Help after prison or jail in Rhode Island
We've found 10 places in Rhode Island for people after prison or jail, mostly in Providence and Pawtucket, and 8 that serve the whole state. Our volunteers haven't confirmed these yet, so a quick call ahead is worth it. Most of them help with shelter & housing (4), food (4) and benefits & cash (4).
Places in Rhode Island
United Way 211 Rhode Island
Free statewide information line that routes callers to housing, food, utility help, childcare, mental health, and addiction treatment resources. Trained Rhode Island staff answer around the clock and can bring in interpreters.
Reentry Services Unit
Discharge planners assigned to people nearing release from the ACI build a transition plan covering housing, mental health, medical care, substance use treatment, and medication-assisted treatment. Contracted agencies continue follow-up after release.
Amos House
South Providence hospitality center with the state's largest soup kitchen, a 90-day recovery-based shelter, job training, and a walk-in social services desk that helps with birth certificates, state IDs, mail, and clothing. No ID or proof of need is required for meals.
OpenDoors Resource Center
Reentry hub run largely by formerly incarcerated staff. Helps anyone with a criminal record get a Social Security card, birth certificate, or free state ID voucher, use a temporary mailing address, sign up for Coordinated Entry or recovery housing, and connect with a peer recovery coach or job program.
Rhode Island Legal Services
Free civil legal aid for low-income Rhode Islanders in eviction defense, public benefits denials, consumer debt, family safety and protective orders, and veterans' issues. Applicants are screened for income and case type before an attorney is assigned.
State ID Card
Explains how a Rhode Island resident without a driver's license gets a state photo ID: one proof of identity, a Social Security number or SSA ineligibility letter, and two proofs of Rhode Island address. Free for people 59 and older; checks not accepted.
Center for Vital Records
State office for certified birth, death, and marriage certificates. Rhode Island births from 1960 on can also be pulled at any city or town hall. Bring a government photo ID, or two documents showing your name and current address if you have none.
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)
Monthly food benefits on an EBT card for low-income households. Apply online, by phone, by paper, or at a DHS regional office; most applicants get a phone interview and a decision within 30 days, or within 7 days if they have almost no cash or income.
BH Link
Rhode Island's 24/7 walk-in crisis center for adults in a mental health or substance use crisis. No appointment or referral needed; staff assess, stabilize, and link people to treatment and community supports as an alternative to the emergency room.
Blackstone Valley Community Action Program
Community action agency for Pawtucket, Central Falls, Cumberland, Lincoln, and Woonsocket. Staff help residents with emergency assistance, heating and weatherization, housing, family services, and education and job training, and reflect the languages of the neighborhoods served.
National lines that work in Rhode Island
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988 for any mental health or substance use crisis. Available to anyone in any program.
Lifeline free phone program
Free or discounted phone and service for people on Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, or low income. Apply online or through a carrier.