Mayor Elorza Highlights Progress and Delivers a Message of Unity in 2018 State of the City Address

PROVIDENCE, RI – Mayor Jorge O. Elorza delivered his annual State of the City
Address in the Council Chambers of Providence City Hall. Attendees included local
elected and appointed officials, as well as business, community, and faith leaders.
The Mayor emphasized that unity is at the core of the capital city’s strength while
making note of the national political landscape and recent controversial and
divisive events.

«You voted for a city that listened and a city that worked. You voted for a better
tomorrow and a safer today. But most of all, you voted for the promise of One
Providence, a city with 25 distinct and different neighborhoods that come together
as one community,» said Mayor Elorza.

«And so it is in that spirit – of coming together – that I deliver today’s state of
the city. Over the past three years, we have been continually reminded of the power
of ‘We the people’ and what we can accomplish when we are united,» the Mayor added.

Emphasizing the need of community participation in the planning of future
investments focused on improving education in Providence, Mayor Elorza spoke of what
has been accomplished since the City held the All In: Providence Education Summit in
April 2017. Over 400 attendees participated and their input prioritized improved
facilities; culturally responsive curriculum; equity and increased access to
multilingual learning; and increased partnerships with community organizations.

The City hired school culture coordinators for all middle schools who will serve as
role models and provide support to students. To answer calls for better facilities,
the Administration also announced a plan to invest up to $400 Million in school
infrastructure throughout the next 10 years. A yearlong public visioning process for
school repairs, in which hundreds have already participated, was launched for a five
year plan that will later be submitted to the State.

Providing students with tools and resources needed to succeed in the 21st century is
also among the highest priories. To meet a commitment to increase student’s
access-to-technology, the Mayor announced that every Providence student will have
access to a tablet, laptop or computer in the classroom by the end of this summer.
To close the digital divide, the City launched a partnership with Sprint, which has
committed to providing 600 kids from all ten high schools with free 24/7 access to
high speed internet throughout their high school careers.

Considerable progress has been made to address summer learning loss with support
from community partners such as Breakthrough Providence, BELL, PASA, Generation
Teach, Providence Community Libraries, the Boys and Girls Club and the Providence
Recreation Department. Participants of BELL’s summer program and their families were
recognized in the address. Through BELL, 480 elementary students gained two months
in literacy skills and three months in math skills over summer 2017. BELL CEO Dr.
Lauren Sanchez Gilbert and two BELL scholars were in attendance. In addition to
summer programs, the amount of youth summer jobs was doubled in 2017 with support
from the City Council.

With the launch of the Office of Economic Opportunity in July 2017, the City
undertook critical work to provide training, support and resources to residents,
particularly those unemployed or underemployed, to connect them to employment or
prepare them to launch their own business. The City also supported Amos House’s A
Hand Up program, which has offered over 350 people experiencing homelessnes daily
work opportunities.

With regards to public safety, the Mayor highlighted the recent launch of Providence
Safe Stations, a partnership aimed to address the opioid crisis that was inspired by
a program launched in Nashua, NH. Through the program, anyone can walk into any fire
station in the city at any time and be connected to recovery support. Other
highlights included the graduation of the City’s largest and most diverse police
class, the deployment of body worn cameras and the purchasing of 71 new vehicles for
the department.

In addition to touting the more than 60 projects in construction or in the pipeline,
the Mayor pointed to numerous businesses that have decided to make the capital city
home to make the case that Providence is a place where people want to be. He
recognized Carlos de Moya, a fashion designer from Mao in the Dominican Republic,
who has been featured in New York Fashion Week and who decided to move to Providence
after attending PVDFest, the City’s signature arts festival.

Direct investment in neighborhoods was a main theme in the address. The Mayor spoke
of support for local businesses from the Providence Business Loan Fund (PBLF), which
has provided funds for Raymond Brothers Tailor Shop, Geoff’s Sandwich Shop, and Los
Andes Restaurant in the past year. The first five year, comprehensive capital
improvement plan was also adopted with $45 Million in infrastructure repairs set to
begin this spring. Through the PVD311 system, the City has also improved the way in
which it services residents. The innovative system has helped the Mayor’s Center for
City Services to close more than 25,000 constituent cases and downloads for the
mobile application increased by 153% just this year.

The Mayor closed his address by thanking all partners for their support and work to
place Providence and its residents on a path to success. He expressed incredible
enthusiasm, to continuing to work collaboratively on some of the biggest priorities
for the capital city.

«We have done so much together as a community, accomplished so much together as
neighbors. But we have so much left to do. Over the next five years, I look forward
to rebuilding our schools so they inspire our kids to learn. To resetting our
relationships with our universities to invest in our city of the future. To
rethinking transportation to better connect people to opportunities. To
re-envisioning Kennedy Plaza to be our central meeting space. To redeveloping vacant
properties to build strong and vibrant neighborhoods. To recommitting ourselves to
our artists so they can unlock our creative potential,» stated the Mayor.