Income Support
Name | Description |
Rhode Island Works | Provides cash assistance to families with children up to age 18 and work readiness services for enrolled parents. |
Social Security Insurance (SSI) | Provides cash assistance for children with serious physical and/or mental impairments. |
Unemployment Insurance | Provides eligible individuals who are recently unemployed with up to 60% of weekly wage for a specified period of time. |
Temporary Disability Insurance Program (TDI) | Provides up to thirty weeks of benefits for people who cannot work due to illness or injury that occurred outside of the workplace. |
Temporary Caregiver Insurance Program (TCI) | Provides up to 4 weeks of benefits for people who need to be out of work to care for a seriously ill family member or to bond with a newborn child, adopted child or foster-care child. |
Paid Sick Leave | Rhode Island's many full and part-time workers can start to accrue time off under the Healthy and Safe Families and Workplaces Act. Workers earn 1 hour of time for every 35 hours they work. |
Child Support | The Office of Child Support Services helps parents establish paternity and obtain and/or enforce orders of child support and medical support against a non-custodial parent. |
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) | Provides a tax credit and/or refund for parents who earn low to moderate wages. |
Child Tax Credit | Provides a tax credit of up to $1,000 for each child under age 17 against the amount of federal taxes owed. |
Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) | Provides a tax credit for child care expenses (up to specified limits) against the amount of federal taxes owed. |
Income Support: Other Income Assistance | |
Capital Good Fund Loans | Capital Good Fund loans are short term loan options that serve as an alternative to payday loans, pawn shops, buy-here-pay-here auto dealers, and other high-interest loan products. |
Food Assistance
Child Care
Name | Description |
Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) | Program pays for all or part of child care costs for children under age 13 for working parents.
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Head Start & Early Head Start | Designed to improve the school readiness of children in low-income families. Head Start serves children in the two years prior to kindergarten entry. Early Head Start serves low-income pregnant women and children from birth to age 3.
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Health Care
Name | Description |
RIte Care/RIte Share | Provides comprehensive medical coverage through the Medical Assistance Program to pregnant women, children and their parents or caretaker relatives.
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HealthSource RI | Private health coverage options with available subsidies and tax credits.to help with cost.
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Katie Beckett | Provides comprehensive medical coverage through the Medical Assistance Program to children with serious disabilities so they can live with their parents instead of in an institution.
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Emergency Medical Assistance | Provides payment for hospital in-patient and emergency room services for children and parents who would be eligible for RIte Care/RIte Share but do not meet the citizenship/immigrant criteria.
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Free Clinics | Clinica Esperanza – Hope Clinic offers free primary care services for uninsured children and adults. The RI Free Clinic offers primary care services for uninsured adults.
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Community Health Centers | Ten community health centers provide primary health care at twenty-nine clinics to uninsured individuals on a sliding-scale basis.
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Community Mental Health Centers | Seven community mental health organizations provide mental health and substance abuse treatment to uninsured individuals at clinic around the state at free or low cost.
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Hospital Free Care | Each hospital in Rhode Island has a "charity care program" that may cover all or part of the bill for a patient who is unable to pay.
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Prescription Assistance | Discount prescription drug card provides savings on FDA approved prescriptions at pharmacies across the country.
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Dental Care | Children and parents who receive RIte Care/RIte Share health coverage also receive dental coverage. Seven community health centers provide dental care at 11 clinics on a sliding scale basis. St. Joseph Hospital provides dental care for children. Samuels Dental Clinic program provides services to children and adults with disabilities.
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Other Health Resources | Uninsured Rhode Island residents who are not eligible for Medicare, Medicaid or health insurance from their employer can purchase family or individual health and/or dental coverage directly from Blue Cross & Blue Shield of RI (BCBSRI).
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Housing
Name | Description |
Emergency Shelter | Provides information on assistance for homeless individuals and victims of domestic violence.
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Rental Assistance | Public Housing and Section 8 vouchers may be available to low-income families.
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Hardest Hit Fund RI | Helps eligible Rhode Island prevent foreclosures of their homes. |
Utilities
Name | Description |
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) | Provides help with energy needs including heating and cooling assistance, energy crisis intervention, low-cost residential weatherization and other energy-related home repair.
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Telephone Assistance | Cox Communications and Verizon provide a discount on monthly local telephone bills and help reduce the cost of initiating telephone service.
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For a summary of the above programs, view our Guide to Assistance Programs for Rhode Island Families.
Guide Sponsors
The Guide is made possible thanks to generous support from:


