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4/24/2025
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Transitional housing program combines with RI Works to propel vulnerable families toward self-sufficiency
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 CRANSTON — A transitional housing program for low-income families run by the Comprehensive Community Action Program (CCAP) in Cranston combined with support from Rhode Island Works — the state cash assistance and work-readiness program serving families with children who have very low incomes — underlines the power of effective social services propelling vulnerable families toward self-sufficiency in Rhode Island.
CCAP has run the New Opportunity Homes program for many years, providing housing for 10 women and their children across two locations at any given time. The program offers extensive support services, including transportation, 24-hour staffing, food bank access, social services, employment and education programs, parenting resources, housing assistance, and health services. Additionally, CCAP helps transition women into an apartment building they purchased two years ago for more stable housing.
RI Works is a lifeline for children in deep poverty. It is funded by block grants from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which is the federal government’s primary poverty-fighting program. The enacted FY 2025 budget raised RI Works’ monthly cash benefits by 20%, bringing the maximum monthly benefit for a family of three from $721 per month to $865 per month, which is 40% of the federal poverty level (FPL).
Rep. Arthur Handy (D-Dist. 18, Cranston) and Sen. Melissa Murray (D-Dist. 24, Woonsocket, North Smithfield) have sponsored legislation, (2025-H 5992, 2025-S 0658) to increase the monthly benefit to 50% of the FPL and include a cost-of-living increase to keep pace with inflation. The bill also seeks to eliminate the five-year waiting period for lawful permanent residents and increase the child support pass-through from $50 to $100 for one child and $200 for two or more children. This would significantly improve the financial stability of low-income families.
“New Opportunity Homes (NOH) and the Rhode Island Works program helped me and my daughter,” Juliana Panesso, a former resident, said at an event at CCAP on April 22. “NOH gave me and my daughter a safe, cheap place to live for 18 months. During my stay, I went to school full time and earned my esthetician license and took driving classes and got my driver’s license. When NOH couldn’t, RI Works and the CCAP Uber voucher program provided us transportation to appointments, school, and work.”
Penesso added, “Being in school full time and having had two surgeries, RI Works was my only income. I received $535 a month. That money paid my rent, phone bill, diapers, and basic needs. The staff supported us through our stay in the program and out. It was a blessing to have lived at NOH during that time because $535 wouldn’t have been enough to cover even half a month’s rent, let alone utilities and all other daily needs. As the cost of living rises, the gap between what people need and what they receive continues to widen. That is why I believe the RI Works benefit should be raised. It would give families the opportunity to earn a degree or trade, focus on their family, pursue a career, and not have to decide on which bill to actually pay. Raising the RI Works benefit is an investment in Rhode Islanders.”
“All children need and deserve a decent chance at a healthy, successful life, and RI Works needs genuine, sustained support to truly provide that chance to those born to families living in deep poverty,” said Representative Handy. “I will work with colleagues and advocates to continue to improve RI Works until it meets its mission of lifting all Rhode Island children out of poverty.”
“No child deserves to be raised in deep poverty. Children living in poverty are more likely to develop physical and mental health challenges and have adverse childhood experiences that can create a cycle that can trap and haunt them their entire lives,” said Senator Murray. “Although we’ve made progress at strengthening RI Works, we have much more work to do. This includes adding a cost-of-living increase because inflation continues to decrease the value of this benefit each year.”
“The RI Works program is a powerful policy tool to lift working Rhode Islanders out of poverty, improve long-term health and educational outcomes, and empower working parents to afford necessities like childcare so they can work and take care of their families,” said Economic Progress Institute (EPI) Executive Director Weayonnoh Nelson-Davies. “We are grateful to the bill sponsors for their leadership, our partners in the Raising RI Coalition for their advocacy, and CCAP for being an anchor of hope in Rhode Island for decades.”
“Rhode Island must address the systemic issues of poverty to become a more prosperous state,” said Paige Parks, Executive Director of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT. “There is no other option. Children in poverty — especially those who experience poverty as young children and for extended periods — are more likely to have physical and behavioral health challenges, experience hunger, have difficulty in school, become teen parents, and earn less or be unemployed as adults. That’s a legacy we can’t afford. KIDS COUNT looks forward to building on the progress made and bolstering RI Works to protect families and children from deep poverty.”
The Raising RI Coalition is dedicated to lifting children out of poverty by breaking the cycle of poverty by providing parents with education and training opportunities leading to better-paying, secure jobs. KIDS COUNT and EPI lead this group.
For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923
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