photo: Ken Ben-Ari

The Bridge Fund of Westchester

A Program of The Bridge Fund of New York Inc.

The Bridge Fund of Westchester: A Leader in Homelessness Prevention

The Bridge Fund is the model homelessness prevention program in Westchester, providing comprehensive eviction prevention assistance and moves to more affordable housing, advocacy, individual budget counseling and community based financial literacy education.

Our referrals stem from as many as 30 agencies, including Legal Services of Hudson Valley, the Westchester Mediation Center, Westchester Residential Opportunities, the Department of Social Services, the Veterans Association, individual county legislators and town supervisors, tenant advocacy programs, local hospitals and many others. A number of landlords and management companies refer their tenants to us before commencing expensive and arduous legal proceedings.

The private funding we receive enables us to respond with creative solutions tailored to individual needs and issues. Our thorough case management, attention to detail and empathic, timely response to each case leads to a more cost-effective and humane solution for both our clients and our community. Both clients and partnering programs know we can and will go the extra mile to ensure the long-term stability of the households we serve.

Escalating Rents and Rising Unemployment:

In 2008, while unemployment climbed from 4.6% to 5.7%,  rents also continued to rise sharply. The Housing and Urban Development agency found that in Westchester, monthly rents for an efficiency apartment increased by 11%,  a one bedroom unit by 22.2%, and a two-bedroom unit by 27.8%.

The Bridge Fund provides interest-free loans or grants to those applicants who can be stabilized with our help and who are able to show future ability to pay their rent.  Thus, the continuing rise in unemployment rates and job uncertainty has made our evaluation of a family’s financial situation more challenging. Nevertheless, our monitoring reveals that 83% of the clients we assisted and monitored in 2008 were still in their homes one year after our intervention.

Furthermore, we counsel all applicants referred to our office, whether or not we can help them financially.  This year many of these referrals were people who had never sought assistance before, and had little understanding of how to find the help they needed. We are spending more time educating applicants and answering their urgent and anxious  questions.

 We experienced as 25% increase in the number of referrals in 2008. The staff responded to each of these by doing an initial assessment of their situation, then providing budget and eviction prevention counseling, and end by giving referrals to appropriate programs. This process guides each applicant along a realistic path toward the management of their housing crisis weather or not they are qualified to receive a Bridge Fund loan or grant.

“ I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the help you gave me. You all took the time out of your busy day on numerous occasions to talk to me and encourage me when I needed it the most. For that I will always be grateful.” — Paula

Our Clients’ Precarious Financial Status

In 2008, our clients were living on an average annual net income of $23,000, and paying $10,100 or the equivalent of 44% of their useable income for rent. The number of client households depending on unemployment benefits doubled, and a further 21% were living on work-related benefits including a pension, Social Security Disability, Workman’s Compensation, or Social Security. Half of our clients were single mothers. With such low incomes these families have little if any savings to cushion them during this prolonged recession.

During 2008, our average assistance to clients was just $860. With these loans and grants The Bridge Fund of Westchester was able to:

• Prevent 220 evictions and foreclosures, and move an additional 72 households to more affordable housing
• Issue $250,114 in loans and grants from our funds
• Network an additional $320,793 from our partnering agencies.

We also received $29,560 in loan repayments from clients. Clients are motivated to make repayments knowing that this money is used to help additional families at risk of becoming homeless.

“This $73 will repay my monetary debt to The Bridge Fund of Westchester; but my debt of gratitude to you guys can never be repaid.” — Bob

Without this comprehensive support, a working family can fall into poverty at which time they would unwillingly become eligible for public assistance, commonly called “welfare”. This would begin an unbearable, unbreakable cycle of dependence on the social service system. For people who have worked hard all of their lives, this is a disheartening and humiliating reality.

Our Clients Inspire Us:

We are inspired by our clients almost daily. Their resilience, faith, patience, and gratitude remind us of the importance of what we and our supporters are doing. Our financial assistance saves our clients the heartache and despair of homelessness and, at the same time, saves taxpayers over $36,000 per year in shelter costs for each homeless family or individual.

The letters we receive, like this one from Susan, reveal our clients’ work ethic and their sincere appreciation for targeted support provided at the right time:

“Thank you for the help that I received from your organization. This has been a terrible, terrible year and I was in desperate need of help. The United Way led me in your direction but in my words they led me in the direction of a miracle. I have been working for over twenty years and have also had a second job for over five years and believe me I thought I was in it ALL alone. ” — Susan

Thank You to Our Supporters

We are especially grateful for the continued and vital support we are receiving in these difficult times. As county government strains to meet the needs of the poorest of the poor, The Bridge Fund of Westchester, with its private funding, can make all the difference for our hard-working neighbors who don’t qualify for public assistance.

The County Board of Legislators voted to provide $241,000 in 2009 in eviction prevention funding. In 2008, by comparison, The Bridge Fund of Westchester provided $250,000 in loans and grants from our own funds. You can see how essential our services are, and how much homelessness prevention depends on your support.

Last year, with your help, we kept 292 households, with 726 people, from losing their homes. In the coming year, with your support, we can provide compassionate and effective assistance to even more families in need – families who are our neighbors and who help to make our community strong.

Last Year We...