Community Impact

Income Initiatives

Through a combination of United Way driven initiatives and funded programs, United Way of Rhode Island is committed to providing job training opportunities to low income, low skilled adult Rhode Islanders, improving neighborhood conditions, and ensuring that more of eligible filers apply for Earned Income Tax Credits.

Skill Up Rhode Island

Through Skill Up, United Way has brought together nationally recognized job training specialists with selected employers to create exciting workforce partnerships to provide job skills to low skilled workers. Skill Up has been recognized nationally for its cutting edge approach to labor force development.

The dual goal of Skill Up is to provide employers with trained workers, while at the same time providing workers with opportunities to make significant progress toward earning life-sustaining wages that will benefit themselves and their families. Specifically, Skill Up targets entry level low-paid, low-skilled employed workers as well as unemployed Rhode Islanders. The initiative also aims to bring people into the workforce in positions that have opportunities for advancement.

Earned Income Tax Credit Campaign

United Way of Rhode Island collaborated with the Internal Revenue Service and RI Department of Human Services and Citizens Bank to enhance awareness of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), mobilized volunteers and provided funding to make available free tax preparation services to low income working Rhode Islanders who are eligible to claim tax credits.  During the most recent tax filing season, over $12 million in tax credits and savings in tax preparation fees were realized by participating applicants.

Funded Programs

Job Skills Training

United Way provides funding to organizations that help individuals overcome barriers to entering the workforce.  The focus is on unemployed or under employed adults with little or no work experience.  A variety of specific job training skills are offered along with development of “soft skills” to ensure successful employment.  Work readiness, job development, case management and follow up services are all components of this work.

Education initiatives

United Way recognizes that children in early care and education settings as well as public elementary and middle schools, need greater and different forms of attention to improve their chances for success in school and in life. Additionally, we believe that although family involvement in schools is central to better child outcomes, families often face or perceive barriers to getting involved. Accordingly United Way supports a number of initiatives to help families help their children achieve success in school and life.  

Family Engagement in Schools

United Way has provided funding for community based working committees of families, school personnel, and other community members. These groups complete research, deliberate and then formulate and write plans for local change intended to lower or remove barriers to school success; plans will ultimately focus on one or more student outcomes that they consider significant and doable, e.g. increased motivation to achieve, aspirations for the future, better social competence, improved work habits, improved attendance and less tardiness, and greater participation in after-school programs that complement learning.

Bright Stars

United Way of Rhode Island partnered with RI Kid’s Count and the Rhode Island Association for the Education of Young Children (RIAEYC) to introduce BrightStars, a quality rating and improvement system that recognizes quality care and learning in child care centers, family child care homes, Head Start and school-age child care programs. BrightStars is managed by the RIAEYC.  

Quality standards have been developed and by the end of 2009 will be in use at more than 100 day-care sites. The star-rating system is based on seven areas: Child’s Daily Experience; Curriculum & Child Assessment; Indoor & Outdoor Space; Staff-Child Ratios & Group Size; Family Communication & Involvement; Staff Qualifications & Professional Development; and Program Management.

Funded Programs

High Quality Early Childhood and Afterschool Programs

United Way provides funding to organizations that support opportunities for young children, ages birth to kindergarten, to participate in high-quality childcare and early education programs that seek to promote the attainment of key developmental milestones, including social and cognitive skills that prepare children for successful entry and performance in school.

UWRI also supports and promotes higher levels of school success among participating students in public elementary and middle schools by investing in programs that build the skills and attributes associated with positive, holistic youth development, and increase important protective factors that build resilience.

Housing and Homelessness Initiatives

United Way of Rhode Island collaborates with advocates and service providers on many fronts to stimulate the construction of affordable housing and to eradicate long-term chronic homelessness in our state.

Affordable Housing Bond Passage 

Through the advocacy efforts of the United Way and others, the $50 million State of Rhode Island affordable housing bond was passed in 2006. Currently, hundreds of units of affordable homes and apartments have been built and more will be completed over the next few years with money from that bond. With United Way, you can lend your voice to advocate for the solutions that will improve the lives of all Rhode Islanders for years to come.

Housing First

United Way collaborated with advocates and providers of services to the homeless to initiate Housing First, an approach to ending homelessness that centers on providing chronic homeless people with housing quickly and then providing services as needed. What differentiates a Housing First approach from traditional emergency shelter or transitional housing approaches is that it is “housing-based,” with an immediate and primary focus on helping individuals and families quickly access and sustain permanent housing.  In its first year, Housing First model which served 50 previously chronic homeless people during its first year improved quality of life for participants while reducing the cost of services by nearly $425,000.  

SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery (SOAR)

United Way of Rhode Island is a funder and one of the leaders in creating SOAR which provides training, technical assistance and strategic planning to channel SSI/SSDI benefits to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. By increasing the approval rate of initial applications for benefits, more homeless people with mental illnesses in Rhode Island will have a stable income that will enable them to find permanent housing coupled with the on-going support they need to access health care and mental health services.

Affordable Housing Act

United Way supported the implementation of the Affordable Housing Act that requires each municipality to develop affordable housing that equals 10% of all housing in the community. United Way assisted Rhode Island Housing Resources Commission in developing the State Comprehensive Housing Plan, required by the act, which quantifies housing needs, identifies implementation strategies to address these needs, and provides guidelines for higher density residential development.

Foreclosure Prevention

United Way, in collaboration with other partners, supports a foreclosure prevention programs designed to assist homeowners who are about to become delinquent or who are already in default and need assistance. The homeowner is assisted either to renegotiate a mortgage agreement with their lender or to sell the home and to protect the assets already invested.  United Way also supports the purchase of foreclosed properties by nonprofit developers, to be added to the supply of affordable housing units.

Funded Programs

Affordable Housing

United Way supports the development of affordable housing by providing operational funds to the nonprofit developers of affordable housing.  United Way also supports a community housing land trust.  Houses that are built on land held in the trust are kept affordable because the price of the land is not included in the sale price of the house.

Helping People in Crisis Initiatives

United Way of Rhode Island provides funding to help people with immediate critical needs.  

Safety Net

Safety net services address the needs of families and individuals throughout Rhode Island who are in a crisis situation related to either homelessness, the danger of becoming homeless, and/or basic needs. Funded agencies provide basic needs (food, clothing, emergency medical care, emergency shelter, transportation), services that prevent homelessness (rental, heating and utility assistance) and help in finding permanent housing. All Safety Net programs include a strong case management component that links families and individuals to services that lead to the stabilization of their situation.

Services for Immigrants and Refugees

Services for immigrants and refugees assist immigrants and refugees from all ethnic backgrounds. Funded agencies provide assistance with legal issues and English classes which include orientation to American culture. Recently arrived refugees are provided basic needs (food, clothing, emergency medical care, emergency shelter, transportation and rental, utility and heating assistance).

Elder Services

Elder services address the needs of low-income elders in Rhode Island. Funded agencies provide services that maintain elder health and well-being and decrease the need for more acute care and assist elders to maintain safety, stay in their community, and live in dignity. In addition to direct service to elders, change in public policy is addressed through an advocacy initiative to increase the amount of funding for home and community based services; such as adult day care, home health care or respite care, and case management.