Candidates for Attorney General

Question: Given these facts, would you as Attorney General ensure permanent state funding foraffordable housing and homelessness prevention?  As Attorney General what would youdo to address the current emergency winter shelter crisis?

Kilmartin: No response.

Little: I support Housing Works Rhode Island and, recognizing that the Building Homes Rhode Island program will expire in 2011, I would support measures to maintain the funding for the program.  I am not certain,at this time as to the specific vehicle to be used.

As Attorney General, I will establish as a priority a new program to contain the cost of utilities and health care, which cause such stress on household and business budgets, and I will forcefully attack mortgage and mortgage foreclosure frauds, which have harmed far too many Rhode Islanders and pushed them into homelessness.

McKenna: No response.

Rainville: My heart goes out to those who, likely by little or no fault of their own, have fallen victim to our national (and local) economic crisis.  They do not deserve the failings of government and certainly should have a place to call home during these tough times.  As Attorney General my goal is to provide a safe place for us all to live.  I will personally go to local community leaders and to those who have lost their homes and ask what I can do.  I will take a proactive approach to solving this problem.
As you likely know, affordable housing for those with little or no income is a complex and complicated system of cooperation between government and private financing and subsidies.

While Rhode Island has made some slight progress in providing affordable housing, we have much to accomplish to accommodate all those in need of housing.  That task is now compounded with the rising numbers of unemployed and foreclosures.

As a practicing attorney in the field of real estate, I have long advocated responsibility on the part of both the lender and the borrower.  In other words, not everyone can afford the cost of home ownership.  I am optimistic we have now learned that lesson.  To offset the lowering demands for home-buyers, government needs to provide additional incentives to entrepreneurs and developers to provide long-term financing and subsidies to build quality rental properties people can afford.  This will require discipline from both government and the private sector to accomplish.

As Rhode Island’s first Independent Attorney General my goal is to protect all Rhode Islanders and make them feel safe that I am watching out for them as their Advocate.  I will do everything I can to ensure people have safe neighborhoods to live in and safe homes that are up to code and economically reasonable to afford.

Additionally, As a leader in State Government I would seek out and urge all communities with large space to help in emergency winter housing for those without a home.  And I would also certainly support any measure to help Rhode Islanders find affordable housing.  Thank you.

Wallin: It is a tragedy that homelessness in this country exists at all, and even sadder that more and more of our citizens are losing the ability to maintain stable housing.  In fact, several weeks ago, I volunteered a morning at Operation Standown to assist in processing over 280 homeless veterans so they could receive basic medical, dental, legal and social services assistance.  As a fellow veteran I was crushed to see so many who had served our country in such great need.

As you know, the Attorney General has no budgetary authority to secure any state funding for anything no matter what the cause and no matter what the need.  That role is left to the legislature and the Governor.  Having said that, perhaps you should inquire as to what if anything my opponent, twenty-year State Representative Peter Kilmartin has done to address the issue during his many years in power.  Sadly, I must also say the Attorney General can not appropriate funds to address emergency winter shelters.
However, As Attorney General, I will fight illegal foreclosures, protect consumers from excessive utility rate hikes and ensure that families who seek shelter are not placed among sex offenders and violent felons.
Thank you for your inquiry.