PROVIDENCE – The entire staff of the Central Providence Unidos organization will be laid off Wednesday, according to a statement by its executive committee.
A total of seven employees, including five from CPU and two other One Neighborhood Builders staff, were given a week’s notice on Nov. 19. They were told by One Neighborhood Builders the layoffs are due to budgetary concerns, but Shelby Mack, who sits on the CPU Executive Committee, said that doesn’t make sense.
The committee, which was not informed or consulted on the terminations, receives reports on grant funding for the organization, Mack said.
“My understanding does not corroborate a financial justification for the cuts,” she said.
In fact, CPU’s initiatives have attracted millions of dollars’ worth investment to central Providence, she said. Some of the biggest contributors include the Nine Neighborhood Fund and Blue Meridian, the latter which has invested about $8 million to date.
Many of the projects being managed by CPU are in progress, addressing issues such as overdose and eviction prevention and air quality. The lack of staff leaves their future in question. “There are hundreds of thousands of dollars in open contracts funding this work unclear what will happen if staff is not here to work on them and more importantly what will happen the projects being funded,” Mack said.
In a written statement to Providence Business News, CEO and President of ONB Peter Chapman said that CPU's work will continue through June 2026, and that they are committed to fulfilling its contractual obligations to CPU and the residents of central Providence. Grant funding for CPU has decreased to the point that ONB had to assume primary financial support for the staff, Chapman said.
"ONB can no longer sustainably fund CPU positions without jeopardizing our ability to carry out our primary affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization mission," he said.
Executive Committee member Jennifer Recinos, a former member of CPU’s Resident Advisory Council, said the organization provided a much-needed staging ground for community members to find solutions to challenges facing central Providence such as housing, job security, education and water quality.
“[CPU] equipped us with the tools to realize that we collectively hold the power to create change in our communities, and that we can hold organizations and politicians accountable for the work they claim to do. With years of groundwork already laid, it is devastating to hear that this team - one so deeply dedicated to this community - was let go at one of the most critical moments in our history,” Recinos said in a press release.
While CPU has been housed at ONB since 2015, the 17-person committee will determine will now be considering a new route forward and ensure these projects are not abandoned. “It’s clear that [ONB] is no longer prioritizing this work, but we know it needs to continue and grow,” Mack said.
Mack hopes that the staff let go by ONB will be able to be rehired to continue their work. “They had collectively dozens of years of work in central Providence and our goal is to keep it as whole as possible, but this is just incredibly disruptive.”
Veer Mudambi is the Special Projects Editor for Providence Business News. He can be reached at mudambi@pbn.com.
