Jo-Ann Ryan

Jo-Ann Ryan has been involved in developing affordable housing since the 1980s, working in the banking industry and then at RI Housing.  ”We live in a complicated world, and navigating a home purchase can appear daunting and intimidating to many, and I took tremendous pride in assisting working families to overcome their challenges and doubts, particularly where homeownership is the key to building wealth,” Councilwoman Ryan says.

She notes that over the past 50 years, SWAP has made a huge difference. “Given its unique history, the confluence of events on the national level, and the genius of its Executive Director, SWAP has played an outsized role in development and planning in the City of Providence and beyond.  Every Rhode Islander owes a debt of gratitude to those early housing activists.”

Councilwoman Ryan has a proven commitment to addressing the housing crisis and applies her thoughtful, results-oriented leadership to work with SWAP and other housing agencies.

“For years, we’ve been slow to build across the state. Now we need to build with a sense of urgency,” Ryan says. “ We need to provide greater flexibility to our high-performing CDCs and let them function.  We need to prioritize projects, funding rounds, and, most importantly, expedite nuisance administrative and judicial appeals.  From the executive branch to the judicial branch, the state government needs to make it more conducive for CDCs to perform and release them from burdensome regulations

Interview

How did you first become involved in the housing crisis in Rhode Island?‍

After graduating from Providence College in the 1980s, I worked in the Rhode Island banking industry as an Asset Product Manager.  I joined RI Housing in 1995 to help design and implement programs to assist working families buy and maintain their homes.  The mission of RI Housing is what drew me to the agency.  

We live in a complicated world and navigating a home purchase can appear dauting and intimidating to many and I took tremendous pride in assisting working families to overcome their challenges and doubts, particularly where homeownership is the key to building wealth.  I look back fondly on my tenure at R.I. Housing.  We had a great team in place and we were the ones genuinely addressing the failings of the market to ensure minorities and female headed households had their opportunity to achieve homeownership and a permanent seat in middle class America.

Thoughts on how SWAP has made a difference in housing and revitalizing neighborhoods over the past 50 years.

Providence in the 1970s was a city in decline.  After reaching a population of greater than 250,000 in 1940, the great exodus to the suburbs commenced in post-World War II America and it was no different in Rhode Island. The City hit its nadir in the 1980 Census with a population of 153,000.  In a few short decades, Providence lost more than a third of its population.  

The founders of SWAP, like former Providence City Council President Nicholas Easton were visionaries.  Neighborhoods were being decimated and SWAP slowed the hemorrhaging.  The early days of SWAP were as much about preserving community as it was about housing.  Even Antoinette Downing, the grand dame of historic preservation was an early member of the Board. In the early days, at the same time SWAP is coming into its own, housing policy in Washington is changing drastically, particularly during the Reagan administration.  Traditional public housing authorities are having their funding cut and forced to change their business models.  PHAs now needed to become developers and all without the necessary capacity.

SWAP was uniquely positioned to seize upon the changes coming out of Washington in those days.  Unlike other CDCs it didn’t need to start from square one.  And then, through the brilliant leadership of Executive Director Ms. Carla DiStefano, building upon its existing structure, Carla grew SWAP into the envy of the development community nationwide.  

Given its unique history, the confluence of events on the national level, and the genius of its Executive Director, SWAP has played an outsized role in development and planning in the City of Providence and beyond.  Every Rhode Islander owes a debt of gratitude to those early housing activists and the exemplary professionalism of Carla DiStefano.  For without her, Providence would not be the Renaissance City.

Community Housing Development has evolved over the past 50 years – but we find ourselves in a housing crisis.  What do you see as the role for SWAP and other CDCs in finding solutions to create housing in Rhode Island.

For starters, unlike the 1970s, people are moving into the City and other urban centers across the state and we need to celebrate this news.  CDCs like SWAP with capacity need to be recognized as genuine partners in community development.  SWAP is a national leader and Rhode Island is fortunate to have other high performing CDCs and they are best equipped to help Rhode Islanders resolve our current housing shortage.  We need to get more resources into the hands of our CDCs.  In addition, public funders need to be held more accountable.

For years we’ve been slow to build across the state.  Now in this post pandemic economy, with ubiquitous hybrid work schedules, longer commuting times are the norm.  And it happened over night.  We need to build and all with a sense of urgency.  We need to provide greater flexibility to our high performing CDCs and let them function.  We need to prioritize projects, funding rounds and most importantly expedite nuisance administrative and judicial appeals.  From the executive branch to the judicial branch state government needs to make it more conducive for CDCs to perform and release them from burdensome regulations that stifle development.  

Do you have an anecdote or funny story to share about your experience working with SWAP?

Having worked in the banking and affordable housing industry for my entire career, I have on occasion had opportunity to work with the dedicated staffers at SWAP and Carla DiStefano.  Affordable housing is not an easy business and certainly is not for the faint of heart.   And through it all Carla has excelled.  She is a skilled and masterful administrator from whom we can all learn by her example.  She is natural leader and has shepherded SWAP over the years, touching and improving the lives of countless Rhode Islanders, many who do not even know her name.  It is an honor to join in celebrating with others the success of SWAP these past 50 years and I wish SWAP another 50 year run of unparalleled success.