Creating Housing for Individuals Living With Disabilities in Rhode Island

Creating Housing for Individuals Living With Disabilities in Rhode Island

Development partners SWAP, Inc., and Looking Upwards turned a derelict commercial building in the island town of Jamestown, Rhode Island, into 12 units of housing. Half of these units are set aside for individuals living with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Photo credit: SWAP, Inc.

Many mission-driven service providers or religious institutions find that their work leads them to develop housing projects that dovetail with their core mission. Looking Upwards, a Rhode Island service provider focused on meeting the needs of adults with disabilities as well as families with children living with disabilities, found itself in such a position as it sought to turn a derelict commercial building in the island town of Jamestown into income-restricted housing, with some units set aside for residents living with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs). Despite its history of operating housing units for this population, Looking Upwards lacked the expertise to leverage the necessary funding resources to renovate the building. Recognizing the need for an experienced partner, Looking Upwards issued a request for proposals to find a partner with experience navigating housing subsidy programs, selecting SWAP, Inc., based on their decades of experience and reputation in Rhode Island. SWAP, which stands for Stop Wasting Abandoned Property, was founded in 1975 to address community development challenges. Today, SWAP focuses on developing mixed-use residential and commercial spaces that foster vibrant communities.

Together, the partners converted the former commercial structure into 12 income-restricted apartments, mixing units for the general population with units designated for adults living with IDDs. SWAP hopes to replicate this model to better address the housing needs of people with IDDs.

Project Details

The project, 2 Hammett Court, consists of 12 1- and 2-bedroom apartments; six are open to the income-qualified public and six set aside for individuals living with IDDs. Income limits range from 30 percent of the area median income (AMI), with those units supported with rental vouchers, to 60 or 80 percent of AMI. The renovated structure features large windows, open floorplans, a community room, two outdoor patios, and an accessible laundry area. Some of the building's two-bedroom units are designed to support a "co-living" model, in which one occupant performs some caretaking duties for a suitemate living with a disability.

Funding sources for 2 Hammett Court include $1.8 million from Building Homes Rhode Island — a $50 million bond issue originally approved by voters in 2006 that allocates 80 percent of funding toward supporting income-restricted rental housing and 20 percent toward supporting homeownership opportunities — and $3.3 million from the RI Rebounds Production Fund, which directs funding toward rental units for households earning up to 80 percent of AMI with a particular focus on projects that deliver the highest number of units at the lowest total development cost.

Jamestown's rising housing costs have made the town less affordable for individuals living with IDDs, because IDDs can affect a person's ability to earn income. Having housing options that are affordable and dedicated to serving this population allows residents living with disabilities to live more independently while remaining in the community, says Carla DeStefano, SWAP's executive director. The needs of these residents also are reflected in the project's design, with Union Studio, the project architect, incorporating universal design features such as braille signage, dimensioning that accommodates wheelchairs, attention to sensory details, and the ability to customize accessibility features to support residents' independence. Although all units are adaptable, two units are fully accessible. Finally, residents of 2 Hammett Court can walk to bus stops, grocery stores, and other retail locations, further aiding independent living.

Sprinting Toward Completion

Factors including the condition of the original structure, the needs of 2 Hammett Court's target population, and the goal of combining housing for the general population with housing for adults living with IDDs made this project unusually complex despite its small size, reports DeStefano.

After Looking Upwards partnered with SWAP, the team assessed the condition of the building to determine whether the structure could be salvaged or would need to be entirely replaced. The assessment, completed in the winter of 2022, revealed that the building was salvageable, although significant work would be needed. From there, DeStefano says, the partners adopted a no-holds-barred stance, sprinting toward a funding application deadline that was mere months away. Over the next 6 months, the partners worked diligently to complete the design of 2 Hammett Court, work with the town to ensure support and regulatory compliance, and engage with neighbors. Despite uncertainty that they would succeed in their ambitious first attempt, the gambit paid off, and the project was approved for funding. With planning complete and funding secured, the team broke ground in January 2024. The partners held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the completed project in July 2025.

SWAP sees 2 Hammett Court as a pilot project and is currently working to replicate this model in another development under construction and in future multifamily developments.