Warwick Cares.Org
Bringing Support to Families and Unaccompanied Youth
Warwick Schools is excited to announce the Warwick Cares.org website app developed as a resource for our McKinney Vento families and unaccompanied youth. It provides links to local community resources that make finding help quick and easy.
The idea for Warwick Cares came after completing a needs survey from the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) to help get ideas for spending special federal funds on innovative, supplemental services. The results showed a need for outreach services. Our McKinney Vento liaison found the prototype for the Warwick Cares app from a site called BigBurgh. After contacting the developer, we were able to create and now launch WarwickCares.org.
Although it is technically a website, it looks like an app on your phone. It can be accessed by either following the link on the Warwick Public Schools website main page or by simply putting Warwickcares.org in a browser. Once there, simply tap on a category of person(s) and then press the services button in the center. The next screen appears with service categories such as pantry supplies, overnight shelter, housing crisis, etc. Tap the icon for a service. It may be necessary to enter a location such as a local zip code to access maps. All services that are available for that category will be shown. Information provided for each service includes the name, address, description, hours of operation, and phone number. Tap on Directions to open a Google map. It’s as simple as that.
At the bottom of the screen are two additional services. Live help is a direct link to Warwick Public School’s McKinney Vento liaison. This link should only be used if you are a homeless family or unaccompanied youth in the Warwick Public Schools. The other service is Crisis Lines and Safe Places. It provides direct communication links to crisis lines such as domestic violence, suicide prevention, etc. This link will be live soon.
While WarickCares.org was created for our McKinney Vento families and unaccompanied youth, we feel that it is a resource that any family might find useful. After looking through the app, if you have additional resources you think would be helpful please contact Dr. Anne Siesel @ anne.siesel@warwickschools.org.
We want to build on what we have started and want to update with any and all new information.
Watch the following short video for a demonstration.