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What people ask for

How many people ask Front Door for each kind of help, where, and when. We keep only counts. We never keep what anyone wrote or who they are.

Staff time and money savedOpen dataFor agencies

Demo dataDemo data, modeled from public data on when people look for help. Our own counts replace it as they grow.

Nothing here is a real count of people. The patterns through the year come from published government and 211 data. The size is made up.

How the demo is madeShow our own counts

Demo data. In the last 12 months, people in Rhode Island asked most about Housing (48%), then Money (17%) and Food (14%). Rising fastest from the week before: Housing, up 2%.

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Time

Rhode Island, Oct 13, 2025 to Oct 11, 2026

Questions
About 6,700Demo data

▲ +1% vs the week before

Needed help this week
About 2,200Demo data
Unmet needNo program and no listed place nearby fit
About 1,100Demo data

Over time. Questions each week, by kind of help.

Demo data

On a phone, the chart shows the last 13. The table has every one.

See the numbers
FoodHousingHealthMoneyCareWorkEducationLegal help, safety and otherTotal
Week of Oct 131766Under 1017Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10125
Week of Oct 201868Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10130
Week of Oct 271867Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10130
Week of Nov 32161Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10127
Week of Nov 102261Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10130
Week of Nov 172361Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10131
Week of Nov 242464Under 1017Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10135
Week of Dec 12467Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10139
Week of Dec 82469Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10142
Week of Dec 152170Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10139
Week of Dec 222070Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10136
Week of Dec 291974Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10141
Week of Jan 51580Under 1020Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10144
Week of Jan 121582Under 1020Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10146
Week of Jan 191581Under 1023Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10148
Week of Jan 261482Under 1025Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10150
Week of Feb 21477Under 1026Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10145
Week of Feb 91383Under 1028Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10152
Week of Feb 161371Under 1030Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10141
Week of Feb 231472Under 1031Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10144
Week of Mar 21566Under 1028Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10138
Week of Mar 91464Under 1028Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10133
Week of Mar 161560Under 1028Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10130
Week of Mar 231562Under 1031Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10135
Week of Mar 301557Under 1034Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10132
Week of Apr 61657Under 1036Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10136
Week of Apr 131757Under 1037Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10137
Week of Apr 201654Under 1032Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10128
Week of Apr 271654Under 1026Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10122
Week of May 41653Under 1022Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10118
Week of May 111751Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10113
Week of May 181752Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10114
Week of May 251752Under 1017Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10113
Week of Jun 11856Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10119
Week of Jun 81856Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10118
Week of Jun 151953Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10118
Week of Jun 221854Under 1017Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10117
Week of Jun 291854Under 1017Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10117
Week of Jul 61854Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10120
Week of Jul 131655Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10118
Week of Jul 201757Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10121
Week of Jul 271758Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10121
Week of Aug 31855Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10120
Week of Aug 101859Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10123
Week of Aug 171859Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10123
Week of Aug 241856Under 1018Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10118
Week of Aug 311856Under 1017Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10117
Week of Sep 72056Under 1017Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10117
Week of Sep 142156Under 1017Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10119
Week of Sep 211960Under 1017Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10121
Week of Sep 281961Under 1017Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10122
Week of Oct 51761Under 1016Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10116

Ranked. Kinds of help, most asked first, with the change from the week before.

  1. 01Housing3,24148% of all▲ +2%
  2. 02Money1,10517% of all0%
  3. 03Food91514% of all0%
  1. 04Legal help76611% of all0%
  2. 05Health3766% of allNot enough
  3. 06Work2143% of allNot enough
  4. 07Safety541% of allNot enough
  5. 08Education18<1% of allNot enough

Change compares the week of Sep 28 with the week of Sep 21. It shows only when both weeks have 10 or more.

See the numbers
Kind of helpQuestionsChange from the week beforeUnmet
Housing3,241+2%728
Money1,1050%133
Food9150%44
Legal help7660%169
Health376Under 10
Work214Under 10
Safety54Under 10
Education18Under 10

By month. Each kind of help's share of all questions, month by month.

Demo data

See the numbers
FoodHousingHealthMoneyCareWorkEducationLegal help, safety and other
November 202517%47%Under 1014%Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10
December 202515%50%5%13%Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10
January 202610%55%5%15%Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10
February 20269%52%5%20%Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10
March 202611%46%5%22%Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10
April 202612%42%6%25%Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10
May 202615%45%6%16%Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10
June 202615%46%6%15%Under 104%Under 10Under 10
July 202614%47%6%15%Under 104%Under 10Under 10
August 202615%47%6%15%Under 102%Under 10Under 10
September 202616%49%6%14%Under 103%Under 10Under 10
October 202615%53%Under 1014%Under 10Under 10Under 10Under 10
  1. 01Housing3,24148.5%
  2. 02Money1,10516.5%
  3. 03Food91513.7%
  4. 04Legal help, safety and other82012.3%
  5. 05Health3765.6%
  6. 06Work2143.2%
  7. 07Education180.3%
  8. CareFewer than 10

Where. Questions by county in Rhode Island.

Demo data

Shading

  • Most questions
  • More
  • Some
  • Fewer
  • Fewer than 10, or none

Most questions

  1. 01Providence County4,079▲ +1%
  2. 02Kent County1,0370%
  3. 03Washington County7930%
  4. 04Newport County471
  5. 05Bristol County309
See the numbers: County
CountyQuestionsThis weekUnmet
Providence County4,0791,381693
Kent County1,037350168
Washington County793277119
Newport County47111752
Bristol County3095842

Rows that say fewer than 10 are hidden on purpose. When only one row would be hidden, a second one is hidden too, so it cannot be worked out from the total.

Urgent and unmet. The share of questions each week that needed help this week, and the share nothing fit.

Demo data

See the numbers
Needed help this weekUnmet need
Week of Oct 1334%17%
Week of Oct 2035%15%
Week of Oct 2734%15%
Week of Nov 332%15%
Week of Nov 1034%15%
Week of Nov 1734%15%
Week of Nov 2432%16%
Week of Dec 133%15%
Week of Dec 834%15%
Week of Dec 1537%17%
Week of Dec 2235%18%
Week of Dec 2934%18%
Week of Jan 533%17%
Week of Jan 1234%16%
Week of Jan 1935%17%
Week of Jan 2631%15%
Week of Feb 235%16%
Week of Feb 932%16%
Week of Feb 1633%16%
Week of Feb 2331%16%
Week of Mar 234%17%
Week of Mar 932%17%
Week of Mar 1633%17%
Week of Mar 2335%16%
Week of Mar 3032%16%
Week of Apr 635%15%
Week of Apr 1331%16%
Week of Apr 2031%16%
Week of Apr 2733%17%
Week of May 431%17%
Week of May 1131%17%
Week of May 1832%18%
Week of May 2534%15%
Week of Jun 133%15%
Week of Jun 833%15%
Week of Jun 1532%14%
Week of Jun 2233%15%
Week of Jun 2933%15%
Week of Jul 634%15%
Week of Jul 1334%16%
Week of Jul 2031%15%
Week of Jul 2731%14%
Week of Aug 329%16%
Week of Aug 1029%17%
Week of Aug 1729%17%
Week of Aug 2434%16%
Week of Aug 3131%17%
Week of Sep 732%15%
Week of Sep 1429%14%
Week of Sep 2132%17%
Week of Sep 2832%17%
Week of Oct 531%18%

Each kind of help. Questions each week for each kind of help, on its own scale.

Demo data

  • Food

  • Housing

  • Money

  • Legal help

See the numbers for every kind of help
FoodHousingMoneyLegal help
Week of Oct 1317661713
Week of Oct 2018681815
Week of Oct 2718671815
Week of Nov 321611814
Week of Nov 1022611816
Week of Nov 1723611816
Week of Nov 2424641717
Week of Dec 124671817
Week of Dec 824691817
Week of Dec 1521701816
Week of Dec 2220701815
Week of Dec 2919741815
Week of Jan 515802015
Week of Jan 1215822015
Week of Jan 1915812315
Week of Jan 2614822515
Week of Feb 214772615
Week of Feb 913832815
Week of Feb 1613713015
Week of Feb 2314723115
Week of Mar 215662816
Week of Mar 914642816
Week of Mar 1615602815
Week of Mar 2315623116
Week of Mar 3015573415
Week of Apr 616573615
Week of Apr 1317573714
Week of Apr 2016543214
Week of Apr 2716542614
Week of May 416532215
Week of May 1117511815
Week of May 1817521815
Week of May 2517521715
Week of Jun 118561815
Week of Jun 818561815
Week of Jun 1519531815
Week of Jun 2218541714
Week of Jun 2918541714
Week of Jul 618541815
Week of Jul 1316551814
Week of Jul 2017571814
Week of Jul 2717581814
Week of Aug 318551815
Week of Aug 1018591814
Week of Aug 1718591814
Week of Aug 2418561814
Week of Aug 3118561714
Week of Sep 720561712
Week of Sep 1421561714
Week of Sep 2119601713
Week of Sep 2819611713
Week of Oct 517611612

How we count. What each number means and what we keep.

A question
When someone asks Front Door their first question, our matching service sorts it: the kind of help, and whether they need it this week. We add one to the count for that kind of help, place and week.
The place
The ZIP code or county the person gave us, if they gave one. We never use an address, a city block or a phone location.
What we keep
The count, and nothing else: not the words, not a name, not an account, not a browser or network address.
Unmet need
No state or federal program fit the question well, and we list no office, nonprofit or food site for that kind of help in the person's county.
Small counts
Any count under 10 shows as fewer than 10, in the charts too. When only one count in a list would be hidden, we hide a second one too.
Not counted
The demo site, questions about Front Door itself, crisis questions and letters.
Weeks
Weeks start on Monday, in UTC. The page reads the counts again at most every 15 minutes.

Read our privacy page

How the demo is made

The demo is a model, not a count. It shows what this page will look like and the kinds of patterns to expect, until our own counts are large enough to replace it.

  • Size: the model assumes 40,000 questions a week across the country. That number is made up so the charts have something to show.
  • Kinds of help: each kind gets a share of all questions and a month by month pattern, read from the published sources below.
  • Places: each state gets its share by population (Census county estimates for 2024), and each county its share of its state.
  • Housing mixes rent help, which is steady through the year, with help paying utility bills, which rises in winter in colder states and in summer in hotter ones.
  • Urgent and unmet shares in the demo are made up, to show how those charts read.
  • A small fixed wobble keeps each week from looking drawn with a ruler. The same choice always draws the same numbers.

Search trends

We looked for Google Trends numbers for searches like food stamps, SNAP, rent help, Medicaid, child care help, utility help, unemployment, food bank and WIC, in English and Spanish. Google does not allow automated reading of its Trends pages, and Google has not published a dataset for these searches, so we did not use Trends. The demo is modeled from published government and 211 data instead, listed below.

Where each pattern comes from

Food
Food help rises in September and again in November and December, and is lowest in February. From the share of 211 requests that were about food, month by month, 2022 to 2024 (Western Pennsylvania's open 211 data, the only month-by-month 211 data we found). In November 2025 many states paid partial SNAP benefits during the federal shutdown; the model does not add that event.
Housing
Rent help peaks in January and again from August to October, with a dip in November, following eviction filings in 43 cities and counties tracked by the Eviction Lab, Tacoma among them. About a third of housing questions are about utility bills (211's national split of housing and utility requests in 2025). In colder states that part follows heating help, highest in January and February; in hotter states it follows help with electric bills, higher from spring to fall; states in between get half of each. The shapes come from 211 requests in Western Pennsylvania, where a winter shutoff ban moves electric requests to spring, so the cooling shape is rough.
Health
Medicaid and CHIP applications are steady through the year, highest in January, from CMS application data for 2018, 2019, 2024 and 2025 (the pandemic years are left out). Marketplace open enrollment, November 1 to January 15, adds to it in Washington.
Money
Money mixes steady cash help with the tax season: a quarter of it follows when people file federal returns (IRS 2025 filing season counts, most from February to April), when Washington's Working Families Tax Credit also opens. The other three quarters are kept flat, because we found no monthly pattern for cash help.
Care
Child care help climbs from May and peaks in August, before school starts, from the share of 211 requests about child care, 2022 to 2024 (Western Pennsylvania; a small sample).
Education
Education help, mostly school supplies, is about three times as high in July and August, from the share of 211 requests about education, 2022 to 2024 (Western Pennsylvania).
Work
Unemployment help peaks in January, rises again in early July and in December, and is lowest in September, from new unemployment claims (not seasonally adjusted) in every state, 2012 to 2019 and 2022 to 2025, Department of Labor.
Legal help
Legal help is close to flat through the year, from the share of 211 requests about legal help, 2022 to 2024 (Western Pennsylvania).
Safety
Safety is close to flat through the year, from 211 requests about domestic violence, 2022 to 2024 (Western Pennsylvania). National hotline research finds calls do not rise over the holidays, so the model adds no holiday spike.

How questions split between kinds of help: housing (with utilities) 48% and food 13%, from United Way's national 211 numbers for 2025 (19 million referrals). The rest is split the way 211 requests split in Western Pennsylvania in 2024, the only full breakdown we found. 211 is a phone line for local help, so Front Door's own mix will differ; our counts will show how.

Sources

  1. 1. 2-1-1 Requests/Referrals (2023-2025) and 2-1-1 Requests (2020-2023). United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, through the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center. Checked October 10, 2026. License: CC BY. Read it: 2-1-1 Requests/Referrals (2023-2025) and 2-1-1 Requests (2020-2023)
  2. 2. States scramble to send full SNAP food benefits to millions of people after government shutdown ends. Associated Press (Geoff Mulvihill, David A. Lieb), via WHYY, November 13, 2025. Read it: States scramble to send full SNAP food benefits to millions of people after government shutdown ends
  3. 3. Using 211 Data to Gauge Eighth District Economic Conditions. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, On the Economy (Summers-Gabr, Rodgers), February 9, 2026. Read it: Using 211 Data to Gauge Eighth District Economic Conditions
  4. 4. Eviction Tracking System: Version 3.0, all sites monthly data. The Eviction Lab, Princeton University (Hepburn, Haas, et al.), 2026. Read it: Eviction Tracking System: Version 3.0, all sites monthly data
  5. 5. A New Baseline: Changes to Our Eviction Metrics. The Eviction Lab, May 8, 2025. Read it: A New Baseline: Changes to Our Eviction Metrics
  6. 6. Preliminary Analysis: Eviction Filing Patterns in 2022. The Eviction Lab (Vallejo, Haas, Hepburn), March 9, 2023. Read it: Preliminary Analysis: Eviction Filing Patterns in 2022
  7. 7. State Medicaid and CHIP Applications, Eligibility Determinations, and Enrollment Data, September 2026 release. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), September 25, 2026. License: U.S. Government Works. Read it: State Medicaid and CHIP Applications, Eligibility Determinations, and Enrollment Data, September 2026 release
  8. 8. Dates and deadlines for 2027 health insurance. HealthCare.gov (CMS). Checked October 10, 2026. Read it: Dates and deadlines for 2027 health insurance
  9. 9. Washington health insurance marketplace. healthinsurance.org, October 5, 2026. Read it: Washington health insurance marketplace
  10. 10. 2025 filing season statistics. IRS Newsroom, 2025. Read it: 2025 filing season statistics
  11. 11. Working Families Tax Credit application window opens Feb. 1. Washington State Department of Revenue, January 29, 2026. Read it: Working Families Tax Credit application window opens Feb. 1
  12. 12. Working Families Tax Credit Program, 2025 Report to the Legislature. Washington State Department of Revenue, December 29, 2025. Read it: Working Families Tax Credit Program, 2025 Report to the Legislature
  13. 13. IR-2016-143: Refunds claiming EITC or ACTC held until at least Feb. 15. IRS, October 28, 2016. Read it: IR-2016-143: Refunds claiming EITC or ACTC held until at least Feb. 15
  14. 14. You can begin filing your taxes on Jan. 26 this year. PBS NewsHour, January 8, 2026. Read it: You can begin filing your taxes on Jan. 26 this year
  15. 15. ETA 539 weekly claims data, by state. U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Checked October 10, 2026. Read it: ETA 539 weekly claims data, by state
  16. 16. Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims news release. U.S. Department of Labor, October 8, 2026. Read it: Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims news release
  17. 17. Education Department opens 2027-28 FAFSA early, marking program's earliest launch. The National News Desk (Emma Koppelman), via KATU, September 24, 2026. Read it: Education Department opens 2027-28 FAFSA early, marking program's earliest launch
  18. 18. The Effect of Holidays on Calls to the National Domestic Violence Hotline: Comparing Average Call Volume. National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (VAWnet), November 20, 2020. Read it: The Effect of Holidays on Calls to the National Domestic Violence Hotline: Comparing Average Call Volume
  19. 19. #CallUtilitiesNow: PUC urges consumers to contact utilities as winter termination moratorium ends March 31, 2023. Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, March 28, 2023. Read it: #CallUtilitiesNow: PUC urges consumers to contact utilities as winter termination moratorium ends March 31, 2023
  20. 20. WAC 480-100-143 Winter low-income payment program. Washington State Legislature. Checked October 10, 2026. Read it: WAC 480-100-143 Winter low-income payment program
  21. 21. LIHEAP. Washington State Department of Commerce. Checked October 10, 2026. Read it: LIHEAP
  22. 22. Nearly 1 million assistance calls made to 211 in August. The Source, Washington University in St. Louis (Neil Schoenherr), September 20, 2023. Read it: Nearly 1 million assistance calls made to 211 in August
  23. 23. 211 helpline data reveals most pressing U.S. community needs (2025 data). United Way Worldwide, March 31, 2026. Read it: 211 helpline data reveals most pressing U.S. community needs (2025 data)
  24. 24. The Facts About 211: 2025 Impact Snapshot. United Way Worldwide, 2026. Read it: The Facts About 211: 2025 Impact Snapshot
  25. 25. 211 helpline data reveals most pressing U.S. community needs (2024 data). United Way Worldwide, March 26, 2025. Read it: 211 helpline data reveals most pressing U.S. community needs (2024 data)
  26. 26. Calls to 211 helpline rise in August to the highest level of 2023. Health Communication Research Lab, Washington University in St. Louis (Garg, Golla, Kreuter), September 9, 2023. Read it: Calls to 211 helpline rise in August to the highest level of 2023