Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Nonprofit Tax Exemption topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee hears request to exempt Project Weber Renew property from taxation; Providence supports measure
Summary
Project Weber Renew requested a property tax exemption for its Providence facility that houses the state's overdose prevention center and other services. The organization said the property currently generates more than $100,000 in annual property taxes; the city of Providence submitted a letter of support.
Project Weber Renew presented testimony for House Bill 5512, which would exempt the real and tangible property of Project Weber Renew, a Rhode Island domestic nonprofit, from property taxation.
Nut graf: Project Weber Renew operates harm-reduction and drop-in services— including the state's overdose prevention center—serving people experiencing homelessness, behavioral health needs and substance-use disorder. Representative and committee members heard that the organization’s Providence facility at 45 Willard Ave carries an annual property-tax obligation the witness described as over $100,000; the organization said an exemption would allow it to reinvest funds into direct client services.
Testimony Anna Jane Yulkin, director of strategy at Project Weber Renew, told the committee the nonprofit serves roughly 6,000 unique individuals a year and records more than 22,000 annual encounters through outreach and its two drop-in centers (Providence and Pawtucket). She described services including showers, laundry, medical and behavioral health services, harm-reduction supplies, overdose prevention, case management, housing navigation, transportation to treatment and payments for recovery housing placements.
Yulkin said Project Weber Renew purchased the Providence building at 45 Willard Ave and that the property-tax burden is over $100,000 annually. She said the city of Providence submitted written support for the tax-exemption request. Representative Cruz offered bipartisan acknowledgement of the organization’s service to people in need and noted Project Weber Renew’s Pawtucket operations as well.
Vote and next steps No committee vote was recorded at the hearing on HB 5512. The committee closed the hearing and received the organization’s testimony and Providence’s written support. If the committee advances the bill, the exemption would need statutory enactment to take effect.
Ending Project Weber Renew asked the committee for a statutory property-tax exemption to allow its Providence site to sustain and expand harm-reduction and related services; the committee received testimony and a city letter of support and closed the hearing.
