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Megan Smith was driving to work on Providence’s heavily traveled Broad Street one fall afternoon when she saw something in the road. It took her a second or two to realize that “something” was a man.

Mayor Jorge Elorza announced funding opportunities for residents looking for both down payment assistance for home purchases and loans for home repairs.

“I was looking for a better way of life and a better education for my son,” Lisbeth Matos Cruz said, when she left Puerto Rico. They lived with a relative in Rhode Island initially, but then circumstances grew intolerable.

Ten years ago, a group of 29 faith leaders and advocacy organizations in Rhode Island got together and formed the Rhode Island Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty.

Homelessness in Rhode Island is on the rise. The state saw a 1.7 percent increase in homelessness this year according to a new report by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Statewide, 1,180 people experienced homelessness on a single day earlier this year. Nearly 400 were children in homeless families; almost 100 were veterans. Of even greater concern, Rhode Island’s chronically homeless population nearly doubled, increasing from 136 to 240.

The Town of Cumberland seeks a Town Planner to work in a municipal office environment that encourages collaboration and opportunity for professional growth. The Town Planner’s principal responsibility is to propose, prepare, administer and maintain records for Community Development Block Grant projects and programs as well as grants from other private, state and federal sources. He/she will prepare status reports on all grant projects; insure that funded projects are in compliance with local, State and Federal regulations; and perform related work as required.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac today each revealed their final plans to confront the growing U.S. affordable housing crisis. The low inventory of affordably prices homes continues to shrink, and Freddie Mac announced its plan focuses on supporting underserved markets by financing more rural and manufactured homes. With this effort, the company hopes to preserve affordable housing for homebuyers and renters across the U.S.

Bill Bentley is helping people, and he is helping the town. The administrator the Spencer Trust has, for the last seven months, been helping people locate the services and finances to improve their lives. For some people, it’s a no-interest loan for home improvements. For others, it’s a grant to build a new walkway in their yard.

Joshua Gorra, Managing Director of Strategies for Wealth, and Laura Jaworski, Executive Director of House of Hope, joined us to share how they are teaming up to fight homelessness in Rhode Island this holiday season.

Rhode Island’s homeless population will be especially vulnerable as temperatures remain cold, and space in local shelters is already in short supply. Shelters swell past capacity in the winter months. For Karen Santilli, head of Crossroads Rhode Island, which operates one of the state’s largest shelters, that can mean some people have to sleep in the dining hall at the nonprofit’s Providence headquarters.