BRIDGE FUND OF NEW YORK INC

The Bridge Fund prevents homelessness by providing intensive services and interest-free loans, grants or subsidies to pay outstanding rent. Our financial assistance to clients averages $1,500 per household and represents a fraction of the cost of shelter placement, which, for a family, is estimated to be more than $62,000-a-year. Loan repayments can be as little as $5 per month. Consistently, at least 90% of the households that receive our complete package of services are in their homes one-year after our initial intervention!
Approximately 105 organizations and government agencies refer clients to the program by faxing or emailing a completed application, which is reviewed by a case handler within 24 hours. Tenants who contact The Bridge Fund directly are also considered. Those who are facing eviction proceedings and seem to meet the following criteria are invited for an office interview:

Valid reason for owing rent
Enough income to maintain housing beyond our intervention
Viable rental arrears (amount owed can and should be paid)
Continued tenancy rights can be legally preserved

Clients that prove eligible (or can be helped to establish eligibility) and comply with all Bridge Fund directives and requests for documentation receive both services and one-time financial assistance to pay rental arrears or short-term rent subsidies.
All Bridge Fund clients are in imminent danger of eviction or foreclosure due to unforeseen emergencies that cause them to fall behind in their rent payments. These include temporary job loss, funeral expenses and uninsured illness. They have little or no savings, supplement their incomes with food stamps, WIC or other benefits, and use 43% of their $2,332 monthly net income to meet their rent obligations. The average household consists of two individuals. Fifty-eight percent are African American, 31 percent are Hispanic and the remaining 11 percent are Caucasian or other.