The Bridge February Newsletter

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Subject: The Bridge February Newsletter

Newsletter

February 2024

An Innovative New Community Support Team Launches at The Bridge

The Bridge is proud to announce the launch of the Neighborhood Navigators program this February. The Bridge was the only agency in New York City to receive an award of $6 million from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for this innovative new team.

The goal of the Neighborhood Navigators program is to build relationships with people experiencing homelessness, connect them to services, and help them navigate the social service system. In addition to experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity, many clients live with mental health and/or substance use challenges.

The program staff include a Program Director, a Training and Data Coordinator, and 12 Neighborhood Navigators. Neighborhood Navigators are peers with lived experience, which will help them build trust and rapport with clients. Jerome Britt, a Senior Neighborhood Navigator, spoke of the importance of peer support and said, “I know the struggle of being trapped in addiction and homelessness and rising out of both. By becoming a member of the Neighborhood Navigators, I can make a difference through sharing and building trust with people still in the struggle that I overcame.”

Groups of three Neighborhood Navigators will engage with clients in four neighborhoods: Inwood and Washington Heights; Midtown West, Hell’s Kitchen, and Chelsea; Chinatown and the Lower East Side; and Central and East Harlem. Over the course of the three-year contract, Navigators will conduct outreach and provide support to 600 clients each year.

The Neighborhood Navigators before heading into the community for their first day

The week of the program launch, the team gathered to prepare 200 hygiene kits to distribute to clients

Prior to the program’s launch, the team spent six months planning the details of the program. The team had over 50 meetings with elected officials, law enforcement, and community stakeholders throughout the four neighborhoods. The goal of these meetings was to determine program focus areas and to forge strong partnerships for referrals. “Community partnership is the fabric of change,” said the Program Director, Rocio Santos. The Program Director and the Training and Data Coordinator will continue to attend regular meetings with community stakeholders to ensure continued collaboration.

“Employing people with lived or shared experiences to deliver the message that anything is possible and that there is help is the heart of the program,” said Rocio. “Our team is a melting pot of solution, support, survivors, and resiliency.”

To learn more about the launch of this initiative, you can read this press release from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

A Client's Experience with the Helping Organize My Environment (HOME) Initiative

At The Bridge, we continually adapt our services to better support our highest-need residents living in our housing. The Helping Organize My Environment (HOME) initiative is a unique program designed to help people remain safely in their homes by treating an important source of housing instability- hoarding behaviors. People with histories of homelessness and older adults are more likely than the general population to exhibit hoarding behaviors. As many of our clients were formerly homeless and are over age 55, this program is a crucial addition to The Bridge’s continuum of services.

The HOME initiative is an adaptation of the CREST (Cognitive Rehabilitation and Exposure/Sorting Treatment) intervention, which was developed by Dr. Catherine Ayers from the University of California, San Diego. The intervention features cognitive training and exposure therapy specifically tailored to the needs of supportive housing residents. The HOME initiative also helps The Bridge avoid apartment cleanouts, which can be costly for the agency and emotionally taxing for clients and staff.

Nine clients are currently enrolled in the HOME initiative. One client, Matthew, has almost completed the CREST intervention. Matthew is 60 years old and has lived in Bridge housing since 2017. He is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, osteoarthritis, and has a history of substance use. Prior to moving into permanent supportive housing at The Bridge, he lived in a men’s shelter after being evicted from his apartment. Matthew used to work as a graphic designer and is currently an artist.

Matthew started receiving HOME services this past June. His apartment was full of boxes of art supplies, paperwork, and movies that he had accumulated throughout the years. He had trouble discarding and organizing his belongings, and the boxes hindered his ability to open doors and move freely in his unit.

After working with the HOME team clinician on building his organizational skills, Matthew was able to create a schedule and block out time to start painting groups within his building community. He even provides the group with painting supplies he had stored in his apartment. Working with the HOME team clinician also helped Matthew feel ready to gradually discard items. Because of the HOME initiative, staff were able to avoid a deep clean of Matthew’s unit. He now only has one box of films and paperwork and can open doors in his apartment without any trouble.

Matthew is excited about the changes he has made in his apartment. His next goal is to set up a bookshelf to continue organizing his belongings and to decorate with family pictures.

Yuliel Blanco, the HOME team clinician

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At The Bridge, we are committed to meeting people where they are by providing accessible and trauma-informed mental health services, as well as permanent supportive housing. Your support is needed to help The Bridge continue to provide these services to those in our community who need it most. With your donation, you can help vulnerable New Yorkers build their own paths to healing, growth, and independence.

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Subject: The Bridge February Newsletter