Providence, RI- Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green announced that the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) has awarded grants to eight school districts this year to support homeless students. School districts selected include Central Falls, Middletown, Newport, North Kingstown, Providence, Warwick, West Warwick and Woonsocket. 

“Our students who are experiencing homelessness or are housing insecure have additional stressors outside of their classroom,” said Commissioner Infante-Green. “Now, more than ever, it is important to provide our local communities with the critical resources to support these students and their families unique needs.”

Each school district who was awarded a grant or grant renewal had to demonstrate a well-developed project that facilitates the enrollment, attendance, and success in school for students experiencing homeless. The projects have to show that each school district provides temporary, special, and supplementary services to meet the unique needs of homeless students. Funding decisions are based on need and quality of each school district's application.

Grants are awarded based on factors including:

• Involvement of parents or guardians of homeless students in the education of their children
• Extent to which students will be integrated within the regular education program
• Quality of the school district's evaluation plan for the program
• Extent to which services provided under this grant will be coordinated with other services available to homeless students and their families in the community
• Extent to which the proposed use of funds will facilitate the enrollment, retention, and educational success of homeless students; demonstrated coordination with other local and state agencies that serve homeless students
• Other measures indicative of a high-quality program, such as providing case management or related services to unaccompanied youth 

The successful school districts and subgrant amounts are listed below: 

Central Falls: $33,225.65 

Middletown: $39,937.64

Newport: $40,000.00 

North Kingstown: $39,990.81 

Providence: $40,000.00 

Warwick: $30,911.00 

West Warwick: $39,955.66 

Woonsocket: $39,999.77 

Grand total: $304,020.53