BankRI Awards $2,000 Grant For Homeless Shelter Upkeep

Bank Rhode Island (BankRI) has awarded a $2,000 grant to Family Resources Community Action.

serves low-income individuals and families in the city of Woonsocket and the greater Northern RhodeIsland region. The agency’s mission is to strengthen families and individuals through social services,education, and economic opportunity while respecting the dignity of the people they serve.

Family Resources Community Action’s Woonsocket Shelter serves more than 10,000 people annually providingover 30 programs to the most vulnerable families in Rhode Island. The Shelter provided 24,339 bednights of shelter last fiscal year. Although the stay at the shelter is traditionally limited to 90 days,continued economic conditions have contributed to an average stay of six months.

The agency’s Woonsocket Shelter experiences a significant degree of wear and tear on their furnishings and supplies due to the numbers they serve. The BankRI grant will assist with the replacement of ceiling fans for resident bedrooms and living areas to enhance the comfort level for the adults and children living at the Woonsocket Shelter.

The Shelter is more than a place to stay; it also provides case managers to the residents to assist with basic needs such as food, clothing, and healthcare.

Residents also attend life skills training on parenting,budgeting, nutrition, employment, conflict resolution, and stress & time management. This training helps families develop and improve basic life skills which are pertinent to their success.

“Family Resources Community Action provides opportunity for those individuals and families affected by homelessness, to transition to safe permanent housing, through education and assistance. We at BankRIare proud to support Family Resources Community Action with their mission to help Rhode Island familiescombat homelessness,” said Mark Meiklejohn, President and CEO of BankRI.

“We greatly appreciate the grant support of BankRI to help strengthen the Woonsocket Homeless Shelter. This support comes at a critical time. The need for emergency housing has soared due to the difficult economy, while funding has been cut. The Woonsocket Shelter serves over 300 individuals a year, overhalf of them children. In addition to emergency housing, families are linked to services such as basic needs support, employment and training and financial literacy to help them transition to safe, permanenthousing. BankRI’s continued support has made a real difference in the lives of the most vulnerablefamilies,” said Ben Lessing, Family Resources Community Action Executive Director.

Bank Rhode Island, a wholly owned subsidiary of Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRKL), is a full-service, FDIC-insured financial institution headquartered in Providence. The bank operates 17 branchesand more than 60 ATMs throughout Providence, Kent and Washington Counties.