Religious leaders from across Rhode Island gathered in the statehouse Tuesday to urge lawmakers to deal with poverty. Members of various faith groups stood under the dome of the Statehouse asking lawmakers not to forget the homeless, hungry and poor during the 2019 general assembly session.
“We ask them to stop housing discrimination; stop landlords from refusing to rent to families who must rely on government subsidies, such as section 8 housing choice vouchers, veterans benefits, and other housing pricing support,” said Victoria Strang, director of the Rhode Island Interfaith Coalition.
Additionally the group is hoping for a fifteen dollar minimum wage and a permanent no-fare busing system for the elderly and disabled.
And even as Congress continues to deadlock over the question of a border wall, in Rhode Island advocates are pushing for more support for undocumented immigrants, pushing for driver’s licenses for undocumented residents.
“Give undocumented Rhode Islanders a chance to travel to their jobs, and care for their children,” Strang said. “Make our roads safer by assuring that all people regardless of their immigration status can be an insured driver.”
In 2018, the state extended the availability of driver’s licenses to DACA recipients, the young people brought by their parents into the country without documentation.