Over the past decade, the cost of housing has outpaced earnings leaving nearly 50% of Rhode Islanders unable to afford the homes they live in. In 2020 when Rhode Island, like the rest of the world, came to a halt due to the pandemic, United Way of Rhode Island designed and lead the successful Yes on 3 campaign to provide $65 million dollars to increase affordable housing production and preservation. This represents the largest housing bond in Rhode Island history. Yes on 3 was approved by 66% of Rhode Islanders. This is important as only 1 out of the 39 cities and towns in our state are considered affordable. (HousingWorks RI)

We support increased state funding, that is both long term and consistent, for:

• A permanent funding stream for affordable housing construction and preservation
• Eliminating discrimination for rental subsidies for low and very low-income households
• Necessary supportive services for those placed in permanent housing

We also support:

• The passage of Source of Income Anti-Discrimination Legislation
• The 2021 Special Election - $65 million housing bond campaign for construction and preservation of affordable homes
• The removal of legal, administrative, regulatory, and economic barriers to quality housing
• The Homes RI Coalition, a member-driven initiative that United Way helped to seed initial funding for, and continues to lead the policy work around effective and just affordable housing policy

This year, we’ll be campaigning to secure state funding for out-of-school time learning programs, specifically in areas with the greatest access needs. We will invest in and support programs focused on restorative justice practices, empowering young people, and trauma-informed care.

We support increased state funding that is both long term and consistent for:

• $8 million dollars to OSTL Programs and Providers from the $23.5 million stimuli for Childcare and/or the Governors Emergency Education Relief Fund (see resolutions passed in Cranston, Central Falls, and Providence)
• Double the access to OSTL Programs especially for BIPOC youth. 59,000 youth, out of 150,000 youth in the entire state, are on waiting lists in Rhode Island trying to get into an Afterschool Program according to America After 3 p.m. data released December 8, 2020 (afterschoolalliance.org)
• $2 million in the 2022 budget under the R.I. Department of Education for afterschool and summer learning programs.
• Representative Julie Casimiro filed House Bill 5211 in January 2021 in support of a permanent OSTL Commission and Senator Sandra Cano, chair of the Education Committee supports this strategy and is prepared to submit companion legislation.

We also support:

To sustain a funding stream, we want to look at the tax revenue from the legalization of recreational marijuana. Alaska Afterschool Network was able to secure 25% of the tax revenue from recreational marijuana because OSTL programs are proven prevention programs for substance abuse. Some of that language is below:

1. 1. The Marijuana Education Program applies a shared risk and protective factor approach in the development and implementation of strategies to reduce substance use/misuse, and their associated harms. Individual, relationship, community, and society level protective factors play an important role in preventing youth from using marijuana. For example, resiliency has been shown to be an individual-
      level protective factor, whereas family factors such as connectedness are a strong relationship-level protective factor for youth marijuana use prevention. Community and societal level protective factors include factors related to economic stability, social status, and community connectedness.
   2. Funding is allocated to support afterschool programs statewide to build protective factors related to substance misuse among youth in grades 5-8. To learn more about the Positive Youth Development Afterschool Program, visit Alaska Afterschool Network.
   3. The Marijuana Education Program also provides resources to support school districts to deliver targeted trauma-engaged prevention activities to at-risk students to improve behavioral health issues. Resources are also provided to support justice-involved youth through a partnership with the Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice.

We support increased state funding, that is both long term and consistent, for:

• Lift 2,500 families out of deep poverty and increase the RI Works benefit amount from 30% to 50% of the federal poverty level starting October 2021. Benefits will then be adjusted
  to keep pace with inflation. The cash assistance paid to 2,500 families receiving RI Works benefits has not been raised in 30 years and is 30% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
• Expand access to adult education and job training programs, especially for multi-language learners. Ensure these programs train our neighbors for the livable wage jobs of tomorrow, as well as of today.
• Raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour and adjusting it to keep pace with inflation to achieve a livable wage for Rhode Islanders at the lower end of the income spectrum.
• Increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The current EITC is at 15% of the federal credit. UWRI supports an increase of the EITC to 20%. Through our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA), a program designed to help low- and moderate-income taxpayers complete their annual tax returns at no cost, working families can access the EITC, a powerful tool in enhancing a family’s financial stability. This year the federal government increased EITC via the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. This will in essence increase the credit for RI families in the current year. We will work to make this increase permanent.

We also support:

• Disaggregating data on the State of Rhode Island waitlist to determine which participants are English Language Learners (ELL) and need ELL courses (ELL) courses versus adult basic and ELL courses to better inform and prioritize registration.
• Support the growth and stability of businesses owned by women and minorities in Rhode Island, which in turn will drive economic growth in our state.