Ade Bethune House, 54 apartments for households headed by someone 55 or older, is leasing on Bristol Ferry Road in Portsmouth beside a newly built Portsmouth Senior Center, RIHousing said in an Oct. 21 release marking the completion of both buildings.
Church Community Housing Corporation developed the one- and two-bedroom apartments for households earning between 30% and 80% of the area median income. The site covers more than five acres and is shared with the historic Anne Hutchinson School, the former home of the Portsmouth Senior Center. The school is slated for future redevelopment into market-rate condominiums.
The release says the apartments are leasing now and directs applicants to adebethunehouse.com. It does not give a move-in date, rents, or the number of apartments reserved at each income level.
Who paid for it
The release lists State Fiscal Recovery Funds, Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, and predevelopment financing from LISC Rhode Island and its affiliate, the National Equity Fund. The Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston awarded funding through its member bank, BankNewport, which was the project's sponsoring bank. The housing corporation holds a 99-year ground lease with the town for the property.
Sen. Jack Reed said he helped direct $22 million in federal investments to the project. The release does not give a total project cost or a breakdown by source.
Officials' statements
Gov. Dan McKee said: "Since 2021, we've increased housing permits by 150 percent, with more than 8,400 homes completed or in the pipeline." The release does not give a baseline for those figures. Housing Secretary Deborah Goddard and RIHousing CEO Carol Ventura are also quoted, as are U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo, state Sen. Linda Ujifusa and state Rep. Michelle McGaw.
The apartments are named for Ade Bethune, a Belgian American liturgical artist who served on the housing corporation's founding board in 1969 and stayed on the board for the rest of her life. She died in 2002.
The release describes the new senior center as a place for programs, activities and socialization. It does not give the building's size or a schedule of programs.