Community Engagement

The COVID-19 pandemic created an economic and public health crisis, especially felt in Providence’s hardest hit communities. People of color, immigrants and low-wage workers in Providence, and across the state, have been deeply impacted.

That is why the City of Providence is committed to a recovery that centers racial equity, sustainability, and an inclusive economy. The Providence Rescue Plan is part of a larger federal coordinated effort to bring direct and immediate relief to families and workers.

In May 2021, the City of Providence created the COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency Task Force, made up of Providence community leaders, to provide recommendations on how to use the City’s ARPA funds, with a commitment to community engagement and ensuring that funding goes where it is needed most.

In addition to the work of the Task Force, the City of Providence directly engaged community members through surveys and business roundtables to inform spending decisions. Learn more about the findings of this community engagement process below.

Providence Rescue Plan Survey Results

The following two dashboards show the results of the Providence Rescue Plan survey. You can learn more about more about the community input process the City undertook to collect these results on our FAQ page.

Past events:

  • Providence Rescue Plan Community Conversation hosted by ARISE and South Providence Neighborhood Association 
    • WHEN: Wednesday, September 22, 2021, 5:30-7:00 PM  
    • WATCH: Video Recording
  • Providence COVID-19 Recovery Anchor Business Roundtable Discussion 
    • WHEN: Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 5:00-6:30 PM  
    • WATCH: Video Recording
  • Providence Rescue Plan Community Conversation hosted by Facilitate Change 
  • Providence COVID-19 Recovery Small Business Roundtable Discussion  
  • Providence Rescue Plan Community Conversation hosted by the Latino Policy Institute
  • Providence Rescue Plan Community Conversation hosted by the NAACP Providence Branch
  • Providence Rescue Plan Community Conversation hosted by Direct Action for Rights and Equality (DARE) 
    • WHEN: Thursday, September 30, 2021, 6:00-8:00 PM  
    • WHERE: DARE Parking Lot at 340 Lockwood Street, Providence, RI 02907

COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency Task Force

On May 6, 2021, the Providence City Council passed a resolution, introduced by Councilwomen LaFortune, establishing the City of Providence COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency Task Force. This resolution charges the Task Force to “balance a long and short term equitable and impactful deployment of stimulus relief funds in the City of Providence” as well as to “provide guidance and make recommendations to the city government” about the use of the $166 million received by Providence as part of the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF).

Mayor Elorza and Providence City Council worked to appoint this 14-member Task Force, composed of community leaders representing a wide array of interests and expertise who began meeting on July 23, 2021.

Each Task Force meeting was open to the public. You can see past meetings on the Open Meetings Portal.

 

On November 12, 2021 the Task Force voted to approve the following report detailing their recommendations to the City on the allocation of Providence’s American Rescue Plan funds.

Meet the Task Force

Kristin Adamo

President and CEO, Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau

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Angie Ankoma

Co-Chair

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Peter Asen

Director of Strategy and Development, Providence Housing Authority

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Shannon Carroll

President & CEO, Genesis Center

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Sabrina Chaudhary

Founder of Stay Silent

Bio Coming Soon
Paige Clausius-Parks

Paige Clausius-Parks

Senior Policy Analyst at Rhode Island KIDS COUNT
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Mayor Jorge O. Elorza

Mayor, City of Providence

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Jim Karam

President, CEO, and founder, First Bristol Corporation

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Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune

Providence City Council Member

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Oscar Mejias

Co-Chair

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Diana Perdomo

Chief of Policy and Executive Director of Recovery

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Julian Drix, MPH

Co-Director, Health Equity Institute at the Rhode Island Department of Health

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Jaychele Schenck

Co-Founder and Executive Director, Gen Z: We Want To Live

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Larry Warner, MPH

 Chief Impact and Equity Officer, United Way of Rhode Island

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