which give priority to the targeted goals of that program and secondary credit to various ancillary issues. For many years, these criteria have promoted neighborhood revitalization, comprehensive community redevelopment and affordable homes in places that have historically had limited housing options. KeepSpace Communities will likely score highly in these categories. However, given the comprehensiveness of this initiative, there will be other criteria under which approved KeepSpace Communities may score equal to or less than other applications. Also many applications,
that are not selected to be KeepSpace Communities, may rank just as highly under the KeepSpace criteria within other funding programs. Rhode Island Housing may also receive some development proposals that are of such critical housing importance that they deserve funding even if they are not significant from a KeepSpace perspective. Rhode Island Housing will address these through its normal course of business.

Q. How does the KeepSpace RFP relate to the overall KeepSpace initiative?

A. The purpose of KeepSpace is to advance Rhode Island’s built and natural environments through inter-agency cooperation. By selecting real development opportunities through the initial KeepSpace RFP, best practices can be more easily identified and addressed. Solutions developed in the initial 3-5 KeepSpace Communities can guide the creation of better practices for future development and preservation.

KeepSpace efforts will not be limited to the initial 3-5 developments. KeepSpace will be a forum and laboratory for multi-disciplinary solutions to many of the state’s development and preservation challenges.

Q. What is the role of the KeepSpace Advisory Committee?

A. The KeepSpace Advisory Committee consists of representatives from an array of areas of interest for the initiative – the business community, advocates for affordable homes, environmental groups, etc. The KeepSpace Advisory Committee will serve as the starting point for all KeepSpace efforts and may issue advisory recommendations on a variety of matters, including general policy advice or recommendations for specific development and activities. KeepSpace has no regulatory function and presently has no funds of its own for administration or distribution.

Q. What authority does the KeepSpace Advisory Committee have over the actions of individual agencies?

A. Each member of the Advisory Committee will function within his or her own corporate or statutory structure. KeepSpace efforts will be primarily collaborative, consultative and advisory. At some point, KeepSpace may administer funds provided by other entities and will do so in accordance with loan or grant agreements.

Q. How will the initial KeepSpace Communities be chosen?

A. Because the initial 3-5 developments will serve as models of
KeepSpace Communities, a variety of development types will be a major criterion. KeepSpace will also be looking for challenging developments that could have breakthrough impact on other future developments. Other key criteria include replication, visibility, innovation and level of excitement generated by the developments.

In addition, since Rhode Island Housing is providing the initial, major funding for KeepSpace, the initial models must also work toward resolving Rhode Island’s affordable-homes crisis.

Q. How can I/my organization get involved with KeepSpace?

A. KeepSpace continues to reach out to, and forge permanent, productive, respectful partnerships with equally committed agencies and individuals whose disciplines touch upon the development and preservation of our natural and built environments.

For more information on how you can get involved, visit www.keepspace.org or contact Amy Rainone at 401 457-1256.

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