5 new laws that will make it easier to build the homes Rhode Island needs

Greg Miller and Monica Teixeira de Sousa in The Rhode Island Current, July 28th

Anyone who has tried to buy or rent a home lately in Rhode Island has seen firsthand the impacts of the state’s housing shortage, including bidding wars to access homeownership or significant yearly rent increases for tenants. The median sales price of a single-family home in Rhode Island rose to $520,000 as of June, 2025, according to the Rhode Island Association of Realtors, and rental costs in the Providence metro area climbed at one of the fastest rates in the nation, reflected in a median asking rent of $2,145.

A root problem is that Rhode Island is building fewer homes per capita than any other state in the nation. We need 24,000 homes just to meet today’s needs. With an average household size of 2.4, and a lower median household income than our neighboring states, new housing production must include smaller and more affordable options. 

A recent Stateline story in Rhode Island Current detailed the impacts of the lack of homes for sale that are affordable options for teachers, highlighting that the housing crisis does not discriminate. Workers across all sectors and all educational backgrounds are impacted. The lack of homes in Rhode Island prevents teachers, child care workers, and retail workers from living in the communities they serve.