[Summit] Governor's New Year's Resolution (Shop Local) + news from the Mayor's office (Homestead Exemption, Xmas Trees, Covid Tests, Housing Policy)

Fri Jan 1 06:15:24 UTC 2021

 Happy New Year to All !!!!!
Dave

   ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Gina Raimondo <communications at governor.ri.gov>To: 
Sent: Wednesday, December 30, 2020, 3:45:58 PM ESTSubject: My New Year's Resolution

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| Hi David,
As we cap off this difficult year, I’m excited to start fresh in 2021 and continue the challenging but essential process of getting Rhode Island vaccinated against COVID-19. 
I made this short video to talk about my New Year’s Resolution for 2021. |

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| This year has been tough for all Rhode Island businesses, so next year, my family and I are going to try harder to shop local, support neighborhood businesses, and do what we can to help the economy rebuild one small business at a time. Shopping local has always been a priority, but it’s more important now than ever. 
>From my family to yours, wishing all Rhode Islanders a happy and healthy new year.
-Gina RaimondoGovernor
P.S.: Information is our greatest weapon in the fight against COVID-19. If you or someone you know wants to sign up to receive these emails, you can use this link. |

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|  Governor's Office | 82 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02903

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| Thu, Dec 31, 2020 at 11:48 AM 
Dear Community Leaders,

Happy Holidays! I hope this email finds you well and in good health.

We would like to share with you some upcoming announcements and things to be on the lookout for here in Providence. As always, please let me know if there is anything that I can do for you or any additional information that you may need!

COVID-19 UPDATES/RELIEF
 The newly developed COVID-19 vaccine will help as more people receive it but now more than ever, it is important that folks get the care they need. Residents have access toa robust system of free, drive-thru and walk-up multilingual COVID-19 testing services available free of charge and all information is kept confidential. If you have symptoms, have been in contact with a confirmed case or asymptomatic and between the ages of 18 and 39, call your primary care physician and be sure to get tested. For more information on the local response to COVID-19, resources or operational changes, residents can visit our website, call to connect to the Mayor’s Center for City Services by dialing 3-1-1, visiting www.PVD311.com or downloading the PVD311 mobile app on your smart phone for 24/7 access. Please visitTHIS LINK for a complete list of testing sites. 

Deadline: January 1: City Nominations for Eighteenth Annual MLK Hall of Fame Awards

Please remember to submit your letters of nominations for the City’s eighteenth annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Letters of nomination will be accepteduntil Friday, January 1, 2021. Letters of nomination are preferred to be submitted electronically to Andi Wheeler, Director of the Human Relations Commission, at AWheeler at providenceri.gov.

REMINDER: Download the Passport Parking App

Parking meters in Providence will no longer be accepting credit cards in 2021. We encourage city residents currently using credit cards for parking meters to download thePassport parking application. The Passport Parking App allows you to conveniently pay for parking from anywhere by your mobile device.

Announcements/Upcoming Meetings: 

January 29: Free Curbside Pick-up of Christmas Trees 

This week, the City of Providence announced that free, curbside pick-up of Christmas trees will take place from Monday, January 4 through Friday, January 29 on regularly scheduled trash pickup days. All trees collected by the City will be delivered to the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation and recycled into compost.

Any Providence resident wishing to take advantage of this free service must place their tree at their curb on the day of the week that trash and recycling pick-up is normally provided in their neighborhood. Trees must be free of all contaminants, such as garland, tinsel, lights, ornaments and should not be placed in a bag.

Deadline: February 12: City of Providence Extends Homestead Recertification Application Deadline

Today, the City announced the extension of the homestead recertification application deadline. The deadline has been extended a month from Friday, January 15 to Friday, February 12, 2021, to accommodate residents who received notifications via mail later than expected. 

For the first time, residents can file a streamlined application online or apply in person in the City Assessor’s Office, Room 208 of Providence City Hall. Residents can also download a copy of the application online or request a paper application be mailed to them for completion.

City of Providence Charts Bold New Course for Affordable Housing

This month, the City of Providence unveiled the City’s Anti-Displacement and Comprehensive Housing Strategy (the Strategy) and first-ever City Affordable Housing Bond. As COVID-19 amplifies the critical housing needs facing Providence residents, the City’s comprehensive housing plan builds an actionable 10-year road map for policy recommendations, new programs and housing investments. Key findings outlined in the plan include:

   - Providence households are cost-burdened
   - The City’s older housing stock creates challenges
   - Extremely low-Income households are underserved
   - Housing choice and type are limited in several areas of the City

The key findings reflect Providence’s diverse housing ecosystem and the varying needs of renters, homeowners, landlords, developers, and community members. They helped shape the programmatic, policy, and regulatory approaches the City will take to advance affordable housing, including:

   - Identifying new financial resources to invest in Providence’s existing housing stock to preserve and enhance its affordability and quality.
   - Building upon collaborative partnerships to leverage existing housing resources with new funding sources in targeted areas to accomplish shared goals of safe and healthy housing, increased prosperity for all residents, and improved quality of life citywide.
   - Encouraging price diversity in all new housing construction through incentive programs that both ease the cost development and create safer, affordable units in underserved areas.
   - Implementing innovative regulatory changes and new policies to allow for creative housing solutions including increased homeownership, more robust rehabilitation of existing housing, incremental density in areas close to transit and job centers and reducing displacement of long-term Providence residents.

A full overview of recommended policy and programmatic changes, including recommended funding strategies, is available in the draft report, here.

As the City anticipates the release of the Anti-Displacement and Comprehensive Housing Strategy, the public is encouraged to review the draft report and provide comments over the next 30 days. The City will integrate community feedback into the final plan, to be released in early 2021. For more information about the Strategy—including how to submit feedback—visit the City’s website,here. For more information & to read the full press release, please clickhere. 

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Anti-Displacement and Comprehensive Housing Strategy - City of Providence

In October 2019, the City of Providence Department of Planning and Development began work on Providence’s first ...
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City of Providence Charts Bold New Course for Affordable Housing - City ...

Anti-Displacement and Comprehensive Housing Strategy and Historic $20 Million Housing Bond to Guide City’s Visio...
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City of Providence Continues Home Delivery Youth Meal Distribution

This month, Mayor Jorge O. Elorza in partnership with the Providence Parks Department, the Providence Recreation Department, and Sodexo announced a transition from outdoor grab-and-go dinner sites to an at-home multi-day food distribution program for Providence youth. 

Providence is the only municipality in Rhode Island currently offering door-to-door home meal delivery and continues to prioritize increasing food accessibility to support youth and families in accordance with State and City COVID-19 guidelines and best practices. As temperatures drop, days are shorter, City departments have mobilized to deliver nutritious grocery bags and meals directly to Providence youth. City staff began making deliveries on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons beginning on Thursday, December 3.

Tuesday boxes include cold items and pre-packed meals to be served warm. Tuesday boxes will contain meal items for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning. Thursday food deliveries consists of fresh grocery items for Thursday evening, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

310 youth are currently signed up for the at-home meal distribution program. Routes are currently at capacity, but a waitlist has been started. To participate, a parent or guardian must sign a waiver form. A full list of COVID-19 resources can be found at PVDCOVID19.com.

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Providence COVID-19 Information - City of Providence

COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) Frequently Asked Questions for Providence RI
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Free Professional Development Training: 

The City of Providence’s Office of Economic Opportunity in partnership with Rhode Island College will be delivering a free 8-hour professional development training for organizations providing workforce development programming. The purpose of this training is to improve competencies necessary to address mental health and substance misuse related needs for your clients.

Funded by the Governor's Workforce Board Real Jobs Rhode Island, this training will be offered for free and virtually.

Please fill out the following form to express your interest in participating in this free professional development training. Your responses will ensure that the training as relevant and useful to your organization as possible. Click here for the form.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to me via email at cfonseca at providenceri.gov.

Small Business Spotlight

The Providence Business Loan Fund (PBLF) is proud to announce Nunez Fruits Market as a recent recipient of emergency relief funds. The $70,000 loan will provide working capital to support continued expansion and the addition of two new positions, including a butcher! In addition to Nunez’s, since April PBLF has approved 25 emergency loans to support Providence-based adversely impacted by COVID-19 totaling over $1.5 million. To learn more about PBLF—including eligibility requirements for emergency loans—visit  providencebusinessloanfund.com

Strolling down Broad St. this season? Be sure to stop into the market and check out their vast selection of fresh fruits and vegetables!

*Residents who have questions regarding any of the above are encouraged to call to connect to the Mayor’s Center for City Services by dialing 3-1-1 or by visiting PVD311.com.

Best,

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LaJuan Allen 
Deputy Director of Community Relations 
Office of Community Relations

Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his 
Providence City Hall 
25 Dorrance Street 
Providence, RI 02903 
LAllen at providenceri.gov 
(401) 680-5743 | Ext: 5743  
Call to Connect | PVD311

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PVD 311 - City of Providence

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