Our Work
Our impact in Rhode Island can be seen in communities from Woonsocket to Newport, and it all supports our mission to work with residents and partners to create vibrant communities of opportunity.
LISC targets strategic investments to build and strengthen communities — neighborhood by neighborhood. We act as a catalyst for renewal by working with our partners to rebuild neighborhoods, improve opportunities, and strengthen the fabric of our communities. We do so by using key financial tools – recoverable grants, pre-development funds, loans and equity investments, tax credits and more – to create more affordable places to live, new retail storefronts, expanded and improved child care centers, and economic drivers for community revitalization. In the past several years, we have invested in transformative projects including the new ARTech District in Woonsocket, the WaterFire Arts Facility in Providence, and the new Neighborhood Health Station in Central Falls. These projects represent a significant and transformational investment in these underserved areas.
Housing is a cornerstone of LISC's work — in Rhode Island, as well as LISC's other 37 offices across the country. Safe and affordable housing opportunities are a fundamental human need and foundational to health equity, educational success, economic prosperity and workforce development.
Healthy, vibrant communities are made up of people who have living wage jobs and feel confident about their economic futures. To get there, residents not only need the skills to enter the workforce and advance along a path of employment, but also the skills to tackle the complexities of financial life – earning a steady paycheck, budgeting, building good credit, and saving for the future. LISC addresses these needs through three unique programs aimed at helping people to get the resources they need and learn the skills necessary to find and keep living wage jobs. LISC developed the Bridges program to help clients gain the contextualized education and wrap-around supports needed to excel in workforce development programs. Financial Opportunity Centers provide personal coaches, financial literacy training, and access to financial tools that help participants improve credit scores. And LISC administers the SNAP Employment & Training program for Rhode Island Department of Human Services, where providers deliver education and training that help SNAP participants become employed.
The Health Equity Zone (HEZ) project is a place-based initiative funded by the Rhode Island Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control. Our health is determined in part by access to social and economic opportunities; the safety of our neighborhoods and housing; our ability to access healthy food and equitable healthcare. The goal of the HEZ is to reduce health disparities for the residents of Central Falls and Pawtucket. This initiative has been expanded to include an increased focus on ways to address climate resiliency and the expansion of opioid prevention programs.
The Rhode Island office also has a nationally-recognized Child Care and Early Education Facilities Program. The Rhode Island Child Care and Early Learning Facilities Fund (RICCELFF) is a public – private partnership designed to help child care and early learning programs develop safe, high quality learning environments – both indoor and outdoor. We support organizations with the development of new facilities as well as improvements to existing spaces.
Read more about what we do in Rhode Island through programs like the Neighborhood Development Fund, Placemakingand Public Safety, the Growing Communities Fund and Community Leadership initiatives.
