MEDIA ADVISORY
August 9, 2010

Contact: Lauren Nocera | Lauren@AngelForProvidence.com | 401-529-9684

ANGEL TAVERAS TO ANNOUNCE PLAN FOR SAFE, ADEQUATE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN PROVIDENCE
Democratic Mayoral candidate Angel Taveras announces plan to stem foreclosure crisis, expand the City’s affordable housing stock and invest in lead and other toxin removal programs.

PROVIDENCE - On Wednesday, August 11th starting at 10:00AM, Providence Democratic Mayoral Candidate Angel Taveras will join supporters at the intersection of Stanwood and Hamilton streets (map) to announce a comprehensive action plan to combat the City’s foreclosure crisis, rehabilitate abandoned houses, expand opportunities for affordable housing and invest in lead and other environmental toxin removal programs.  

“Ensuring that our residents have access to safe, adequate and affordable housing is fundamental to the success of our city,” said Taveras.  “Today, we are experiencing nothing short of a housing crisis.  Nearly one thousand of our homes are boarded up.  Some of our neighborhoods are overrun with plywood - plywood covering windows, plywood covering doors, plywood where there should be families and hope and opportunity.  I have developed, with the input of many local housing advocates, a bold and dramatic plan for transforming our city’s housing stock to meet the needs of the twenty-first century.”   

Taveras’ plan for addressing the City’s housing crisis includes using the state’s receivership law and partnering with local nonprofit housing organizations to turn abandoned homes from dangerous eyesores into affordable housing options, maximizing foreclosure prevention efforts in the neighborhoods, significantly investing in lead and other environmental toxin removal programs and overhauling the enforcement of Providence’s housing code.

“As a Housing Court judge, I have seen firsthand over the last four years the struggles many Providence families go through to hold on to their homes,” Taveras said.  “And as someone who grew up all over the City, I know that safe, adequate and affordable housing is key to ensuring strong neighborhoods and healthy families.”

“Angel’s plan of action represents the kind of bold thinking Providence needs to turn the tide on the housing crisis,” said attorney Jeff Dana, chair of the Angel for Providence Housing Policy Council.  “Angel recognizes that this is an issue that affects every resident in our City, from families with small children to the elderly.  Angel’s plan is comprehensive and is exactly what Providence needs now.”

For more information visit http://angelforprovidence.com/en/issues/housing.html

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