14: We need to build homes, not bureaucracies

We need to build houses now. We can't wait. We need to build homes and not bureaucracies. And perhaps it's time we admit that Rhode Island Housing has failed at its mission. Perhaps it's time that we move the financing functions of that agency into the Executive Office of Housing, where programs are actually subjected to house finance hearings, legislative oversight, and where there's some transparency. We don't need to re-agent some duplicating efforts. We need results. It's time to stop throwing money at the problem and start focusing on efficiency, accountability, and outcomes. The people who are denied it, the taxpayers, deserve this. In closing, the housing crisis in Rhode Island is undeniable. The gap between the number of affordable units available and the area median income is growing every single year. Families are struggling to afford homes while the state builds loaded agencies, gold-plated projects, and duplicate bureaucracies. Republicans are offering solutions, consolidation, accountability, audits, and results. And House Republicans are dedicated to working with our Democratic colleagues to bring the efficiency, efficacy, and results that the taxpayers expect in all of our agency's efforts. We cannot afford another decade of waste while our neighbors all across New England outpace us in efficiency, oversight, and housing production. It's time for Rhode Island to catch up and start building homes, not bureaucracies.