Pictured from left: RIHEBC Executive Director Kim Mooers, Candace Johndrow, Vice President of the Hope Division of Family Services of RI, RIHEBC Board Chair Channavy Chhay

On December 12th, the Rhode Island Health and Educational Building Corporation (RIHEBC) presented a ceremonial $92,647 Capital Grant Program check to Middletown’s Lucy’s Hearth to cover the cost of replacing HVAC units and related equipment providing heat and air conditioning for the shelter’s 15 family apartments, web server room, and staff rooms.

“We’re pleased to present this Capital Grant to Lucy’s Hearth so they can invest in new HVAC systems to ensure that the families experiencing homelessness that rely on the shelter are in comfortable family apartments,” said Kim Mooers, Executive Director of RIHEBC in a statement. “Helping our state’s health and educational organizations meet their facilities needs is RIHEBC’s core mission, and that’s exactly what this Capital Grant will allow Lucy’s Hearth to do.”

RIHEBC’s Capital Grant Program assists eligible institutions in completing capital projects or making equipment purchases that are critical to advancing their missions.

“On behalf of our entire Lucy’s Hearth team, I want to thank RIHEBC for this Capital Grant which will allow us to make badly needed HVAC upgrades to our facility so that families experiencing homelessness in our area have a warm and comfortable emergency and temporary shelter space,” said Ashley Salemi Tarvis, Executive Director of Lucy’s Hearth in a statement.

Lucy’s Hearth is a 24-hour emergency and transitional shelter in Newport County serving children and their families who are experiencing homelessness.

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...

Leave a comment

We welcome relevant and respectful comments. Off-topic comments may be removed.