One of the first things you will need when returning to your community is a phone, especially important when you are looking for a job or an apartment. You can call, text, email, and search the internet on a smart phone. Cell phones can be quite expensive but there are free government phones for people who qualify. The service is called Lifeline wireless service. To be eligible, you need to be receiving a form of state or federal public assistance such as Supplemental Social Security income (SSI), aid from the Family Independence Program (welfare), the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP/food stamps), the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or Medicaid health insurance.  There are a variety of Lifeline wireless service providers in Rhode Island and not all of their phone plans are the same. To see a list of providers and what they offer, go to the RI Public Utilities website at: http://www.ripuc.ri.gov/utilityinfo/telecom/Lifeline.html