This policy brief — co-authored by Divya Nair, Senior Policy Analyst for Children & Families at the Economic Progress Institute (EPI), and Jessica Vega, Senior Advocacy & Community Engagement Manager at Rhode Island KIDS COUNT — examines the key programs that support Rhode Islanders in poverty. These are the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant and RI Works, the state's cash assistance and work support program.
The authors present compelling evidence that Rhode Island isn't doing nearly all it could be doing to strengthen these programs, which are a lifeline for some of our most impoverished and vulnerable neighbors.
The enacted FY 2025 budget raised RI Works’ monthly cash benefits by 20%, bringing the maximum monthly benefit for a family of three from $721 per month to $865 per month, but that is still only 40% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Rep. Arthur Handy and Sen. Melissa Murray have sponsored legislation, HB-5992/SB-658, to increase the monthly benefit to 50% of the FPL and include a cost-of-living increase to keep pace with inflation. The bill also seeks to eliminate the five-year waiting period for Lawful Permanent Residents and increase the child support pass-through from $50 to $100 for one child and $200 for two or more children. EPI strongly supports this legislation.