About Us
We are a community organizing agency committed to changing public policies that keep people in poverty.
Our Philosophy
The George Wiley Center is, in the short term, ‘a voice for the voiceless’ but our enduring task is to help them find their own voice, to speak out for their own legitimate basic needs and not let those in power treat them as powerless, for they are not powerless once they recognize that their numbers count, that their voices count, that their moral worth as human beings as residents of the United States count.
And they, and the George Wiley Center, have already won some victories.
But ours is a continuing struggle. That there are challenges that we, and the people we serve face.
Following the lead of George Wiley, himself we will continue — as we have for more than 20 years — to be one of the few civic groups to organize for economic and social justice those that our rich nation has turned its back on.
Issues we are currently working on:
- An affordable energy plan for low-income, disabled and elderly Rhode Islanders.
- A realistic arrearage plan for low-income utility customers.
- Increasing protection from utility shut-offs to households with children under 6 years of age.
- Defending and ensuring the right of appeal for people who have had their utilities shut off.
- A simplified Food Stamp application and recertification process with an increase in DHS personnel to reach the 44% of eligible people currently not receiving benefits.
- Universal free breakfast in all school districts.
- Increasing the refundable portion of the RI state earned income tax credit to benefit 44,000 low income families.