Sunday letters: Misguided fear of affordable housing; support children's early intervention

Misdirected concerns about housing reforms

Giving up control is a relatable experience that often results in concern and uncertainty.

However, in Patrick Anderson's recent article "RI housing push generates backlash" (News, April 4), certain municipal leaders' concerns about the thoughtful reforms that House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi has championed are misguided and risk creating new obstacles for solving our state's housing crisis.

Removing tedious steps to development when possible and tightening up review timelines will accelerate development, reduce costs, and create a process that is better-suited to solving our statewide housing problem.

Let's be honest: household compositions have changed dramatically since 1990. The hard truth is that cities and towns need to increase their housing supply just to maintain their existing populations.

As a state we must build upon the foundation that Speaker Shekarchi has laid out in his housing package and stand tall against misdirected fear of development or misguided biases of affordable housing.

Jennifer Hawkins, Smithfield

The writer is president and CEO of ONE Neighborhood Builders, one of the state’s leading community development corporations and nonprofit housing developers.

Early intervention services vital for our children

This session, legislators will consider bills H7334 and S2359 that increase funding for early intervention programs in Rhode Island. We, the Women's Fund of Rhode Island, Policy & Advocacy Committee, urge legislators to support these bills.

Early intervention (EI) provides services to children under the age of three who have developmental delays, including delays in learning, speech, motor skills and social skills. EI services are essential for these infants and toddlers, allowing many to catch up developmentally with their peers prior to the start of pre-school. In this manner, EI reduces the need for intensive therapeutic services as children grow older and reduces state and district spending on special education.

Currently in Rhode Island, early intervention programs are severely understaffed. Under-investment in the state’s EI programs has led to below market wages for EI workers and staff turnover. As a result, there are over 600 young children in Rhode Island who qualify for EI services, but who are on a waitlist to receive these services. Many will turn three without ever receiving the developmental support they need.

The bills to increase funding for early intervention will improve wages for EI workers and improve staffing. According to the RIght from the Start Campaign, even further investment is needed to fully staff EI programs and end waitlists. However, the current bills are a step in the right direction. Please call your legislators and urge them to support these bills.

Rhode Island has an obligation to address the developmental needs of its youngest citizens.

The Women’s Fund of R.I., Policy and Advocacy Committee

Maryam Attapour, Abigail Brewer, Mary Kate Byrne, Lisa Jones, Susan Killenberg, Amber Mangione, Diana Marshall, Angela McCalla, Dianne Newman, Linda Shaw, and Ashley Zechello.

PawSox deal was driven by greed

Mark Patinkin claims that it is a "bad rap" to say that Larry Lucchino was the guy who took the PawSox away to Worcester ("Lucchino a baseball visionary right to the end," News, April 3). As he has in the past, Mr. Patinkin blames almost everyone except Mr. Lucchino for the team's move, claiming that the owner "tried so hard" to keep the team here.

Please. Larry Lucchino wanted a new stadium built with millions of dollars in public money, including new infrastructure (like parking facilities) whose revenue would go into his pocket − all for the team that he owned, privately. Mr. Patinkin erroneously calls this "the best deal in the history of Triple A ball." His sense of history is awfully short: it is only in recent decades that such deals for sports facilities have been made, and impartial research shows that these deals have been economic boons for the teams and busts for the cities that support them.

The PawSox were beloved and well-supported. Larry Lucchino was making money from the team's loyal fans, but he moved to Worcester to make more money. Mr. Patinkin acknowledges that state leaders worried about elements of Mr. Lucchino's deal that were exactly the same as the 38 Studios debacle − and then calls the leaders "spineless" for wanting to avoid those elements.

I'm surprised that Mr. Patinkin, who has seen and condemned greed in so many areas of Rhode Island public life, can't see this for what it was: an extortion move by a greedy owner who took the team away for a fast buck.

Richard Canedo, Pawtucket

Is reasonable gun control enough?

Joseph H. Crowley's column presents a logical argument for reasonable gun control legislation ("The illogic of gun advocates," March 23).  He states: “One does not need an AR-15 to hunt deer. Nor does one need an AR-15 to defend one’s home. The mentally ill do not need an AR-15 to become mass murderers.” To restrict these guns is necessary in order to make all communities safer, but gun access is only one of several core reasons for uncontrolled violent tragedies happening in today’s world.

Today’s entertainment has gone from healthy, wholesome TV and movie programs enjoyed in my generation (1940s, '50s, '60s) to sex and violence provided on TV, in movies and with video games, and unacceptable vulgar language. All that has become glorified and exciting with today’s generation. Focus for relief from gun violence seems to be on the NRA. Why is there no focus on the entertainment industry?

Could another core reason for uncontrolled violence be that too many children are being brought up in unhealthy home environments where there is no parental love and healthy human connection? Should mentor programs, starting from pre-school, be given higher priority? Should all early learning and school-age children have the three R’s (always do the RIGHT thing, show RESPECT, and take RESPONSIBILITY for your actions) included in their curriculum?

To experience triumph, all causes have to be tackled and regulated.

Jean Farmanian Ricci, Cranston

Not the same football

In his letter to the editor, "Rhode Island's FC's first game a win for RI" (March 30), Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien refers to Rhode Island's "FC football club" throughout and to "football" as the game to be played at the new Tidewater Landing stadium in Pawtucket.

Whereas it is true that the "F" in FC stands for football and that in most of the world that is what it is called, here in the U.S. we call it soccer and use "football" for something much different. The good mayor's usage is confusing to The Journal readership and he should have clarified the difference between the "football" to be played in Pawtucket and the American "football" of the NFL and countless colleges and high schools around the country.

Peter S. Allen, Providence

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Sunday letters: Misguided fear of affordable housing; support children's early intervention