The latest news and occasional commentary about what’s happening at the RI Foundation and around our great state.

Providence – The Rhode Island Foundation made a $150,000 investment to be shared by three community organizations – DORCAS INTERNATIONAL, PROGRESO LATINO, and the ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF PROVIDENCE – that 30 years ago began working together to provide immigration and citizenship services to foreign-born Rhode Islanders.
The funding will be used to build capacity as they assist immigrants living in Rhode Island on the path to legal residency and citizenship.

The United States immigration system is extremely complex and costly for immigrants and refugees to navigate on their own, often requiring legal advice and professional assistance. In response to the financial and legal barriers that low-to-moderate income immigrants face in navigating the system, Dorcas International, Progreso Latino, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence are accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice to offer affordable legal advice and representation in immigration courts.

We appreciate that these organizations have taken a long-term collaborative approach, working together in the best interest of their clients and of our collective community. The increase in staff capacity this grant provides will allow the three agencies to help an estimated 1,400 additional immigrants proceed toward legal status over the next year and to provide more education opportunities for members of the community.

Helping immigrants on the path to legal residency and citizenship is community building.

Community building – in its most successful form – grows the economy and the workforce, encourages cultural diversity, and provides for educational opportunity, health, and safety for all. Through this investment, and many others, we are proud to play a small part in strengthening our statewide community.