Who Are We?

CASO (Coalition of Advocates for Student Opportunities) is a volunteer group of concerned citizens and students that promotes and supports a pathway to higher education for undocumented students in Rhode Island. CASO provides legal resources and information about financial aid for young undocumented and DACAmented individuals, educators, and other allies. CASO also manages the Tam Tran Scholarship Fund, which provides financial assistance to undocumented college students in/from Rhode Island.

Crossroads is the leading provider of housing and services to those experiencing homelessness in Rhode Island. Using the Housing First Model, Crossroads strives to help homeless or at-risk individuals and families secure stable housing. Crossroads provides a range of specialized services to meet the unique needs of clients, including: housing in more than 370 residences statewide, 24-hour/7-day-a-week emergency services, and comprehensive case management.

DARE (Direct Action for Rights and Equality) hosts community events and creates campaigns for social, political, and economic justice. DARE campaigns are strategic Direct Action Organizing campaigns led by the people most affected by the problems DARE addresses. DARE believes that poor and working class families, people of color, oppressed nationalities (including immigrants, regardless of documentation status), women, LGBTQ community members, and youth must be at the forefront in leading the way to liberation.

The Domestic Violence Resource Center of South County (DVRCSC) is a non-profit agency that works toward a future free of violence and to build a community in which each individual shares the responsibility to create a culture of safety and personal dignity. DVRCSC works collaboratively to offer safety, support, advocacy, education, and a network of services to the residents of Washington County. DVRCSC is dedicated to both preventing and responding to domestic violence by working to change the social conditions, beliefs, and social actions that perpetuate abuse.

Dorcas International Institute of RI works to empower refugees and immigrants in the community by providing education and job readiness opportunities as well as low-cost legal services for citizenship, immigration, and refugee resettlement programs. Citizenship & Immigration Services staff members, all of whom are attorneys or Department of Justice accredited representatives, provide advice and representation on citizenship and immigration processes. In addition, Dorcas International is the only agency in Rhode Island that is authorized by the U.S. Department of State to resettle refugees arriving to the U.S.

The Economic Progress Institute (EPI) is a non-partisan research and policy organization dedicated to advocating for policies that improve the economic well-being of low- and modest-income Rhode Islanders. EPI recognizes that immigrants and immigration play a large role in the Ocean State’s economy and future. EPI believes that everyone, regardless of their immigration status, should have equal access to resources and economic opportunities that allow them to achieve their full potential. EPI has prepared a multilingual fact sheet for Rhode Island immigrants to understand and access affordable quality health care, outlining the many options available to immigrants depending on their immigration status. Additional fact sheets include the Immigrant Eligibility for Public Benefits Chart.

Family Service of Rhode Island (FSRI) is a comprehensive non-profit social service organization that manages programs across Rhode Island, providing essential resources for underserved individuals, families, and communities. FSRI works to improve the overall health and well-being of the communities they serve through high-impact partnerships and high-quality innovative programs.

Fuerza Laboral is a workers’ rights center in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Fuerza’s mission is to educate, train, and organize workers to become community leaders who confront social injustice. Fuerza Laboral believes that since immigrant workers are on the front lines of the injustices they face, they are experts on this injustice and are the best-equipped people to solve their problems with powerful and creative actions that obtain concrete results. Learn more about Fuerza Laboral’s Justice for Immigrants campaign here.

The Latino Policy Institute (LPI) at Roger Williams University seeks to stimulate public policy discourse by objectively examining and communicating the evolving Latino experience in Rhode Island. LPI is committed to educating, activating, and motivating community members and stakeholders to ignite positive change in the lives of all Latinos. LPI is anchored at Roger Williams University and is located on the Providence UC Campus.

The Learning Community Charter School features a distinctive academic program based on nationally-researched practices in literacy, a professional and engaged faculty, outstanding parent involvement, data-guided instruction, critical thinking, debate and inquiry, and a culture of innovation and community. At The Learning Community, students see themselves as independent learners with important stories to tell.

The Learning Community has partnered with other member organizations of ICRI to deliver a “Know Your Rights” presentation and help immigrant parents prepare to protect their children if they are detained or deported. Read more about this event here.

The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island serves to enrich the quality of life in Rhode Island, in Israel, and around the world. The Alliance meets this goal through philanthropy, planning, education and wellness opportunities, community relations, and volunteer recruitment and training.

The Alliance convenes agencies, synagogues, and organizations to address issues of common concern and care for people in need. The Alliance comes together as one to develop innovative responses to critical, often life-threatening issues. It is a place where anyone who needs help can get it and where everyone can make a difference right now.

The Olneyville Neighborhood Association (ONA) organizes low-income families, immigrant communities, and people of color in Olneyville and beyond to create a diverse, community-led movement that wins economic, social, and political justice.

ONA envisions a community where the social, economic, political, cultural, and ecological conditions are such that every human being is equal in dignity and rights.

The mission of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England is to protect the fundamental right of all individuals to manage their own fertility and sexual health, and to ensure access to the services, education, and information to realize that right. In addition, PPSNE has a cadre of activists and strong coalitions giving life and voice to legislative and political initiatives.

The Planned Parenthood Providence Health Center at 175 Broad Street provides a wide range of reproductive and sexual health care services for patients with or without insurance, and PPSNE also has centers in eastern Connecticut (located in Danielson, New London, and Norwich). A full list of patient services is located here.

The Pro Bono Collaborative connects law firms, attorneys, and law students to community organizations that need pro bono legal services for their organization and/or their clients. The Pro Bono Collaborative’s service model is unique in that it involves a three-way partnership—law firm/attorney, law school, and community organization—to identify unmet legal needs and create pro bono projects that address those needs. Community-based organizations are encouraged to propose Pro Bono Collaborative projects via the Pro Bono Collaborative Project Proposal Application.

Progreso Latino’s mission is to help Rhode Island’s Latino and immigrant communities achieve greater self-sufficiency and socio-economic progress. Progreso Latino’s programs include adult education, early childhood education, senior services, health and wellness, workforce development, youth development, domestic violence intervention and prevention programs, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, immigration and social services, and emergency food relief. Information about these programs can be found under the website’s “Programs” tab.

Providence Student Union is a non-profit organization with one goal: building student power so that young people can improve their education and well-being. It aspires to be a genuinely youth-led union where young people can freely unite to develop leadership skills, organize for ground-up improvements to their schools, and ultimately win a fair say in the education system.

Providence Youth Student Movement envisions a strong, healthy Southeast Asian community free from state, street, and interpersonal violence. PrYSM organizes at the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation by centering youth, female, queer, and people of color leadership in its campaigns, organization, and communities. PrYSM mobilizes queer Southeast Asian youth, families, and allies to build grassroots power and organize collectively for social justice.

The Refugee Dream Center is a post-resettlement refugee agency and a strong advocate for the rights of refugees. It offers services that target gaps for refugees who no longer receive federally-funded assistance. The Refugee Dream Center does referrals, social level assistance, skills development (such as English language education for adults), health promotion, cultural orientation, youth mentoring, and case management.

The Rhode Island Center for Justice is a non-profit public interest law center that partners with community groups to strengthen existing advocacy and service provision with legal representation and strategy. Its legal practice areas⁠—including housing, immigration, workers’ rights, criminal justice, education, and utility shutoffs⁠—reflect the most pressing needs of low-income people in Rhode Island. The Center’s Family Preparedness Plan helps immigrant parents protect their children if they are detained or deported.

The mission of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence is to support and enhance the work of member agencies and to provide leadership on the issue of domestic violence. The Coalition performs many functions, including educating the public about domestic violence and partnering with survivors to strengthen and empower the voices of abused women.

The RI Coalition for Children and Families promotes the safety, health, and success of children and youth from infancy to adulthood. To accomplish this, RICCF advocates for a comprehensive and effective network of social, emotional, health, educational, and economic support and services for Rhode Island’s children, youth, and families.

The Rhode Island Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty was formed in 2008 to serve as a faith-based voice on systemic issues that underlie poverty. The Coalition is an advocate for sound legislation and public policies that address the causes of poverty and promote economic well-being for all Rhode Islanders.

The mission of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT is to improve the health, safety, education, economic well-being, and development of Rhode Island’s children. RI KIDS COUNT provides independent, credible, comprehensive information on Rhode Island’s children and uses it to change or influence public policies and programs to improve children’s lives.

The Rhode Island Council of Churches gathers denominations, congregations, organizations, faith leaders, and individuals to serve as a catalyst for ecumenical, cultural, and interfaith dialogue. The council shares resources and advocates for peace and social justice.

Students enrolled in the Roger Williams University Immigration Law Clinic represent immigrants who are in need and seeking lawful permanent residence in the United States or defense from removal proceedings. In addition to case representation, students conduct “Know Your Rights” presentations for immigrant communities in Rhode Island and for non-citizens who are detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the Bristol County House of Corrections in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Contact information for the Clinic’s director, Deborah Gonzalez, can be found here.

The SEIU RI State Council coordinates activities of the Rhode Island divisions of the Services Employees International Union. The SEIU is the nation’s largest health care union, the largest property services union, and the second largest public employee union.

Local chapters:
SEIU Healthcare 1199NE
SEIU Local 580

Sojourner House aims to promote healthy relationships by providing culturally-sensitive support, advocacy, and education for victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence, as well as by effecting systemic change. Its resources page, including contact information, is located here.

The purpose of the Truth in Immigration Project is to research labor needs in the U.S.—past, present, and future—as well as how the immigration system works and accommodates, or fails to accommodate, these labor needs. By making this knowledge available to people, the Truth in Immigration Project hopes to affect the national discussion around immigration. The objective is to change people’s attitudes toward immigrants and force the conversation about immigration to consider the U.S.’s labor needs.