Housing affordability offers clues to overall economy

LEADING VOICE: Nicole Lagace, director of HousingWorks RI, says the group’s primary role is to be an authoritative source on housing, “especially housing affordability.” / COURTESY HOUSINGWORKS RI
LEADING VOICE: Nicole Lagace, director of HousingWorks RI, says the group’s primary role is to be an authoritative source on housing, “especially housing affordability.” / COURTESY HOUSINGWORKS RI

Nicole Lagace last year stepped in to lead HousingWorks RI as interim executive director after former Executive Director Nellie Gorbea left. Lagace had spent four years in communications at the research group, developing the organization’s communication initiatives and managing public relations activities, including its annual Housing Fact Book and other special reports.
In July, she was named director, as the developing affiliation with Roger Williams University became permanent.

PBN: What did you learn about the research group and Roger Williams University, its host, as interim director that led you to seek the permanent position?
LAGACE: I had already known a lot about HousingWorks RI [as] communications director. The past year has been a great learning experience in terms of really honing my fund-development skills, identifying areas of research that the organization could focus on, as well as collaborations within the university. And being successful in those ventures made me confident I would be a good fit in the permanent role.

PBN: What new areas of research have you identified?
LAGACE: Working with our board of directors, I facilitated a strategic-planning process to revisit the organizational goals of HousingWorks RI, particularly as we would fit in with the university. As part of that process we decided to expand our scope of research to include housing affordability overall as opposed to just the public investment in affordable housing.
Affordable housing had been the core focus up until the past year. But through the strategic planning process we recognized the importance of looking at the entire housing picture as opposed to one aspect. It allows us to paint a broader picture of housing affordability in Rhode Island without the foregone conclusion that affordable housing is the solution for everyone facing housing cost burdens.

PBN: Do you see this as HousingWorks RI’s primary role?
LAGACE: Our primary role is to be an authoritative source on housing, especially housing affordability in Rhode Island; to communicate our data analysis in a way that is easy for people to understand; and to give policymakers the tools they need to make evidence-based decisions around issues related to housing affordability and the state’s economy.

PBN: What’s the relationship between housing affordability and the state’s economy and where do you see it headed?
LAGACE: Housing is considered affordable if a household pays no more than 30 percent of its annual income on housing-related costs. Looking at last year’s Housing Fact Book, our analysis of the U.S. census data showed that more than one-third of Rhode Island homeowners were considered “cost burdened” and 15 percent were considered severely burdened, spending more than half of their income [on housing].
We know that households like that have little money left over for discretionary items in their household budget, let alone money to fully participate in their local economies. The key is researching and measuring what that actually means and translating that to policymakers when they’re working to improve the state’s economy. Housing is part of the economic infrastructure of the state and needs to be part of that conversation.

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PBN: Your background is a mix of journalism and marketing. How do your skills in communications inform your new leadership role?
LAGACE: The bread and butter of HousingWorks is in its ability to communicate complex data analysis effectively. My background enables me to be creative and nimble in the aspects necessary to lead an organization. We definitely like experimenting with various communications tools [including infographics] and they would be nothing without the data behind those tools. I have the most exceptional research and policy director, Jessica Cigna, who provides me with the data analysis that informs these communications.

PBN: How will you ensure the group will, in RWU President Donald J. Farish’s words, continue to “advance important policy discussions” here in housing affordability and the economy?
LAGACE: As communications director, I was so involved with all aspects of the organization that it was actually an easier transition to my current role than I anticipated. In general, my willingness to experiment and learn from mistakes, even, is an asset to this position.

PBN: The Housing Fact Book is due out. What can we expect in terms of new insights?
LAGACE: It’s going to be released on Oct. 3 this year. It’s our 10th annual fact book. It’s going to be a look back over the past decade, at housing prices, spending, housing-cost burdens, for homeowners as well as renters. So, we’re going to give a very thorough picture of housing affordability in Rhode Island over the past decade.

PBN: RWU has just affirmed the permanent partnership with your organization. How do you see this relationship evolving?
LAGACE: For the past two years our offices have been located on the Providence campus of RWU, which has already afforded us the opportunity to collaborate on a number of initiatives: everything from having students intern with our organization to jointly releasing reports with, for example, the Latino Policy Institute. We’ve established a great working relationship with the [university]. •

INTERVIEW
Nicole Lagace
POSITION: Director of HousingWorks RI at Roger Williams University
BACKGROUND: Originally from Peterborough, N.H., Lagace had served as HousingWorks RI’s communications director for four years and became interim executive director last year. Previously, Lagace served as director of public relations for the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
EDUCATION: Bachelor of arts degree in journalism at St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vt., 1993
FIRST JOB: Babysitting
RESIDENCE: Providence
AGE: 43

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