The problem they've fallen victim to is that RI (and the northeast, in general) had an affordable housing crisis. That's not going to change anytime soon. Logically, relocating to some place with a lower cost of living and no housing crisis, would benefit them. Jackson, Michigan, as an example. You can literally buy a whole house for under $100k, and it's a city of 30k+ people, with job opportunities and support services like food pantries, head start, housing programs, etc. My point is, it's very expensive to live in RI under the best of circumstances, and these people shouldn't have to struggle like they are. There are better opportunities for them.