The state budget is Rhode Island’s single most important public policy document. State spending tells us a great deal about which public services, projects, programs and populations are considered a priority. Trends in spending can tell us how priorities shift over time.
One important use of public funds is to improve the economic well-being of residents. Like all states, Rhode Island has invested state funds in programs that help low- and modest-income working mothers and their families make ends meet. These programs include childcare assistance, low-cost health insurance, cash assistance, and child support enforcement.
Over the past decade, state investments in these programs have been severely eroded. The state’s weakened economy and growing budget shortfalls have resulted in significant spending cuts to the programs that are vital to helping families meet their basic needs. By 2010, as stagnant wages and record high unemployment levels left more Rhode Island families in need of help, less government assistance was available.
This paper discusses the importance of work and income support programs in the lives of low- and modest-income working mothers in Rhode Island. It documents how state investments in these programs have been significantly reduced over the course of the last decade and the impact these reductions have had on working mothers and their families.