At Sojourner House, we provide a wide range of shelter, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing options to our clients, because a lack of access to safe, secure, and affordable housing is one of the primary reasons why victims stay with an abusive partner.
In doing this work, it became abundantly clear that Rhode Island has a statewide shortage of affordable housing. Last year, the National Low Income Housing Coalition reported that Rhode Island has a shortage of 24,052 rental homes that are affordable to those who earn up to 30 percent of the area median income, also known as “Extremely Low Income.”
Recognizing this need in our community, and understanding that 95% of our clients are considered low-income, Sojourner House made the decision in 2020 to begin housing development work of our own. Within the past year we’ve made five real estate transactions and are continuing to expand our housing portfolio so that we can provide more affordable housing options to our clients. In total, we currently own or lease over 150 units statewide to provide permanent supportive housing to victims, as we know this is the most effective way to help victims and their families transition out of very dangerous situations into safety.
