Program areas at Better Lives Rhode Island
Downtown food pantry - serving all of providence, guests can access the pantry twice a month and shop from the shelves for the food they choose to eat ("client choice"). During summer months, we also distribute boxes of food geared to children (with no school breakfast or lunch during summer break). The program serves approximately 5,000 people monthly.
Friday night community meal site - every friday evening from 4:00 - 5:20pm, guests are served a nutritious sit-down dinner. Programming the needs of the guests are offered each week: health screenings, a free legal clinic, hiv/aids screening, snap outreach and more. The program serves approximately 6,000 people annually.
Homeless outreach program - started by a homeless volunteer, he applied best practices of agencies he had once utilized himself and developed this program into the largest provider of intensive case management in the downtown. We are client centered working with the most marginalized in the city: the newly and chronically homeless people with physical and mental disabilities, prisoners upon release, those suffering from addictions and in recovery. We empower our guests to meet their self-stated goals which include housing and access to health care, benefits, jobs, etc. Our basic needs items include clothing, use of the address, toiletries, and photo id's. The most important thing we offer is hope and someone who will listen.