S 2670Funding & Budget

Making an Appropriation of $850,000 for New Bridges for Haitian Success

Appropriates $850,000 to New Bridges for Haitian Success to acquire residential property for transitional housing for TPS and asylum immigrants.

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Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee Senate Finance

Plain-English Summary

This joint resolution authorizes a state appropriation of $850,000 to New Bridges for Haitian Success, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Providence, Rhode Island. The funding is designated for the 2026-2027 fiscal year and will be drawn from unappropriated funds in the state treasury. The resolution directs the state controller to issue payments to the organization upon the receipt of properly authenticated vouchers.

The primary purpose of this funding is to support the acquisition of residential property to be used as transitional housing. Specifically, this housing will serve immigrants who hold temporary protected status (TPS) and those seeking or holding asylum status. By securing this property, the organization aims to provide stable, temporary living arrangements for vulnerable immigrant populations as they navigate the complexities of the American immigration system and work to establish their lives in Rhode Island.

New Bridges for Haitian Success has operated since 2013, providing core services to the local Haitian community. These services include assistance with immigration status, access to healthcare, housing, employment, food assistance, and adult education programs for English language acquisition. This legislative appropriation directly supports their mission by addressing the critical need for housing among newly arrived or transitioning immigrants, ensuring they have a foundation for success and integration into the wider community.

For younger readers

This bill gives $850,000 to a nonprofit group called New Bridges for Haitian Success. The money will be used to buy a building to provide temporary housing for immigrants who are seeking safety in the United States. This helps them have a safe place to live while they get used to their new lives in Rhode Island.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

Haitian immigrantsImmigrants with Temporary Protected Status (TPS)Asylum seekersNew Bridges for Haitian Success (nonprofit)Rhode Island taxpayers

Impacted communities

Providence

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

Low. The legislature has the standard 'power of the purse' to appropriate state funds to specific nonprofit organizations for public purposes.

Estimated cost

$850,000

Estimated revenue

Not specified

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Provides crucial housing support for vulnerable immigrant and asylum-seeking populations.
Funds a community-based nonprofit with a proven track record of helping marginalized groups.
Addresses the intersection of the housing crisis and immigration challenges.
Supports language and cultural transition services indirectly by stabilizing living situations.
$850,000 may not be sufficient to acquire and maintain adequate residential property in the current Rhode Island real estate market.
Relies on a one-time legislative appropriation rather than establishing a permanent, state-funded transitional housing program.
Directs funding to a single organization rather than creating a broader grant program accessible to multiple immigrant support groups.

For Conservatives

Partners with an existing private non-profit organization rather than expanding a state-run bureaucracy to manage housing.
Helps legal immigrants (those with Temporary Protected Status and asylum status) transition to self-sufficiency.
Potentially reduces long-term reliance on other public assistance programs by stabilizing families early on.
Spends $850,000 of taxpayer money on a specific, narrow demographic rather than general public needs.
Directs state funds to non-citizens during a time when many Rhode Island citizens are also facing severe housing shortages.
Single-organization appropriations (earmarks) bypass competitive bidding processes and may lack long-term state oversight.
May encourage further migration to the state by providing publicly funded housing incentives.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

WHEREAS, New Bridges for Haitian Success, located in Providence, Rhode Island is a nonprofit 501(c)(3), founded by Bernard Georges in 2013, with the primary focus of supporting Haitians navigating their way through a new life in Rhode Island; and

WHEREAS, New Bridges for Haitian Success works tirelessly to give voice to the concerns, fears, hopes, needs and frustrations of the Haitian community and to build bridges with our elected leaders and the wider community to better serve the needs of the Haitian community; and

WHEREAS, New Bridges for Haitian Success focuses on providing core services to the Haitian community in Rhode Island, to include assisting in navigating the complexities and challenges of the American immigration system, and providing guidance in how to answer questions regarding one’s immigration status, assisting clients in their quest for basic human needs which include access to health care, housing, employment, and food assistance, and by providing adult education programs to help Haitians transition from their native French, Haitian- Creole language to English; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That there is hereby appropriated out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated for the fiscal year 2026-2027, the sum of eight hundred fifty thousand dollars ($850,000) for New Bridges for Haitian Success for the purpose of residential property acquisition for transitional housing to support immigrants with temporary protected status (TPS) and asylum status; and the state controller is hereby authorized and directed to draw their orders upon the general treasurer for payment of said sum, or so much thereof as may be from time to time required, upon receipt of properly authenticated vouchers. EXPLANATION BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF JOINTRESOLUTION MAKING AN APPROPRIATION OF $850,0 FOR NEW BRIDGES FOR HAITIAN SUCCESS *** This resolution authorizes the appropriation of $850,000 for New Bridges for Haitian Success for the purpose of residential property acquisition for transitional housing to support immigrants with temporary protected status (TPS) and asylum status.