Raising RI Coalition wants to improve the RI Works program and lift children out of deep poverty
"When we invest in families, we’re not just addressing today’s challenges; we’re shaping Rhode Island’s future," said Divya Nair, Senior Policy Analyst with the Economic Progress Institute.
“I am a single mother of two boys, ages 10 and 11. Everything I do is for them,” said Daijah Jaiman, speaking as someone who would benefit from changes to RI Works, a financial and employment assistance program for parents and families with children who have little to no income. “I used to work as a CNA. It was a very high-stress job, and over time, it became too much for my mental health. I reached a point where I had to choose between pushing through or taking care of myself so I could be the parent my children need. Leaving my job was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made, but I knew my kids needed a healthy mom. That is when I turned to Rhode Island Works. Through the program, I was able to get help when I needed it most. I received access to mental health services, which helped me start to get back on my feet. I also received support through the housing pilot program, which provided the funds I needed to move my boys and me into a new apartment.”
Daijah Jaiman continued:
“Having a safe and stable place to live made a huge difference for our family. Right now, I receive about 800 a month in Rhode Island Works cash assistance. I’m grateful for this support, but the reality is that it does not go far enough. With inflation, the cost of living is extremely high. That money has to cover rent, my phone, insurance, gas, laundry, and food. Groceries alone are expensive, especially with two growing boys. They eat a lot. I stretch every dollar as far as I can. Still, there are times when I fall behind on bills and end up paying late fees, which only makes things harder and lowers my credit score. When you are a low-income single mother, even small, unexpected costs can throw everything off. To make it work, I use every resource available to me. I stay in close contact with my Rhode Island Works case manager and follow up on the support they share.
“I go to food pantries to make sure my children have enough to eat. I rely on clothing donations to keep up with how fast my boys are growing. I do these things not because I want to, but because I have to. Showing up for my kids means doing whatever it takes. I am doing my part. I am managing with very little, being resourceful and making sacrifices every day, but Rhode Island Works benefits have not kept up with inflation, and families like mine are feeling it. Each year, our money buys less, even though our needs have not changed. I am here today to ask you to increase Rhode Island Works’ cash benefits and adjust them annually to reflect the rising cost of living. This program is meant to support children, and when parents cannot afford basic needs, children are affected, too.
“With fair and realistic benefits, Rhode Island Works can better support families like mine as we work towards stability. I want to be healthy, I want to work, and I want my children to grow up safe and secure. This change would make a real difference for families across Rhode Island.”
In 2024, 68% of RI Works beneficiaries were children, and 39% of the children enrolled in RI Works were under the age of six. The program helps families experiencing poverty, but it doesn’t do enough to lift children out of it. Enter the Raising RI Coalition, “dedicated to lifting children out of poverty by increasing the RI Works benefit and breaking the cycle of poverty by providing parents with education and training opportunities leading to well-paying, secure jobs.”
On Tuesday, the Raising RI Coalition held a press conference in support of legislation that will improve RI Works and help lift children and families out of poverty. Daijah Jaiman was one of the speakers. The coalition sought to:
Ensure that parents receive more of their child support benefits;
Empower families on the frontline of the housing crisis;
Help families on the path toward financial independence; and,
Eliminate unfair penalties on immigrant families.
Here’s the video:
“We’re here because we share a common belief that every child in Rhode Island deserves a fair start and that every family deserves the stability and opportunity to thrive,” said Divya Nair, Senior Policy Analyst with the Economic Progress Institute. “The Raising RI Coalition was founded on that belief. At its core, the coalition comprises over 40 organizations that touch the lives of Rhode Islanders at every level: faith-based organizations, policy and advocacy shops, community orgs, service orgs, and workforce-based organizations. This coalition is about lifting children out of deep poverty and breaking the cycle of hardship. We do this by strengthening the Rhode Island Works program, a safety net for our families with young kids.”
Divya Nair continued:
“This is more than just a program. It’s about what makes that support possible, right? It means helping parents access education and job training that leads to stable, well-paying work. It means making sure that families can afford basic necessities like food, housing, and childcare, so that children can grow, learn, and succeed. And it means recognizing that when families are economically secure, our entire State is stronger. The need for this work has never been more important and more urgent. Right now, we still have children and families living in poverty, and because of the decisions made by the federal government, this is becoming an even bigger hardship for folks. As inflation continues to erode the value of the support that the Rhode Island Works beneficiaries rely on, this work is critical.
“Even with the recent progress that this coalition and our champions, Senator Melissa Murray and Representative Arthur Handy, have made, the Rhode Island Works benefits continue to fall short of what families need to get by. And I’ll repeat that: to get by, not to thrive, not to even be at a stable level, just to get by. That’s what this coalition is pushing for: meaningful, practical solutions. When we invest in families, we’re not just addressing today’s challenges; we’re shaping Rhode Island’s future. Today is about coming together to say clearly that we can do better and we must do better.”
“Child poverty impacts all of us, and no one should tolerate any child living in circumstances where they do not have the resources they need to survive and to thrive,” said Paige Parks, Executive Director of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT. “Children in poverty, especially those who experience poverty in early childhood and for extended periods of time, are more likely to have physical and behavioral health challenges, experience hunger, experience difficulty in school, and earn less or be unemployed as adults. Children in poverty are also less likely to be enrolled in preschool, more likely to attend schools that lack resources, and have fewer opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities.”
Paige Parks continued:
“As of December 2024, 68% of Rhode Island beneficiaries were children, and 39% of those children were under the age of six. So this is a child program. There are children who benefit from Rhode Island Works in every city and town, with Block Island being the only exception. According to the 2024 census estimates, Rhode Island ranks 33rd in the U.S. in child poverty, and we are last in New England. In the previous year, Rhode Island ranked 21st. So we are moving in the wrong direction for our youngest Rhode Islanders.
“We, as a coalition, are deeply concerned about the harmful impacts of recent federal changes, which may result in more children, both nationwide and here in Rhode Island, facing poverty.
“Rhode Island has taken steps to improve the Rhode Island Works program over the past few years. These efforts have led to tangible improvements that families can feel, but despite these legislative changes, there are notable and persistent gaps in the safety net provided by Rhode Island Works. It will only get worse with these federal changes, which will lead to an alarming number of children in Rhode Island still living in poverty.
“But it’s not all bad news. There is something we can do about it, thanks to the Rhode Island Works program. House Bills 7689, 7690, and 7797, championed by Representatives Arthur Handy and Joshua Giraldo (Democrat, District 56, Central Falls), and Senate Bills 2828 and 2843, championed by Senator Melissa Murray, can help Rhode Island move towards the goal of ending child poverty in the state.
“Here’s what these bills would do:
They will protect Rhode Island’s poorest children and families from inflation by increasing the benefit amount to 100% of the federal poverty level and include a cost-of-living increase.
They will support the wellbeing of immigrant families by eliminating the five-year waiting period and restoring eligibility for lawful permanent residents, or green card holders. By providing Rhode Island Works benefits to our green card holders, we would join 13 other states already doing so.
The bills will increase the child support pass-through, which pretty much means we’re going to stop stealing kids’ money. Right now, if a family on Rhode Island Works has a child support order, the state is scooping up that money and giving only $50 of it to the custodial parent. This is unnecessary, and we don’t have to do it, even under federal regulations. This bill would 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 our low-income families. Rhode Island would join 11 other states that are already doing this to support single-parent families.
These bills will eliminate the $65 benefit reduction for families living in subsidized housing. Right now, if you’re on Rhode Island works, $65 of your benefit gets scooped up if you’re in subsidized housing. These bills would eliminate that reduction, allowing families to pay for essentials like baby formula, medication, and transportation to work and to medical appointments. Housing stability should be rewarded. It’s good for kids. We should not be penalizing families.
These bills would fund the Rhode Island Baby Bonds Trust. We are grateful to Speaker Joseph Shekarchi, Senate President Valerie Lawson, Governor Daniel McKee, and General Treasurer James Diossa for their partnership to introduce the Baby Bond Trust Act. This act established an automatic investment for every child if their parent or guardian is enrolled in Rhode Island Works in the first year of the child’s life, but no funding was attached. This bill would provide $3,000 at birth to every child born into a Rhode Island Works family and invest those funds until age 18, growing to about $12,000. This money can be used for education, home ownership, or starting a business. Baby bonds help to build wealth and reduce economic disparities.
“These proposals will help children today and will provide proactive measures to help them in the future. They help to give hope and help to end child poverty in Rhode Island. Let’s be clear: child poverty is a policy choice. It does not need to exist. Thank you for joining us today to help Rhode Island make a better choice for our children.”
“If you haven’t been here for the past seven or eight Rhode Island Works kickoffs, I will tell you a little bit about the Rhode Island Works program,” said Senator Melissa Murray (Democrat, District 24, Woonsocket, North Smithfield). “We have been at this for many years. Rhode Island Works is the state’s cash assistance program for children and their grandparents or caregivers, as well as a work-readiness program for adults. Rhode Island Works provides parents with the training and skills they need to obtain well-paying jobs and financial security, and to transition off state assistance. Not only does Rhode Island Works help families get off of assistance and obtain a better quality of life, but it’s also a lifeline for women trying to escape domestic violence. However, the current Rhode Island Works benefit for a family of three is just $865 a month, which is less than half of the stipend we General Assembly members receive.”
Senator Murray continued:
“Unlike Rhode Island Works families, we get a cost-of-living increase to keep up with inflation. Increasing the current Rhode Island Works benefit can break the cycle of poverty by providing parents with education and training opportunities that lead to well-paying, secure jobs and can help end deep child poverty in our state. The effects of living in poverty on young children are significant and long-lasting. First, there are the obvious short-term effects, such as a higher risk of malnutrition, poor diet, more frequent illness, and other factors that can weaken the immune system and slow physical development. Children in poverty are more likely to have cognitive and educational challenges, and lower school readiness and academic performance. Children in poverty often start school already behind and struggle to catch up, and they are more likely to have emotional and behavioral issues, higher levels of stress and anxiety, greater risk of depression, and behavioral challenges, as well as social difficulties.
“There are also long-term effects into adulthood, such as higher dropout rates, less likelihood of attending college, increased likelihood of low-paying jobs or unemployment, higher rates of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, increased risk of depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders, and a greater chance of remaining in poverty as adults. The cycle of poverty.
“But child poverty does not just affect individuals; it affects all of us. It leads to higher healthcare and social service costs, reduced economic productivity, and increased intergenerational inequality. This bill would bring Rhode Island Works children and families out of deep poverty by increasing the benefit amount to 100% of the federal poverty level (FPL) with a cost-of-living increase. So that may sound like a lot, but to put this into perspective, what we are proposing is to bring these families, mostly children, up to the federal poverty level, to lift them up to the level of support they need to survive, never mind thrive.
“If we do not include a cost-of-living adjustment, any investments that we make in this program will continue to lose value, just as they have for the 30 years since we gave it a boost.
This bill also includes housing fairness for these families, ending the unfair $65 benefit reduction for families in subsidized housing, helping to further stabilize their finances and reduce day-to-day stress, and reducing the need to make harmful trade-offs like skipping meals or delaying bills.
“We have unspent TANF funds that we can use to increase this benefit amount. We are told year after year that there is a long-term plan to spend down these funds, but unfortunately, that plan never seems to include Rhode Island Works. These families and children cannot afford to wait another 30 years. These families need our help now - and I cannot say this enough - I say this every single year: If we do not address the issue of child poverty, every single other thing we do under this dome is just a bandaid. We will, and we do pay for it many times over down the road. It is time to adequately fund Rhode Island Works and break the cycle of poverty for these families. Not doing so is a collective policy decision we have made year after year, decade after decade. An investment in Rhode Island Works is an investment in our state’s future. Pass the millionaire tax and fully fund Rhode Island Works. It’s time.”
“I’m going to talk about two pieces of legislation that Senator Murray and I are introducing,” said Representative Arthur Handy (Democrat, District 18, Cranston). “One is the child support passed through. Fundamentally, while others sometimes see Rhode Island Works as a job-training bill, almost 70% of the people in the program are kids - a reminder that it’s a program for kids. It’s a children’s program in that respect. We want these families to be whole, substantial, and successful, and to make sure these kids are thriving, so the child support pass-through is just so frustrating to me.”
Representative Handy continued:
“I’m a liberal guy. I think taxes are fine, but this is effectively a tax. A non-custodial parent pays a parent, or really, they’re paying it to the state. For a mom or dad in the program, maybe they’re paying $250-$350 for their kids. The custodial parent only gets 50 of those dollars. The state and the federal government essentially take the rest of it. The argument for doing this was that the state was spending money. It’s not. The state’s not spending any money on these folks. This is not the state’s money. This is the people’s money, and to my mind, it’s really being stolen. And this bill isn’t asking for all the money to be passed through. This bill is not even asking for it all to be repaid. What we’re saying is that if somebody’s got one child in the program, they get the first $100, and if they have two or more children, they get $200.
“It’s similar to what some other states have done, and it’s allowed under the federal rules. It’s literally the least we could do. This is logical, smart, and fair. It’s not just me being the bleeding heart people accuse me of being on occasion. In the committee hearing we already had in Judiciary, Republicans were asking about it, saying, “This is crazy. This is a terrible idea.” I said, “It is crazy. It’s a really terrible idea that we’re doing right now.” I want to urge everybody to make sure you’re leaning into that when you’re talking to my colleagues.
“The other part is around legal permanent residents, green card holders in the state. Before 2008, they were part of this program, just like everybody else, no difference. They’re paying taxes; they have every right to be a part of the program. In 2008, we had the Great Recession. The federal government made some bad changes that essentially knocked those people out of the program. The state wound up following suit to save a few dollars. Disappointing but true. Now we’re in 2026, many years later, and these folks still are out of the program.
“I should say, they can enter the program, but they have to be here for five years. Again, they’re paying taxes. They’re doing all the things that all the rest of us are doing, and they’re not able to be a part of it. My and Senator Murray’s bill would shorten that five years to zero. You’d be able to start right away on day one. You’d be able to take part in the program just like they did before 2008. Again, it’s a logical, fair thing. People have this hair-on-fire thing that we’re doing something for illegal immigrants, or however people want to frame them, and it’s absurd. Personally, I might like to have more folks like that in the program. That said, this is not that. Come on, let’s make America 2008 again.
“Those are the two big things: legal permanent residents getting into the program right away and at least getting some more of the pass-through money to the parents who are working and struggling so hard. We want to make sure they have at least a little more to cover the sneakers, food, and rent each month.”
“We know the current child support pass-through system is unfair and antiquated, a system that creates disincentives for non-custodial and custodial parents alike from paying or even participating in the child support program, knowing that children receive such a small amount of the money that they desperately need and deserve,” said Representative Cheri Cruz (Democrat, District 58, Pawtucket). “This is a system that I know all too well, one that I desperately relied on throughout the ‘90s and the decades that followed to support my family, because cash assistance at the time was $448 a month and later increased to $554 a month, and it was not enough.”
Representative Cruz continued:
“I couldn’t pay my rent, never mind afford basic needs like clothing for my children. I desperately needed the child support the non-custodial parent was paying, but all we would get as a family was a pass-through from the state was $50, and that’s regardless of multiple children. Again, this was in the ‘90s, and here we are well over 30 years later. It was a different economic time and struggle. Now I stand before you as a state representative, and there are families still going through this today. You can’t tell me this current system isn’t antiquated or unfair to the families who need it most. Honestly, it’s cruel, and takes hope from custodial parents and their children who hope to receive the money that is paid by the non-custodial parent that is needed to keep a roof over their children’s heads, clothes on their backs, and other basic life necessities.
“I have to ask, why does the state keep so much of the child support dollars that are supposed to go to families? Why has it been $50 for nearly 40 years, based on my personal knowledge of this program? Why are we here begging, year after year, so children can get a fair share of their own money - child support pass-through dollars that are so desperately needed to inch their way out of deep poverty? Let’s think about that. Why? It’s well past time to increase this pass-through amount so we can bring hope to families and faith back into the system created with the intent to support families who struggle the most, not be part of the reason they have to continue to struggle. It’s time to stop leaving children with mere scraps of what they’re entitled to.
“It’s time to put children and families who need it the most first and change our antiquated pass-through laws that only work to punish, disincentivize, and keep families further in poverty. Our families truly deserve dignity and support, so I hope my colleagues listening will support this. It’s time to end this unjust stealing of our kids’ money.”
“We are again here talking about the most vulnerable of Rhode Island’s children, and we’re not even asking for all that they deserve,” said Weayonnoh Nelson-Davies, Executive Director of Economic Progress Institute. “We’re not asking for all that can be provided in our state budget. You’ve heard a lot from people who care today, but I want to summarize, [so when you advocate for this] you can repeat what we’re fighting for here and what we’re talking about. We’re asking for a cost-of-living adjustment to 100% of a very inaccurate measure, which is the federal poverty level, and help families keep up with rising costs. We’re asking that if child support is paid, you give those children the $100 allowed by the federal government and $200 for two or more children.”
Weayonnoh Nelson-Davies continued:
“It is infuriating that Rhode Island has not used general revenue for Rhode Island Works in over two decades and refuses to pass through the child support that is meant for children. You heard it today: Stop stealing the children’s money; give it back to them.
“We are asking that our legal permanent resident families be treated like they belong in Rhode Island and deserve just as much access to financial and employment assistance as everyone else, especially during a time when our immigrant communities are under attack and need all the access they can get. We cannot blame HR1 for this one because we made a policy choice in Rhode Island, and this is on us. We are asking how you expect a parent with two children to live on $865 a month during hard times like these, while continuing to reduce the benefit by $65 to afford safe housing. We have invested a lot in housing over the last few years, but we have overlooked that this is also a housing opportunity, and we can do something by removing the $65 we take from their benefits.
“And then we’re asking for dignity and the opportunity to build wealth for Rhode Island Works children. That is a beautiful thing that we can do for our most vulnerable children, and that is what we’re asking our state leaders to do. Sometimes, when we walk into the State House, I see well-connected, well-resourced lobbyists fighting for their priorities. I want us to challenge them a little bit and ask them to add their voices to these issues. Maybe use their power and access to whisper in the rooms they’re in and say, “Take care of Rhode Island’s children first.” EPI became the people’s lobbyist - for our children and most vulnerable populations that were invisible in those rooms. The Raising RI coalition has become the voice of our most vulnerable children.
“My focus today is on you, who have been screaming at the top of your lungs for decades to take care of our children first. Today, I want to thank you for continuing that fight. I am hopeful that this will happen: no child will live in deep poverty because of you. You, who continue to remind legislators that in Rhode Island, children living in deep poverty is unacceptable. You, who show up year after year demanding improvements to the Rhode Island Works Program. You, who refuse to believe the excuse that there is no money and other priorities trump our children.
“We know there is money. There’s federal tenant money. We know that Rhode Island can invest its own dollars to make sure our kids are taken care of. We need to raise revenue if we continue to claim there is no money to care for Rhode Island’s children. We know policymakers have the power to learn about how to spend our money. It is you who continues to fight so that they think about our children. My call to action to you today is not to be tired. Please do not get tired. Please continue to show up. I know it is frustrating to come every year and say something like, “Make sure no children live in deep poverty,” but I need you to keep trying. Please refuse to let our children be forgotten in these rooms, these committee hearings, and on the House and Senate floor.
“I want to thank our sponsors, the Raising RI coalition members, and all of you for being here today for demanding that the budget not pass without addressing deep poverty and protecting and prioritizing Rhode Island’s children.”
The event ended with Jessica Vega, Senior Advocacy and Community Engagement Manager at Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, leading the crowd into the House Chamber to meet representatives and convince them to support the coalition’s legislation.
Totally agree that when we invest in young families and children, we are building the future of RI.