Fraud followed by financial assistance.
Philip Graham enjoys living in Croton-on-Hudson. Although he rarely takes the train these days, when he does, he finds the view of the river a most beautiful, calming scene. Beauty and calmness are necessities for Mr. Graham, especially since unauthorized activity occurred on his bank account. A check was written and cashed by an unknown person, causing Mr. Graham to fall behind on his rent at an affordable housing complex. Despite his attempts to report the incident of fraud to the police and his bank, his funds were not reinstated. Mr. Graham struggled to recover, but his rent and other bills fell into arrears.
This 59-year-old man is now retired. He occasionally works delivering food from restaurants to folks at their homes. He worked for years for a television service. But the memories of his acting career are what put a smile in his voice. He proudly tells of working with stars like Jennifer Lopez and Michael Caine on more than several television shows. Sadly, his spinal stenosis has put an end to that. “There’s a lot of standing around between takes, and standing hurts!”
The Bridge Fund partnered with Legal Services, but the client’s total arrears were not resolved until The Bridge Fund worked with Cluster and Catholic Charities for a resolution. They advocated for a rent adjustment because of Mr. Graham’s limited income.
Mr. Graham can tell you that there are some very ugly people in the world and there are also some wonderful folks who deliver absolute, caring assistance.