Okay, lots of little things...

Folks are arguing the State (as in the state government) does build housing. This isn't really true. The State has a Housing Trust Fund that's funded by real estate transfer taxes, but that has had difficulties funding projects. The State provides limited funding for housing production. IIRC, almost all that money goes into RI Housing, a quasi-nongovernmental organization that funds affordable housing construction by Community Development Corporations and other groups. That's the affordable, state-subsidized housing production. Some cities and towns provide support to their Housing Authorities, or Providence has the Providence Redevelopment Agency.

There are also HUD funds that pass through the State to RI Housing to distribute as well. Federal funds make up the bulk of money used for housing production.

Unfortunately, the State spends nothing or next to nothing on maintenance, which is ensuring that affordable, subsidized units remain affordable and livable. The result is that aging stock either becomes market rate, or is in poor condition after 30 years or so.

At the other end of the market, the State and municipalities subsidize developments through tax breaks for developers and the such, usually require some proportion of the units be set aside as affordable.

As a definition, "affordable" means the rent is no more than 30% of Area Median Income (AMI), and is often targeted for folks who make between 80% and 130% of AMI.

Deeply-subsidized units are rare. Section 8 vouchers, which are supposed to supplement rent, are difficult to find units for, assuming you get past the years-long waiting lists. Section 8 was more accepted during the Great Recession, when it provided a dependable source of income for landlords. After the Recession, it was far easier to avoid the requirements for Section 8 and find market-rate renters, partly by discriminating against people with vouchers. This is now illegal, but enforcement is difficult (enforcement of most laws pertaining to landlords is difficult, and courts are generally structured in landlords' favor).

This year, the State did pass, thanks in part to the efforts of Reclaim RI and Sen. Megan Kallman (and with the full-throated endorsement from Speaker Shekarchi), a social housing pilot program. This will mark the first time in recent memory, possibly ever, that the State has funded and directed production of housing in such a manner. But it is just a pilot, not a commitment to ongoing production. We'll see how it goes or if Reclaim and other housing orgs can win some bigger concessions next session.