Event Description:

In this workshop we will provide an overview of the eligibility and application processes for the key work supports for low and moderate income families and individuals:  RIte Care/RIte Share, Child Care Assistance Program, SNAP and the Earned Income Tax Credit.  We will also review key provisions of the RI Works Program that relate to workforce development and to receipt of cash assistance benefits.  Finally, we will demonstrate the Poverty Institute’s Guide To Government Assistance Programs, an on-line tool that can help staff refer families and individuals to a variety of resources to help meet basic needs.

Presenters:  Linda Katz and/or Rachel Flum from The Poverty Institute

Dates:                 9/15/11, 9am-12pm at the Warwick Public Library

                           9/22/11, 9am-12pm at the Woonsocket Public Library

                           9/26/11, 1:30pm-4:30pm at the Newport Public Library

*Please note: Tickets are only available for the exact date and time specified at each location.

Locations:          Warwick Public Library, 9/15/11

                          600 Sandy Lane

                          Warwick, RI 02889 (map)

                          Woonsocket Public Library, 9/22/11

                          303 Clinton St.

                          Woonsocket, RI 02895 (map)

                          Newport Public Library

                          300 Spring St.

                          Newport, RI 02840 (map)

Trainer Bios:

Linda Katz, JD, Co-Founder, The Poverty Institute

Linda Katz, Esq. is the Policy Director and, along with Nancy Gewirtz, co-founder of The Poverty Institute. Linda is responsible for legislative and policy analysis and advocacy on a range of public benefits and programs, including welfare, health care, child care, and employment and training. Linda is the primary author of the Rhode Island Standard of Need and the Guide to Government Assistance Programs. Before joining The Poverty Institute full-time in 2001, Linda was the Health Policy Director at the RI Health Center Association. She has also served as the director of the RI Disability Law Center and as a staff attorney at RI Legal Services. Linda received her J.D. from Boston College and undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester.

Rachel Flum, Policy Analyst, The Poverty Institute

Rachel focuses on legislative and policy analysis on a range of public benefits and programs, including cash assistance, child care, and child support. She is also one of the primary authors of the Rhode Island Standard of Need.  Rachel joined The Poverty Institute staff in 2004 after moving to the area from Washington D.C. where she worked on TANF legislation on behalf of Catholic Charities USA and on children's issues for Senator Kennedy's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.  Rachel has a bachelor of arts from Wellesley College and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center.