Financial Help
Am I Experiencing Abuse?
Services to
Support You
Legal Protections and Resources
Financial Help
Basic Needs
The Community Action Program in your area may be able to assist you with basic emergency needs through food banks, meal sites, referrals to clothing and furniture banks, rent and mortgage assistance, and emergency shelter.
Click here for a list of Rhode Island Community Action Programs.
Crime Victim Compensation
If you are the victim in a domestic violence criminal case, you may be eligible to register with the Crime Victim Compensation Program.
Please visit the Crime Victim Compensation Program webpage to learn more about who qualifies for the program and to access an application.
Emergency Loans
If you are looking for an emergency loan, the Capital Good Fund offers a lower-interest “Payday Loan (Cash Advance) Alternative Program,” supported by the United Way of Rhode Island.
Financial Literacy
According to the Allstate Foundation, financial abuse is a factor in almost 99% of abusive relationships. Surveys of survivors show that concerns over their ability to financially support themselves and their children were often one of the top reasons for remaining in or returning to an abusive relationship.
The Allstate Foundation offers a financial literacy curriculum specifically for survivors of domestic violence.
The curriculum includes:
- Strategies for addressing the complex financial and safety challenges of ending a relationship with an abusive partner.
- Information on how to protect personal and financial safety in an abusive relationship and after ending an abusive relationship.
- Methods for dealing with the misuse of financial records.
- Tools to help people of all incomes and earning power work toward long-term economic empowerment, including budgeting tools, step-by-step planners, and more.
This curriculum is offered through our member agencies and by other service providers in the community. You can also access it online here.
RIWORKS & FVOAP
The Family Violence Option Advocacy Program (FVOAP) assists clients of the RI Department of Human Services (DHS) who are victims/survivors of domestic violence.
The FVOAP works with DHS, the RICADV, RIWorks (RI’s cash assistance program), and the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). Through the FVOAP, clients may be able to obtain a waiver from certain requirements of the RIWorks program or Child Care Assistance Program. The FVOAP also assists victims/survivors with safety planning and provides referrals to various programs and services throughout the state.
For more information about the FVOAP, you can view a brochure in English or Spanish.
Contact an FVOAP advocate:
Providence & Pawtucket DHS*
Work Cell Number: 401-256-3758 or 401-256-3759
Office Number: 401-236-8357 or 401-236-8359
Middletown, Wakefield, & Warwick DHS
Work Cell Number: 401-595-1760
Office Number: 401-236-8342
Woonsocket DHS*
Work Cell Number: 401-536-4681
Office Number: 401-236-8353
*Bilingual advocates available at these offices
Helpline Available 24/7
The confidential statewide Helpline can be reached by calling 1-800-494-8100 or using the online chat here. The Helpline is for all victims of violent crime, including domestic and dating abuse, and those looking for more information to help a victim of violence