When Joseph was referred to The Bridge Fund of Westchester last year, he was three months behind in the rent on his apartment and growing increasingly desperate.
"Even though our rent is high, we were doing okay until my company went bankrupt and I lost my job, "Joseph said. At the same time, his wife, a teacher's aide, had no contract for summer work.

"By June, things were really bad.  We have two school-age children and I tried to get help from different places. But things spiraled downhill quickly. Before I knew it, we were a full three month’s behind in everything: the rent, phone, electricity, car payments, you name it.  It was a terrible feeling," he said. "When I managed to find part-time work, the money I was making just wasn't enough to catch up."

The Bridge Fund got the family "almost immediate" relief, making an emergency rent payment, and then negotiating an agreement with the family's landlord to bring the rent up-to-date in installments.  Joseph had found a second job, with overtime, and his wife was going back to her teacher's aide position that fall.

Joseph said that he sympathizes with many middle-class families like his who struggle each month with rent payments. "In Westchester, if one thing goes wrong in your family finances, the rents are so high you can get in trouble right away."

Joseph said he was relieved to be catching up on his bills. "Things are still not where I want them to be, but they are much better," he said. "As soon as we get our income tax refund, we are going to pay back our loan from The Bridge Fund. They were there when we needed them. In fact, they were a godsend.”