Steve M. and his two school-age sons had had a string of very bad luck that included i l lness and unemployment. They were living in a public shelter when he finally found a parttime job as a legal assist a n t.

While participating in the Housing Stability Plus Program (HSP) of the Department of Homeless Services, he moved into an apartment in The Bronx.

Unfortunately, things did not go smoothly after the move. Steve’s rent subsidy from the HSP program was cut off before he even brought home his first payc h e c k . Making life even more complicated, Steve took in two family members who also needed help, his aunt (not pictured) and her grandchild.

Fortunately, by the time he was referred to The Bridge Fund, the household had started receiving food stamps and childcare for his sons. Steve had also secured a full-time job at the Bronx District Attorney’s office.

The Bridge Fund partnered with the Human Resources Administration to bring the arrears up-to-date. Steve himself contributed almost $3,000 towards his back rent.

“I now have a stable, full-time job and have completed my B.S. degree,” Steve said. “The staff of The Bridge Fund really went to bat for me and did everything they could. They were extremely professional and I received good counseling, including how to budget and manage my monthly income.”

Steve said the effort The Bridge Fund put into helping him out was “outstanding.”

“They swung into action very fast, did a lot of research and got all of the facts and figures,” he said. “Throughout the entire process they respected my privacy and confidentiality and gave me a lot of confidence. I was very comfortable with them from start to finish and can’t say enough about how well I was treated.”