Income and Wealth Building
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 they also need the skills to tackle the complexities of financial life – earning a steady paycheck, budgeting, building good credit, and saving for the future.
LISC Rhode Island addresses these needs through three unique programs aimed at helping people get the resources they need and learn skills necessary to find — and keep — living wage jobs:
- LISC developed the Bridges program to help clients get the contextualized education and wrap-around supports they needed to excel in workforce development programs. LISC provides ongoing partnership with providers through technical assistance, model adaptations, evaluation and assessment to ensure programs deliver the best possible results for participants.
- Financial Opportunity Centers, in addition to delivery of Bridges curricula, FOC partners provide personal financial coaches, financial literacy training, digital literacy, and provide access to unique financial tools that help participants improve credit scores.
- And, LISC manages the SNAP Employment & Training program for the State of Rhode Island, which helps to fund local education and training providers that help SNAP participants become employed. Visit our SNAP E&T website. Of course, SNAP E&T is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), religious creed, disability, age, political beliefs or reprisal or retaliation for prior civl rights activities. Please see the FNS Nondiscrimination Statement for more information.
Bridges to Career Opportunities
The Bridges program grew from the success of the FOCs and provides a bridge program that responds to the chronic problem of low-wage stagnation among hard-to-employ, unskilled workers. Bridges pairs workforce training programs with foundational skills development in reading, math and English that have been contextualized to specific industry growth sectors.
Financial Opportunity Centers
LISC supports a network of 100 FOCs across the country. Currently LISC supports two in Rhode Island — at Amos House and Genesis Center.
SNAP Employment and Training
The SNAP Employment and Training program provides free job training, support and counseling for people participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Starting this year, there are three additional choices available for career advancement and living wage job opportunities. This statewide program is administered by LISC Rhode Island.
Tommy Ngo's Turn-Around Story
Financial Opportunity Center programs create a safety net for re-entry clients. Tommy's dedication and determination has lead him through the Bridges program and landed him with his dream job.
