Foreclosure Help on the Way to Providence Residents in Danger of Losing Their Homes
Mayor Cicilline introduces ordinance to City Council designed to protect renters from foreclosures 
 

[Click on the video image below to watch entire news conference online]

 

Mayor David N. Cicilline this week announced the introduction of an ordinance to the Providence City Council designed to mitigate the impact of foreclosures on Providence families.  One ordinance would protect tenants from eviction when their apartments are subject to foreclosure proceedings.  The second proposed ordinance would require financial institutions and property owners to engage in mediation with a HUD-approved counselor before moving ahead with a foreclosure.

“We’ve worked hard over the past six years to strengthen our neighborhoods, bring in new investment and encourage homeownership,” said Mayor Cicilline.  “Unfortunately, this foreclosure crisis is having a devastating impact on our neighborhoods, pushing too many families to the brink of homelessness,” said Mayor Cicilline.   “The proposed ordinances address the need for bold action to protect families, many of whom find themselves faced with sudden eviction, with no recourse.”

A similar program in Philadelphia has prevented or delayed foreclosure in nearly 80% of the 552 cases that have gone into mediation.

Both ordinances have been submitted to the City Council for consideration and approval.  Councilman Kevin Jackson is the lead sponsor. 

“These ordinances will go a long way towards ensuring that our constituents receive the help they need to stay in their homes during these incredibly difficult times,” said Councilman Kevin Jackson. 

Over the past year, the number of foreclosures in Providence has doubled, from 718 in

2007 to 1577 in 2008 - a crisis that has been exacerbated by the state’s high unemployment rate.  Both ordinances, which would amend the Providence City Charter, Chapter 13 entitled Housing, confront the foreclosure crisis on two fronts:

Tenants Protection Against Foreclosures Ordinance
- Allows renters to remain in the foreclosed property for the duration of their lease agreement.  Month-to-month rental agreements would be subject to state law governing such arrangements.

- The financial institution/lender would be required to provide tenants with written notice (in Spanish and English) stating the name and address of the successor, so that the tenant will know to whom they should pay their rent. 

- Require the successor of the property to continue to provide essential services including heat, running water, hot water, electric or gas to tenant.

- If a property is about to enter into foreclosure, the new mortgage holder or financial institution must provide written notice of the property’s sale to all tenants, in addition to the homeowner, indicating that the sale may affect the tenant’s right to continue to live in the property.  The mortgage holder must also state the date, time and place of sale, and provide contact information for Rhode Island Legal Services as well as other HUD-approved counseling agencies.

Foreclosure Mediation Ordinance
- Provide a safety valve for owner-occupied homeowners who are facing imminent foreclosure by establishing a mandatory mediation process between the homeowner and mortgage holder/lender. 

- Both sides would be required to meet with a third party, HUD-approved independent counseling agency for mediation prior to entering into foreclosure.

- City would not accept deed filed by lender/mortgage holder until all required steps set forth in the ordinance have been completed.

“As we begin a new year full of hope ushered in by new leadership in Washington, we must act swiftly to speed up our economic recovery by doing everything we can to keep people in their homes and help them through these challenging times,” said Mayor Cicilline.  
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Mott Foundation Funds Providence to Think Big on the Future of Education
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Awards Grant to Re-Imagine How, When and Where Young People Learn

Re-imagining how, when and where Providence’s young people learn is the focus of a new multi-year grant awarded today by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to an innovative cross-sector collaborative of school, after-school and city government leaders. Providence is one of only two cities nationally to receive $500,000 over the next three years through the New Day for Learning grant.

The Providence After School Alliance (PASA), Providence School District and the City of Providence have received the Mott Foundation’s first three-year New Day for Learning grant to build on efforts to ensure that all young people in Providence are prepared for success in school, work and life.

“We are excited and grateful to the Mott Foundation for choosing Providence as one of the first communities to receive funding and the help of national experts to improve the educational outcomes for all of Providence’s young people,” said Mayor Cicilline.  “The Mott funding will fund a senior staff person at the School Department and the resources needed to better integrate school and after-school in order to create a seamless learning from the beginning until the end of the day.”

The Mott Foundation convened a panel of experts in education, after-school and business to choose 10 New Day for Learning Communities from a highly selective pool of applicants.  Within that 10, Providence and San Francisco were tapped as demonstration sites and will each receive $500,000 over three years and tailored technical assistance. 

The other eight New Day for Learning Communities will receive technical assistance and are: Atlanta, Charleston/North Charleston, Chicago, Denver, Flint (MI), Omaha, Peekskill (NY) and Saint Paul (MN). 

“The Mott Foundation is proud to support the efforts in the New Day for Learning Communities as they expand and integrate existing and new efforts to re-imagine education and learning to better prepare young people for success,” said An-Me Chung, Program Officer, Mott Foundation.  “It will take partnerships between schools, communities, students, parents, elected officials, educators, business leaders and others to ensure  this  vision for education in America.  Each one of us must play our unique and essential roles in order to improve outcomes for all young people.”

In order to re-imagine how, when and where young people learn, each of the New Day for Learning Communities will be working to achieve the five critical elements of a New Day for Learning:
- Expanding the definition of student success;
- Using research-based knowledge about how students learn best;
- Fostering collaboration across all sectors;
- Integrating various learning approaches and places; and
- Providing new opportunities for leadership and professional development.

For every dropout or unchallenged youth, the country suffers from the lost potential and tax dollars as well as from increased health costs and crime.  Research included in the 2007 report The Costs and Benefits of an Excellent Education for All of America’s Children shows that among 20-year-olds in the United States today, more than 700,000 dropped out of high school. If half of those students had been guided to graduation, the government would have collected “$45 billion via extra tax revenues and reduced costs of public health, of crime and justice and in welfare payments.”

A New Day for Learning in Providence will start with an intensive focus on young people in grades 6 - 8.  The City of Providence, school district and after-school community will work to closely link the school day with the middle school AfterZones, which provide a wide variety of expanded learning opportunities led by a network of high-quality after-school organizations and experts.  The Mott grant will enable PASA to fund a Director of Expanded Learning Time to work at the District and build learning connections between the school day and AfterZone programs.

“The funding and support provided by the Mott Foundation allows Providence Public Schools and all of our partners to work intensively to create seamless and comprehensive learning environments in select schools and then bring the best practices to scale,” said Superintendent Thomas Brady.  “Providing innovative, engaging and rigorous learning environments for young people is hard work and all of us have a vested interest and shared responsibility to seeing it through. Now is the time for Providence to stand unified behind its young people and complete our vision for education.”

In 2007, leaders in education, after-school and business serving on the Mott Foundation New Day for Learning Advisory Board issued the New Day for Learning report to catalyze conversations, raise awareness and spark solutions for creating a comprehensive, seamless approach to learning in the United States. To learn more and see a New Day for Learning in action, visit NewDayforLearning.org

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, established in 1926 in Flint, Michigan, by an automotive pioneer, is a private philanthropy committed to supporting projects that promote a just, equitable and sustainable society. It supports nonprofit programs throughout the U.S. and, on a limited geographic basis, internationally. Grant making is focused in four programs: Civil Society, Environment, Flint Area and Pathways Out of Poverty. Besides Flint, offices are located in metropolitan Detroit, Johannesburg (South Africa) and London. The Foundation, with year-end assets of $2.66 billion, made 527 grants totaling $108.7 million in 2007. For more information, visit Mott.org http://www.mott.org.

 

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Providence Fire Fighters Put Their Skills to the Test in Cold, Frigid Waters
Annual ice rescue drill at Roger Williams Park on Wednesday

Providence Fire Chief George Farrell announced yesterday that the Providence Fire Department conducted its annual ice rescue drill on Wednesday, February 5 at 1pm in the icy waters of Roger Williams Park. 

The firefighters set up a staging area near the Temple of Music in Roger Williams Park, suited up in cold-water gear and conducted mock rescues of victims who have fallen through the ice.  The exercise enables firefighters to review incident command procedures for an ice rescue and practice ice rescue techniques in a coordinated effort with the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and Providence Police.  Three-team crews utilized rescue sleds and ropes to pull victims from the icy water while reviewing EMS protocols for drowning and hypothermia.

A similar drill will also be conducted at Roger Williams Park on Monday, February 9 at 1pm.

 

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Providence Fire Chief George Farrell Sworn In As President of RI Association of Fire Chiefs
Installation of fire officers banquet took place on January 31st

This past Sunday, Mayor Cicilline joined members of the Rhode Island Association of Fire Chiefs in their installation of Providence Fire Chief George Farrell as President of the Association.  Farrell is only the second Providence Fire Chief to be named to the top leadership post. 
 
"I speak for all our residents when I say we’re immensely proud of our Chief," said the Mayor, "Chief Farrell is a determined leader who also knows that fairness and graciousness are among the hallmarks of true leadership.  Providence's Chief of Fire has the toughest job in the state, and as Mayor, it is a source of reassurance knowing that George Farrell is the one in that position."

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Feature: My Neighborhood

Lt. Daniel Gannon, District 7 Community-Police Commander, Improving the Quality of Life For the Whole
 

 

What happens when neighbors work together with the police to reduce crime? In Providence, where the Police Department’s successful adoption of a Community-Policing Model has gained national attention, it’s not just a passing trend to hear police officers speak passionately about working with neighbors to build communities that are safer and more vibrant.  It’s what you’re expected to do as a police officer in Providence today.

 

And for the City’s finest, like District 7’s newly instated commander, Lt. Daniel Gannon, a firm trust in the community-policing model resonates.  Gannon believes that neighbors who take ownership of their neighborhoods are more successful at keeping unwanted activity away from their children, their families, their homes, and their businesses.  Mix that with the presence of highly experienced police officers that care about the same public safety issues as their neighbors, and you get a community working together to improve the quality of life for the whole.

 

Lt. Gannon, a second-generation Providence police officer, chatted with City News at his new post and substation on the corner of Camden and Douglas Avenue about what he enjoys most so far about the job.

 

What neighborhoods comprise District 7?
We have Wanskuck, Smith Hill, and Charles Street.  District 7 is basically a city within a city.  It is one of the largest districts in Providence.  It has nine schools, Providence College, areas from low-to-high-income, nightclubs, small businesses, college students – it has everything! It’s a great opportunity and a challenge to work in district 7.

 

The Mayor has always championed the community-policing model for helping to bring crime levels down in our city.  In your opinion, why do you think the community-policing model works?

I think the community-policing model works because you’re getting the community involved in what’s happening in their neighborhoods, so they have a stake in the outcome.  When the community believes that the neighborhood is in fact theirs, and that they’re responsible for it, they take more action to keep it secure.  They keep it cleaner.  They report crime more often, which in turn helps us to keep crime down.  It’s a circle that just grows larger and larger, as the community partners with us and vice versa. 

 

Do you find that the district 7 community is proactive?

Yes, they’re very receptive to the idea of community policing.  I’ve found no resistance at all.  None. 

 

Just a month ago, you took over as this neighborhood’s Community Police District Commander.  Describe what you do.

First and foremost, the police officers and supervisors that work in district 7 is a very talented pool, and in my opinion, is one of the most talented in the city right now.  District 7 is an up-and-coming district as far as activity goes and the numbers show that. 

 

We pay attention to the crime that is happening in our neighborhoods.  So what we do is look at any crime trends, such as breaking and entering, larseny, robbery, and so on.  And as soon as we see any spikes in any crime, then we immediately address it.  What we try to be is be proactive rather than be reactive on crime. 

 

What did you do in the department before you arrived at district 7?
I become a police officer in 1987.  I worked in the drug unit for nine years.  I did undercover drug work, working with federal and in and out-of-state agencies.  I worked in the traffic bureau.  I was assigned to the DEA task force, so I’m well versed in the narcotics end of this job.  I also started the Gun Task Force.  I had a slot in the detective unit that encompassed downtown and the East Side, working in all major crimes.  I was a sergeant in district 9 and then as a lieutenant there, I worked for over a year as a shift supervisor on the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift, and now here I am in district 7! So I feel like I’ve had a pretty well rounded career in the police department, and I look forward to the challenges in my new post.

 

Why did you choose this profession?
I’m a second-generation police officer.  My dad, Bernard, is a retired Police Chief of Providence.  He retired from Providence in 1995 and is now working as the Chief in Burrillville. My brother is also a police officer.  He’s a sergeant and detective.  At one point, there were five Gannons in the police department – my dad, my uncle, my cousin, my brother, and me.  Since then, my dad, uncle, and cousin have retired, so it’s just me and my brother left on the force. 

 

I choose being a police officer because it’s the type of work that I like to do and I wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps.  I don’t know if I’ll ever really fill his shoes, but I love coming to work everyday.  

 

What would you want to see happen in the future for your district?
My ultimate goal is to give district 7 back to the people, to give Chad Brown back to the people, to give Elmhurst back to the people, to give Wanskuck back to the people, and to make it a safe neighborhood for all – for children, the elderly, the residents, the college students, the businesses – and to improve the quality of life here for everyone. 

 

And how do you do that?
We do that by providing a safe community for the residents of this area and working together in conjunction with them and the business community.  Once they stand up and they tell the small percentage of individuals that are not doing the right thing, as far as selling drugs or playing with guns, that they’re not gonna’ stand for it anymore, the numbers of crime will continue to go down.  The neighbors have more of a say in what happens in their neighborhood than the police department does. 

 

As you continue to help reduce crime in the city, what do you want to remind neighbors in your district about?
They should know that the police department and police officers are here to work with you and not against you, and that we’re here to make your neighborhoods a safer place to live in. 

 

The District 7 Community Police Substation is located at 206 Camden Avenue.  To find your nearest substation online, go to http://providencepolice.com/districts.html.

 

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