Reed Delivers $500,000 Federal Earmark for Jonnycake Center Affordable Housing

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, RI – For more than 50 years, the Jonnycake Center has helped vulnerable neighbors meet basic needs, overcome crises, and build stable futures. Today, leaders from the Jonnycake Center, along with members, volunteers, and current residents and community partners joined U.S. Senator Jack Reed to celebrate the renovation and creation of affordable homes for local families who urgently need them. The new housing is made possible thanks to a $500,000 federal earmark for the JonnyCake Center for Hope’s affordable housing initiative that Senator Reed secured. The federal funds will be used to renovate a home that experienced a fire back in 2021 to create two new, energy efficient, four-bedroom affordable homes for families in South County. “In order to battle Rhode Island’s housing shortage, we need to build more housing that fits into local communities,” said Senator Reed, a member of the Appropriations Committee. “This $500,000 federal earmark I secured for the JonnyCake Center will help to smartly renovate a home that was lost to a fire several years ago, turning a blighted property into vibrant new homes for two families here in South Kingstown. With close proximity to additional services and help from the JonnyCake Center, these new homes will provide more hope, dignity, and support for the families who live here.” When completed, the new homes at 54/56 Kersey Road will help local families with children put down roots and unlock opportunities with nearby access to a host of services provided by the JonnyCake Center and its partners. This project will increase the Center’s affordable housing footprint to a total of 41 bedrooms across twelve service-enriched units throughout the South Kingstown community. Kate Brewster, CEO of the JonnyCake Center for Hope, stated: “This project expands the Center's housing portfolio. When completed, this property will provide two beautiful four-bedroom apartments, creating stable housing for families with children. It will allow those children to remain in the community where they attend school, play sports, and have friends and it will give parents the security and stability they need to focus on work, family, and their children's future. With the completion of this project, the Jonnycake Center will own and operate twelve service-enriched affordable housing units in this community for families who need them most. Senator Reed, thank you for your partnership and for helping make projects like this possible. Because of your support, two more families will have the opportunity not just to find housing, but to find a place to truly call home.” Senator Reed’s $500,000 federal earmark is helping to advance this project through the design and construction phase and is allowing the organization to leverage additional private funding from its network of supporters. The development is expected to cost around $700,000 in total. Christina Taylor, one of the JonnyCake Center’s tenants who also happens to work with under-housed and homeless families in our community, also spoke at the event. She stated: “Housing instability affects virtually every aspect of a person's life. Their physical health, their mental health, their relationships, their ability to work, and their overall sense of security. “It's incredibly difficult to focus on improving your life when so much of your energy is spent simply trying to survive. “What might surprise people is just how many individuals and families right here in South Kingstown and our surrounding communities are living this reality. Many are doing everything they can to improve their circumstances, but the lack of safe, affordable housing leaves them with very few options. “And I understand their frustration because I’ve lived a version of it myself. “Then, last December, everything changed. My family moved into a beautiful, newly renovated, three-bedroom home through the Jonnycake Center. “I still remember walking through it with my children for the first time. We were practically in tears. It was more than we could have imagined. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I could breathe.” Reed thanked the Jonnycake Center and Christina for their incredible work to uplift others and noted that Congress must continue to invest in helping people lift themselves out of poverty and ensure everyone has an opportunity to improve their quality of life and achieve their full potential.