Yet even though he works as AS220’s program director, “I have limited options,” Alexander says. “In the current housing market in Rhode Island, even with a full-time job and a good amount of savings, there’s no way I could afford a property,” and because of his belief that housing prices are artificially inflated, “nor would I want to.”
After being forced to move 10 years ago because Struever Brothers developed the Baltimore warehouse where he was residing, Alexander says, he faces the same threat in Providence. Still, he considers himself fortunate compared with those local residents with fewer economic resources. Those with the cash and mobility, Alexander notes, “can buy a fancy loft and live the urban lifestyle. [But] where do you go if you’re poor and you’ve lived in Olneyville your whole life? What’s next — Fall River?”
Email the author
Ian Donni:idonnis@phx.com
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