The Economic Progress Institute: Rhode Island Standard of Need Research Day Points to the Difficulties of Rhode Islanders Meeting Basic Needs — and the Solutions

Legislators, Economists & Subject Matter Experts Join to Discuss the Challenges Facing Rhode Islanders

From The Economic Progress Institute:

The Economic Progress Institute (EPI) joined today with legislative champion Rep. Arthur Handy and Dr. Christopher West, Executive Director of the African American Museum of Rhode Island, to highlight the difficult realities facing working families — and to note that the solutions to advancing economic security for all Rhode Islanders are well within our grasp.

Held in the House Lounge and hosted by Rep. Handy, the Rhode Island Standard of Need (RISN) Research Day centered on the findings of the 2024 edition of the RISN, EPI’s flagship biennial report. The report’s most basic finding is that even with work support programs such as the Child Care Assistance Program and RI Works factored in, many Rhode Islanders’ wages are simply too low to meet basic living costs such as housing, food, healthcare, and childcare.

“EPI is known for producing research — reports and policy briefs — on various topics related to poverty, income inequality, and social welfare,” said Rep. Handy. “These publications often serve as valuable resources for policymakers like me, journalists, and advocates. I find the Standard of Need report to be particularly helpful for centering on the goal of economic and racial justice in Rhode Island — and how to get there.”

“The African American Museum of Rhode Island, which preserves and exhibits the cultural heritage, art, and artifacts of the communities of color that have come to call the Ocean State home over the centuries, has used the data of the 2024 Rhode Island Standard of Need report to launch an important workforce development program for our youth,” said Dr. Christopher West, Executive Director of the African American Museum of Rhode Island. “We have created an internship program through which a young person from the community will help us collect stories from elders that otherwise would be lost to history. Along with gaining technical acumen in direct museum skills, our intern will be supported with literacy and career development opportunities. And we will pay them $23.47 an hour, which, as EPI observes in its report, is the basic needs wage for a single adult Rhode Islander without children.”

“For 25 years, EPI has been documenting how hard it is for low-wage and modest-wage Rhode Islanders to make ends meet, and it’s not getting any easier — they’re working really hard but can’t seem to catch a break,” said EPI Executive Director Weayonnoh Nelson-Davies, Esq. “We need Rhode Island’s leaders to create policies and strengthen social safety nets to make it possible for everyday people to live a little less stressfully. The chaos and cruelty of the federal government makes this an even more urgent plea.”

“For the 2024 edition of the report, we introduced a number of new features,” said Alan Krinsky, EPI’s Director of Research and Fiscal Policy and lead author of the report. “For the first time, the report shares county-level data, providing a more detailed picture of how costs vary across Rhode Island. We also present data from two different family budget calculators available online, for 10 different family types and for older Rhode Islanders. Finally, we include a retrospective analysis of a quarter-century of the state’s support of cash assistance and child care assistance. The report shows that there has been a remarkable disinvestment of state funds in these programs. We should reinvest in these priorities which help low-income and modest-income Rhode Islanders make ends meet, providing a foundation for pursing opportunities and prosperity.”