Maika Flores knows more than most people how important the work of The Bridge Fund is – she has spent her career helping people transition from homelessness into stable housing. This 51-year-old has lived in Yonkers for 19 years, working with agencies that help people find housing. She likes her work, but the pay is not great. She has been on a waiting list for affordable housing through a HUD program for many years.
Last year, she thought her dream had come true when she received a call saying she had been approved for an affordable one-bedroom apartment that was available for her in a new complex by the Hudson River. It was, she says, “my dream apartment.” But then came the hard part – she was informed that she had only 48 hours to produce the first month’s rent and a security deposit, while still paying rent on her current lease. And she knew there would be moving expenses on top of that. It seemed like an impossible hurdle, a huge amount of cash. But she had waited years for this chance.
Maika was referred to The Bridge Fund, called, and explained her situation. The caseworker jumped into action and resolved the funding issue in two days. The Bridge Fund paid her first month’s rent, $922, while Maika was able to cover the move-in fees and the security deposit herself. “If it wasn’t for The Bridge Fund, I don’t know what I would have done. Everyone is just trying to make it. There are so many people in need.”
Now Maika is well settled in her dream apartment. She is four minutes from her job, near a public library and a Metro North station. And every day she appreciates her big bright windows overlooking the river and is thankful to The Bridge Fund. “I’m so happy. For the first two months, I woke up every morning and couldn’t believe I was here!” She intends to stay forever.
“Everyone is just trying to make it. There are so many people in need.”