Welcome to The Poverty Institute
A RESPECTED AUTHORITY ON THE ECONOMIC VITALITY OF RHODE ISLAND AND ITS RESIDENTS ...
CURRENT ISSUES
RI WORKS UPDATE
• MEMO: IMPORTANT UPDATE ABOUT FAMILIES ON CASH ASSISTANCE (RI WORKS)
The budget passed by the House Finance Committee on June 17th allows approximately half of the families scheduled to close on June 30 to receive cash assistance benefits for up to 12 more months. Many other families may receive an additional one month of assistance. The hardship extension is available for any family that is closing because they reached the 60 month time limit or because the family already closed to cash assistance.
• FLYER: Click here to post a flyer in your agency or community to alert parents of this opportunity to apply for the extension.
• FACT SHEET: Click for more details on the hardship extension process.
• DHS APPLICATION: Click here for the DHS hardship application in English or Spanish.
AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT
TESTIMONY: Modification to the DLT Workforce Development State Plan to comply with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The Poverty Institute has key suggestions regarding the proposed Modification to the Two-Year DLT Workforce Development State Plan.
LATEST NEWS
MEDIA: Only a well-to-do few file flat-tax returns in R.I. (Providence Journal 6.24.09)
Kate Brewster, executive director of The Poverty Institute, favors repealing the flat tax, saying it is “a very expensive tax policy that was enacted based on the fallacy that cutting income taxes for high-income taxpayers would attract and retain individuals capable of creating jobs.”
MEDIA: Reaction muted to state budget plan (Providence Journal 6.19.09)
“They’re cut beyond the bone in terms of delivering services. It’s not fair to the people who rely on those services and it’s not fair to the staff,” said Linda Katz, policy director for the Poverty Institute, based at Rhode Island College. “It could be your neighbor that needs medical coverage tomorrow, who’s going to be shocked to find out there’s a significant delay in accessing that service."
FREQUENTLY USED DOCUMENTS
2008 Rhode Island Standard of Need (12.08)
Every two years, The Poverty Institute publishes The Rhode Island Standard of Need (RISN) to provide a realistic standard for measuring the economic well-being of families and single adults. The RISN answers two fundamental questions:
• What is the cost of meeting basic needs for a single parent family, two-parent family, and a single adult in Rhode Island
• How do state and federal work supports help individuals and families meet the cost of basic needs?
Click here for the full report, executive summary, charts and media coverage for the 2008 RISN
1. An outline of programs that help low-income households.
2. An outline of programs that help low-income adults.
3. Review monthly income limits to help determine eligibility for programs
4. Learn how tax refunds affect eligibility for public benefit programs
5. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and it's impact on public benefits
