PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Raimondo on Tuesday called for action on a state plan to end homelessness in Rhode Island within the decade.
The state treasurer said Rhode Island needs to invest more in affordable housing and work to prevent homelessness in the first place. She said it’s not just the right thing to do but will yield long-term savings.
Raimondo said she would fund and implement the state’s blueprint, called Opening Doors, by using so-called social impact bonds. The “pay for success” model enlists private investment to finance public social programs, with funding tied to specific performance targets.
The price tag for the plan, adopted in 2012, has previously been put at $130 million. It emphasizes long-term housing over temporary shelters. Officials said at the time that some of the plan could be covered by existing resources, but Rhode Island is among a handful of states without a permanent stream of money for low-income housing.
Raimondo’s campaign said homelessness is on the rise in Rhode Island, but according to homeless advocates, it fell last year for the first time since 2007. About 4,450 people experienced homelessness in the state at some point in 2013, down from 4,868. The number of homeless children, families and veterans also declined.
Still, the numbers overall are considerably higher than in 2007, when 3,926 people were similarly classified.
Neither of Raimondo’s two leading rivals in the September primary - Providence Mayor Angel Taveras and former Obama administration official Clay Pell - has specifically addressed the state’s homelessness plan.
At an event Tuesday at the Crossroads Rhode Island shelter, Raimondo also issued a “Homeowners’ Bill of Rights” to support those at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure.
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