Housing-Related Resources: Rhode Island
Housing-Related Resources: Rhode Island
HousingWorks
P.O. Box 231104
Boston, MA 02123
617-504-0577
Click a link to jump to the section you want:
- Get Rhode Island zip codes
- Locate Past Landlord Information
- Find Housing Advocates in Rhode Island
- Applicants-read this 2 page picture guide before doing your own searches
(Sorry, HousingWorks will not take personal calls from individual applicants)
- Advocates and Providers - Request a Free Personal Training: How to use HousingWorks
- Read the Short HousingWorks Instruction Guides
- See the Current Income Limits and Fair Market Rents
- Basic Education Information
- Political and Lobbying Resources
- Help with Discrimination
GET Rhode Island ZIP CODES.
When you first use HousingWorks, your first search is limited to a five mile circle around a zip code. That's a big area: a five-mile circle will cover most major cities on the East Coast!
But once you have applied to all the places in that give mile circle, you may want to change the zip code so that you can search another 25 square mile area. Here's how you do that:
I. Decide what zip code you want to use as the center of your search:
1a. If you know the name of a town or city in that area, you can get that zip code from the united states post office website: www.usps.com. In the red bar that runs across the top of the page, click "Find a ZIP code". Then use the resources there to get a list of zip codes for that town and state.
2. Next, return to the HousingWorks website and sign on with your ID and password.
Here's how:
2a. Go to www.housingworks.net and click
the link "Enter HousingWorks"
2b. Click link: "Registered Housing Advocate"
2c. Sign on with your ID and password
If you are receiving this email,
you have been assigned an ID and password.
If you've forgotten what it is,
you can email us and ask.)
2d. If you see an "OK" button, click on it.
2e. If you've created any client profiles,
click the link "View list of clients"
and then click on the name of a client
whose search you want to change. At
the bottom of the page, click the link
"Search/Apply for housing for this client".
2f. On the next page, select a mileage and
enter a zip code for your search. NEXT,
BE SURE to click at least two checkboxes
in the blue section just below:
"Rental Assistance Voucher" and also
"Family/Individual Housing" or "Elderly
Housing" or "Wheelchair housing" are the most
common boxes to check.
2g. Pick the unit size or sizes that you want: 1BR, 2BR, etc.
2h. Hit the button "Find Housing" and wait
for the results to show up.
Our website will memorize this search
and repeat it every week for you until
you decide to change it again in the future.
THIS SEARCH TAKES TIME BECAUSE IT LOOKS AT more than 5000+ housing programs (we count Boston Housing Authority as one program so you can see that the search is extensive). Right now our system is comparing 50,000 people and 25,000+ waitlists.
HOW TO LOCATE PAST LANDLORD INFORMATION
You want to contact the TAX ASSESSOR's office for the town where the applicant resided. Usually you can just type the city and state in the ADDRESS bar of your web browser, like this: Dallas, TX. This will locate the official city website if there is one. From there, look for a list of departments or services and find the Tax Assessors' page. Often you can enter the address into this page and it will give you the contact information for the current landlord or owner.
FIND HOUSING ADVOCATES IN Rhode Island.
Your best bet is to locate social service agencies, such as groups serving specific populations such as Spanish, Elderly, Disabilities, and also contact Shelters in your area for more leads. Also:
Official Rhode Island website Click the "Agencies" link in the left column.
Official Rhode Island Housing Website Click the "Renters" link in the left column.
ADVOCATES AND PROVIDES - REQUEST A FREE PERSONAL TRAINING on HOW TO USE HOUSINGWORKS (Housing Advocates and Providers only!)
Sorry, we will not take calls from individual housing seekers. If you are an applicant, go back to the top of this page and access the link for applicants.
We offer free trainings every Wednesday at 10 AM EST. To sign up for a training, just download this form and fax it back to us. The fax number is on the form.
READ THE SHORT HOUSINGWORKS INSTRUCTION GUIDES
BASIC EDUCATION INFORMATION
SEE THE CURRENT INCOME LIMITS AND FAIR MARKET RENTS FOR YOUR STATE
Click the button on the web page for "documentation", then pick your state or town. Note that the rents are only shown for Studios-4 Bedroom units, and that you have to calculate the amounts for larger families or units. (In other words, Multiple 1.15 times the four-bedroom FMR for a five-bedroom rent, and multiple 1.30 times the four-bedroom FMR for a six-bedroom unit).
- FY 2008 Income Limits and Fair Market Rents for all HUD subsidized Housing
POLITICAL AND LOBBYING INFORMATION
National Priorities.org: Housing Section Click this link, then type 'housing' into the search box.
HELP WITH DISCRIMINATION
- Complaints about Housing Discrimination - (HUD's online complaint form)
Information on the Disability Discrimination Complaint Process:
- You can file a complaint right now, by using HUD's online form.
- You can call toll-free 1-800-669-9777.
- You can print out a form, complete it, and drop it off at your local HUD office or mail it to:
Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Room 5204
451 Seventh St. SW
Washington, DC 20410-2000
- Complaints about Disability Discrimination
A complaint is a communication alleging discrimination on the basis of disability and in some way asking for HUD's assistance in resolving the problem. It may range from a verbal communication (which is later put in writing) to a complaint submitted on either the old HUD-903 Complaint Form, or on the new HUD Housing Discrimination Information Form.
This page provides a phone and email connection to HUD's Fair Housing Department, including a TTY link.
- Disability and Discrimination:
a handy laymen's notebook to dealing with discrimination related to any disability).
If you have encountered discrimination, you need to decide:
- What you can do to protect yourself
- How you can organize a plan of action
- Where you should go for help
You can fill this book out and use it before you take any drastic steps.