United Way Fund to Prevent Homelessness in Rhode Island

Anthony Maione, CEO and president of United Way of Rhode Island, is interviewed by Channel 10 news reporter Mario Hilario at the Jan. 12 press conference, in which UWRI announced a three-month initiative to raise money to prevent homelessness in Rhode Island.

Photo by Keri Ducharme/United Way of R.I.

Homelessness Prevention Fund distributes $242,000 for those at risk of losing their homes

UWRI winter fundraiser to date helped 448 adults, 383 children

Rhode Islanders stepped up this winter to help out those at risk of losing a roof over their heads. Scores of donations arrived to UWRI’s Fund to Prevent Homelessness in Rhode Island from individuals, schools, churches, civic groups and UWRI’s Philanthropy Fund account holders as well as corporations such as CVS Caremark Charitable Trust ($50,000); Sovereign Bank and The Jewish Fund for Justice ($10,000 each); and Johnson & Wales ($7,500).

The Fund, a 3-month-long community-wide education and fundraising initiative, concluded with contributions topping $121,000 and telephone calls to United Way’s help hotline 2-1-1 increasing from last year at the same time. UWRI immediately matched the contributions to the United Way Fund to Prevent Homelessness in Rhode Island dollar-for-dollar, and distributed more than $242,000 to about 23 agencies around the state.

Some 448 adults and 383 children benefited from the monies raised by UWRI for its Homelessness Prevention Fund. Participating agencies paid mortgage, rent and utility bills on behalf of a person or a family at risk of losing their home because they could not pay their bills.

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CVS Caremark Charitable Trust Makes $50,000
Donation to United Way Fund to Prevent
Homelessness in Rhode Island

Including United Way of Rhode Island Match, CVS Caremark Charitable Trust
donation brings total raised to over $200,000 in just four weeks

CVS Caremark Charitable Trust has made a $50,000 contribution to United Way’s Fund to Prevent Homelessness in Rhode Island. This contribution was made within the first 30 days of launching the Fund and it pushed the total dollars raised to top $100,000. UWRI matched those funds dollar-for-dollar and, to date, has distributed more than $200,000 to 23 agencies around the state.

“When we learned of United Way’s Homelessness Fund, we responded quickly to support this very needed program. CVS Caremark has a long history of being involved in giving back to the Rhode Island community,” said Eileen Howard Dunn, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Community Relations for CVS Caremark Charitable Trust.  “We’re hopeful that our contribution will help offset some of the financial hardship for families who face homelessness during these difficult times.”

“This very generous gift from the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust comes at a time of great need when we are receiving a huge volume of calls to our 2-1-1 social services hotline.” said UWRI President & CEO Anthony Maione. “After achieving decreases in homelessness in Rhode Island for the past two years, recent months have shown alarming increases. I call it ‘middle-class drift,’ and it is disturbing. We all know the toll of homelessness in human terms.”

Thank you CVS Caremark!

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Letter from UWRI President and CEO, Anthony Maione

Dear Friends,

United Way of RI (UWRI) allocates more than $1,000,000 annually to safety net services and spends another $500,000 to support United Way 2-1-1 in Rhode Island, our information and referral hot line that connects people in need to social services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This year, we believe that’s just not enough. That’s why we have established the United Way Fund to Prevent Homelessness in Rhode Island and we are asking for your support.

When you contribute to the United Way Fund to Prevent Homelessness in Rhode Island you’ll be helping a family, maybe even someone you know, stay in their home this winter. One hundred percent of contributions made to the Fund will be distributed directly through agencies to people who need assistance to make rent, mortgage, and utility payments.

Your contribution will be matched dollar for dollar up to $200,000 by UWRI until March 31.

UWRI has been a positive force in this state for more than eight decades, and we have seen Rhode Islanders pull together to help in hard times over and over again. Maybe because our state is small, we understand the connection between us; that when we reach out a hand to one, we influence the lives of all; that we all need help sometimes, and we all do our best to give help in hard times if we can. Now that time has come again. I am confident that we will respond, and our community will be better for it.

Thank you for your support.

Anthony

 

United Way Fund to Prevent Homelessness in RI in the News

Press releases on the Fund and Donors - Read more

Media Coverage - Read more