Warwick Office Update Due to facility maintenance, the DHS regional office at 195 Buttonwoods Ave., Warwick, will only be open for document drop-offs until further notice. All planned appointments and customer interviews at the Warwick office have been rescheduled for other times, locations, or over the phone. The Customer Portal (healthyrhode.ri.gov), the mobile app, the Call Center (1-855-697-4347), and other regional offices remain available.
SUN Bucks Update Families who received SUN Bucks benefits for their eligible school-age child on July 1, 2024 have until October 30 to use the benefits on their EBT or SUN Bucks card(s). These benefits were issued over the summer, automatically with some exceptions, to eligible school-age children who would have received free or reduced priced lunch during the regular school year. These extra benefits will be removed from cards if they are not used by October 30. Additional information about SUN Bucks is available online here: https://dhs.ri.gov/programs-and-services/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/supplemental-nutrition-10
Interpretation Services Available If you are seeking information about DHS programs and services in a language other than English, please be advised that interpretation services and/or interpreters are available to you at no cost. Persons with disabilities requiring another form of communication, such as auxiliary aids for hearing and the visually impaired, can inform DHS about their needs so appropriate accommodations can be made.
Refugee Assistance Program Working with Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island, Diocese of Providence, and the Refugee Dream Center, the three official resettlement agencies in the state, the Refugee Resettlement program helps refugees and their families obtain employment, economic self-sufficiency and social integration within the shortest possible time after their arrival in Rhode Island. These services include resettlement and placement, cultural transition, language education, job development, and social services. Immigration and National Act The federal Immigration and Nationality Act defines a "refugee" as a "person who is outside their home country and who is unable or unwilling to return to that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion." Refugees is a very specific immigration status. People who have had to flee their homes because of violence and persecution are given "refugee" status by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and are invited to the United States by the U.S. Department of State after living, sometimes for several years, in refugee camps around the world. Once the resettlement process can take from 18 to 24 months. Besides extensive medical screenings and treatment, all refugees are subject to the highest level of security checks of any category of traveler to the United States, involving the National Counterterrorism Center, the FBI including its Terrorist Screening Center, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State, and the Department of Defense. Refugees in Rhode Island Refugees come to Rhode Island from 20 to 30 countries, evenly divided among men and women, ranging in ages from infants to 80. In recent years, the number of refugees entering Rhode Island has fluctuated between 100 and 345 per year. Learn more about the DHS benefits that refugees are eligible for and other resources by clicking on the links below. Refugee DHS Benefits Refugee Resources State Refugee Coordinator: Baha Sadr Phone: 401-462-2073 Email: baha.sadr@dhs.ri.gov