The pandemic has affected at least one-quarter of Bridges’ current clients through layoffs, cuts in job hours, or inability to work due to an absence of childcare. In addition to the generous individuals who gave to our COVID-19 Community Appeal, grantors and organizations have provided crucial COVID-19 relief to clients of Bridges.
We recently received HoCoRespond funding from the Community Foundation of Howard County, Horizon Foundation, United Way of Central Maryland, and Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County to provide basic supplies, food, and emergency financial assistance to households destabilized by the pandemic. The Community Foundation of Howard County’s Youth in Philanthropy selected Bridges to receive a grant to provide food and essential items, rental assistance, help to access benefits, and support with getting re-employed or finding additional employment to make ends meet. The Rotary Club of Columbia-Patuxent donated grant funding to our COVID-19 Community Appeal to provide housing assistance to affected families. The Women’s Giving Circle raised over rental assistance funds to help a hard-working mother and her children struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic. Last, Bridges has received Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) CARES Act funds to provide rental assistance to Bridges client households; this grant is administered through the Howard County Department of Housing & Community Development.
Bridges is extremely grateful for the invaluable contributions of the Howard County Department of Housing & Community Development, HoCoResponds, Youth in Philanthropy, the Women’s Giving Circle, and the Rotary Club of Columbia-Patuxent for providing urgent aid to the low- to moderate-income families destabilized by the pandemic. This support will help us provide a path to self-sufficiency for households experiencing housing instability or homelessness in Howard County.
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