Warren HEZ
Who We Are
Established in July 2021, the Warren HEZ is a place-based collaborative created to reduce and eliminate obstacles to health and wellness. The Rhode Island Department of Health provides seed funding for the Warren HEZ which is supported by East Bay Community Action Program (EBCAP) as its backbone agency.
Community-Driven
Warren HEZ is a resident-led effort and is seeking neighbors and professionals to build work plans and groups. Our current focus areas are:
- Strengthening Food Systems
- Promoting Development of Housing That is Affordable
- Diversifying Behavioral Health/Substance Use Supports
- Increasing Resident Engagement in Environmental Issues
- Supporting Families with Children and Young Adults
A Steering Committee — that represents the makeup of the community, including residents, community organizations and the Town — supports and guides the Warren HEZ.
Connect & Collaborate
The HEZ has an active Steering Committee and five priority areas:
Housing & Lack of Housing: Warren has a total housing stock that is about evenly divided between single-unit and multi-unit dwellings. The 61% proportion of residents who own homes is significantly higher than the 39% who rent. However, the proportion of renters in Census Tract 305 is much higher at 69% than the 31% of homeowners.
Median income shows a divide between the incomes of owners versus renters in the region, especially in Warren. The median household income for Warren homeowners is $112,858 while the median income for Warren renters is $39,313, the lowest median income for renters in the region (Warren Housing Production Plan, Weston & Sampson; 2022 Five-year American Community Survey). Twenty percent of homeowners and 48% of renters are “cost burdened,” meaning that more than a third of their income is needed to cover their housing costs. In Warren, 22% of renters are “severely cost burdened,” spending more than half of their household income for housing.
HEZ partners to address these conditions by serving on the Affordable Housing Committee and is currently implementing a 3-year Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing grant (PRO-Housing). PRO-Housing activities include listening and design sessions, distributing a resident-informed set of action plans publication, and convening and recruiting local advocates. Community Health Workers are placed in settings that serve low-income households and connect them with resources and navigation supports to reduce Housing Cost Burden.
Our housing priority intersects with the many concerns as well as attempts to manage the impact of flooding, extreme weather, and sea level rise, such as the Warren’s Market to Metacom plan. WHEZ has formed relationships with the Senior Center, the local food pantry, and the library — locations where the majority of residents in urgent need request help to maintain or find secure shelter.
Food Insecurity: Warren is a low income/low access town whose residents are more than 1/2 mile from an affordable food source, previously called a food desert. Participation at the local St. Mary of the Bay food pantry has increased dramatically, due in part to the discontinuation of COVID-19 nutrition related benefits. Local pantry data points to a rise in need from families with school-age children. Warren HEZ engages with local agencies that provide emergency food distribution and support residents who are income-eligible for resources such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC). We convene a working group in collaboration with Bristol and EP HEZs which connects our mutual activities and leverages relationships to better serve and support residents.
HEZ provides weekly outreach and support to residents and visitors, with a focus on the Senior Center/Housing Authority and shoppers at Warren’s local church-based pantry, where a high number of residents regularly gather and access services.
Safe Biking/Walking, Emergency Response, and Community Resilience: Urgent challenges face Warren due to extreme weather, rising waters, and the impact of increased heat and environmental degradation. At particular risk is Warren’s low-lying Market Street neighborhood, an area dense in moderately priced rentals and residents who rely on public transportation. The Town is addressing the increasing risk of flooding and the threat posed by projected inundation to the community. Planned retreat has also been incorporated into the updated Comprehensive Plan as part of the Town’s long-term resilience strategy. HEZ supports residents by equipping them with tools and the confidence to actively participate in managing emergencies. In cases of extreme heat, improvements can be made by adding trees and subtracting concrete. The Safety & Community Resilience Working Group continues to enhance its commitment to address flooding and relocation plans for residents due to sea level rise. It is also developing strategies to strengthen the community’s resilience to emergencies and other risks.
Families with School-Age Children: WHEZ is proud to maintain a strong relationship with Warren families and children, engaging them regularly in community priorities, programs, and opportunities. Co-located with EBCAP’s Head Start Program at Mary V. Quirk School on Main Street in Warren, WHEZ organizes numerous outreach events throughout the year to help families connect with essential services, resources, and community supports. This includes an annual Week of the Young Child Celebration, hosted in partnership with EBCAP’s Head Start, local service providers, Warren’s emergency responders, and the local library. In 2026, the celebration brought together 220 attendees and more than 20 community partners, who provided families with educational materials, information, and connections to valuable community resources.
Warren HEZ is also a member of the Bristol Warren Thrive by Five and Beyond provider group that supports an annual RI Kids Count Data in Your Backyard presentation. RI Kids Count is a statewide advocacy group that tracks well-being among Rhode Island children. Following are statistics from recent presentations:
- According to the U.S. Census, 1,561 children live in Warren. Approximately 18% of Warren households include children, compared with 29% of households statewide in Rhode Island.
- 40% of children in the Bristol Warren School District live in households below the Federal Poverty Threshold (2024 RI Kids Count data). This is below the state’s level of 54%.
- 2% of Warren children receive medical assistance (i.e., utilize RITE Care for medical insurance).
- 46% of the children participate in Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), a public health program that improves birth outcomes and children’s long term health outcomes.
- In 2024, Warren’s child neglect and abuse victim rate was 15.9 victims per 1,000, higher that both the Rhode Island and the four core city rates. In RI, 80% of cases are neglect, mostly due to the lack of supervision and exposure to domestic violence. (2025 RI Kids Count data).
- According to the RI Kids Count 2026 data, chronic absenteeism among students enrolled in Bristol Warren Regional School District significantly decreased from 29% to 19.5%, which is lower than the state’s 22.1% average.
Outreach
The Warren HEZ is supported through its backbone agency, East Bay Community Action Program (EBCAP), which provides a wide array of health and human services to children, youth, families, adults, and elders. Through its health, education, and social support services, EBCAP helps those in need in communities throughout the East Bay.
Join Us
We are always looking for new Warren HEZ members! We invite Warren residents, community organizations, and local businesses to join and participate in many different ways to help create a healthier, more resilient community. Warren HEZ also welcomes the opportunity to speak to community groups. If you are interested in joining our exciting initiative, or would like to schedule a speaking engagement, please contact Kristin Read, Warren HEZ Project Director, at 401-245-2833, ext. 1635 or email warrenhez@ebcap.org.
HEZ staff provides a warm hand-off to EBCAP services for resources, benefits, and case management. From July 2025 – June 2026, Warren HEZ assisted 70 Warren residents with referrals to essential services and programs.
- 60% of the referrals were seeking assistance with food insecurity
- 27% of referrals were seeking housing, heating, and energy assistance
Other services and support needs included: Disability support services, Medicaid enrollment, Rhode Island Legal Services, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), behavioral health services, and senior services.
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