WPRO News and the Associated Press

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – The Rhode Island Housing Board of Commissioners has unanimously approved the hiring of a nonprofit housing coalition to conduct a study of the state’s housing needs.

HousingWorks RI Executive Director Nicole Lagace tells The Providence Journal the $64,000 report is expected to be completed in four months.

Lagace says the comprehensive study would be conducted in partnership with the Boston-based Metropolitan Area Planning Council and two Brown University professors.

Amy Rainone, Rhode Island Housing’s director of government affairs, says it’s important to understand what housing needs and preferences there are in the state, and what products will be in demand in the coming years.

The board also approved more than $2.3 million in new HOME program funding for six new affordable housing developments on Thursday.