In the spirit of the season, NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley would like to extend our sincere thanks to area partner Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island!
Thanks to BCBSRI’s dedication to our organization over the years, NWBRV has consistently been able to provide superior support to our residents–and their admirable work in aiding our organization hasn’t come to a 2022 close just yet. Due to a recent generous Blue Angel Community Investor grant, NWBRV’s Resident Service and Community Engagement, a relatively new department, has been able to flourish.
Addressing several pressing needs on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, the goal of our new department is to advance the impact our community-based housing solutions to ensure financial stability and health of residents living in NWBRV’s affordable housing. Helping to sustain acquired affordable housing has become an integral component of our organization, as the weight of the last three years has landed heavily upon the shoulders of many in our Woonsocket community. In working closely with residents of all ages, NWBRV has been able to help each and every household to develop a clear plan for their time in NeighborWorks housing and act as a trusted ally connecting them with available resources.
“The Resident Services team advocates for residents within our organization,” Jen Vincent, NWBRV Director of Resident Service & Community Engagement said. “We connect residents to programs that subsidize utility bills, provide affordable childcare, or help develop job skills.”
Working closely with NWBRV’s HomeOwnership Center, the Resident Services team often refers residents to their in-house financial well-being and coaching programs. Focusing on how to best support residents, the initial efforts of the Resident Services team has included direct outreach to residents about programs that could lower their heating and internet bills this winter. Thanks to support from BCBSRI, and their investment in human to human contact, families throughout northern RI will have heat in their homes this winter.
“Thanks to the support of BCBSRI, myself along with our AmeriCorps members have been able to provide NWBRV residents with a massive amount of support. There are many federal and state programs designed to help our lowest-income neighbors. Accessing these programs is a challenge for many people. Our goal is to earn our neighbor’s confidence by providing high-quality resource navigation; our hope is that our work will make a positive, meaningful change in our neighbor’s daily lives.”
Jen Vincent, NWBRV Director of Resident Service and Community Engagement
“NWBRV is doing important work to provide affordable housing all throughout the Blackstone Valley and BCBSRI is proud to support the new Resident Service and Community Engagement department in directly assisting residents with financial and other challenges to maintain their affordable and high quality housing,” said Carolyn Belisle, BCBSRI managing director of corporate social responsibility. “At BCBSRI, we know that health depends on many factors outside of healthcare and one of our top priorities is partnering with community organizations on housing initiatives. The health and well-being of our communities depends upon safe, stable, and affordable housing for all.”
Without support from area partners like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island, so many aspects of our mission here at NeighborWorks wouldn’t be possible. The generosity of our neighborhood partners makes all of the difference in the tangible implementation of our programs and initiatives. We’d like to express our sincere gratitude towards BCBSRI for their continued partnership.
For more information on the Resident Services and Community Engagement program, please contact Jennifer Dalton Vincent, Director of Resident Services and Community Engagement at jvincent@nwbrv.org or Noely Quinones, Accessing Home AmeriCorps Member at nquinones@nwbrv.org.
