MAY 2023

ONE|NB celebrates 35 years!

About 250 friends and colleagues of ONE Neighborhood Builders joined us in celebration on Wednesday, May 24th for our 35th anniversary. The gala event, held at The Graduate in downtown Providence, honored three Community Catalysts, leaders who have positively impacted the lives of Rhode Islanders.

We recognized Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos, RI Foundation President and CEO Neil D. Steinberg, and Assistant Secretary of the RI Executive Office of Health and Human Services Ana P. Novais. Click their names above to watch video tributes about them or see them all here.

Jennifer Hawkins, President & Executive Director of ONE|NB, spoke about the history of the organization, which was founded in 1988 by resident activists fighting against discrimination and disinvestment. She shared that the organization will soon release a new strategy to guide its next five years. The organization will double down on its contribution to resolving the affordable housing shortage statewide, further invest in its comprehensive community development work in Central Providence, and seek to influence policy and change toward these ends.

"Through the years we’ve stumbled and we’ve risen," said ONE|NB's Executive Director Jennifer Hawkins. "Our name has changed. Where we work has expanded. And what we do has evolved. But at our core – we are still the same organization. We are fiercely committed to social justice and our sense of urgency and ambition stems from this commitment."

IN THE COMMUNITY

Central Providence’s Project Fair showcases community-driven proposals up for vote in June

Faith Mitchell and Felix Rivera, above, members of the Crisis Diversion committee for the Nine Neighborhood Fund, present their proposal for a One-Stop Shop for Basic Needs. The project, proposed to cost $200,000, would be a community pop-up occurring multiple times per week at recreation centers. It would include public access to a shower with supplies and connections to resources for basic needs.

More than 100 community members joined ONE|NB on Saturday, May 20 at Mt. Pleasant High School in Providence to learn about upcoming projects designed to improve the health and well-being of residents in Central Providence.

Residents of Providence’s 02908 and 02909 ZIP Codes who are ages 13+ will have the opportunity to vote on the resident-designed projects. A total of $1 million in projects will be on a public ballot from June 6-20.

HOUSING

Taunton Avenue Collaborative

Above, from left, Jennifer Hawkins of ONE Neighborhood Builders, Lisa Guillette of Foster Forward, Karen Santilli of Crossroads RI, and Ben Weiner of Family Service of Rhode Island, conduct a tour of the site of a planned 160-unit affordable housing development on Taunton Avenue in East Providence.

The Taunton Avenue Collaborative, a coalition of four of Rhode Island’s leading nonprofit organizations, hosted a tour on May 11 to showcase a planned housing development in East Providence. The project, which will redevelop a 3-acre lot, will offer 160 units of housing that would serve a mix of different needs – those experiencing homelessness, youth aging out of foster care, and low- to moderate-income individuals and families impacted by the high cost of housing.

Leaders of the Collaborative, Jennifer Hawkins of ONE Neighborhood Builders, Lisa Guillette of Foster Forward, Karen Santilli of Crossroads RI, and Ben Weiner of Family Service of Rhode Island, appealed to state legislators, as they are seeking a direct allocation of $28 million for the project. This would accelerate the development timeline and make these homes available to Rhode Islanders more than a year sooner.

“There are people who are talking about the affordable housing crisis who, it was not on their minds a few years ago,” said Hawkins in an interview with Ian Donnis of The Public's Radio. “I think that we’ve reached a tipping point, and I’m really optimistic that there’s going to be the resources to make measurable change.”

The development, considered an innovative approach to housing, will also feature a new early learning center, community amenity space, and playground areas, is hoped to be completed by summer 2025.

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