Commissioners approve Renewport and Habitat MOUs for façade and home‑repair grants

The Board of Commissioners voted on March 9 to partner with Renewport and Habitat for Humanity on two initiatives aimed at improving commercial storefronts and helping homeowners with health‑and‑safety repairs.

Under the Renewport MOU (Commissioner’s Order 17), the city will commit $25,000 and Renewport will match that amount to create $50,000 for a commercial facade program. Staff said the program will increase the maximum per‑building grant from $5,000 to as much as $10,000 to reflect higher construction costs; Renewport representatives said they expect to stretch the funding with private matches and other leveraged investments. Gordon Henry of Renewport described past programs that leveraged roughly $4.37 in total investment for every $1 invested by Renewport in prior rounds.

Public comment raised selection‑process concerns. Resident Jerry Palouseau noted the program had large demand in the 1990s and suggested a public lottery to remove politics from winner selection. Renewport and staff said an application review committee and qualification requirements will guide awards; the MOU runs for a three‑year term with an annual $25,000 city match.

The board also authorized an MOU with Habitat for Humanity (Commissioner’s Order 18) to create a Newport Home Repair program. The proposed funding stack is $25,000 from the city, $25,000 from Habitat, and $25,000 from Renewport, yielding $75,000 available for residential emergency repairs citywide with a stated preference for the West End. Staff emphasized these are grants (not loans) focused on health‑and‑safety issues such as water intrusion and code violations that homeowners cannot afford to address.

Commissioners praised the partnerships and stressed transparency and outreach to ensure equitable access. Both MOUs were approved by the board.