Columbia, Md. – Bridges to Housing Stability (Bridges), a nonprofit dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness through affordable housing solutions and advocacy in Howard County, announces today the appointment of Jessamine Duvall as the organization’s new executive director. Duvall, who … Read More

The recent winter storm and lingering frigid temperatures arrived during the same week as the national Point in Time (PIT) count, reminding us how essential safe, affordable housing is for our neighbors.

Dear Friends of Bridges,   I am writing today to share some personal news. After more than 12 years with Bridges to Housing Stability, including seven as executive director, I will soon be stepping down to pursue other professional and … Read More

This year marks my eleventh at Bridges — and it’s one for the history books. For the first time ever, we have helped to rehouse 100 households — comprising 305 individuals — in just the first nine months of the year!

My love for gardening, despite my admittedly lazy approach, offers a simple analogy for the Housing First approach to ending homelessness.

There is a lot of uncertainty in the world right now, which is why it was so nice to be surrounded by people dedicated to making a difference in our state and community at our Heroes for Housing event earlier this month. I was inspired by our awardees and their messages to us.

The cold weather in Maryland makes me so grateful to live in a warm, safe home. At the same time, I worry about our unsheltered neighbors and those facing utility shut offs. The latest national data available – from January, 2024 – revealed that over 770,000 people were experiencing homelessness, including 150,000 children. That is about 200,000 more people than live in Baltimore.

Bridges to Housing Stability, a leading nonprofit organization in Howard County dedicated to eradicating homelessness, is excited to announce a comprehensive brand refresh. This update includes a new logo, an updated brand visual identity, and a revitalized look that captures the renewed spirit and energy of the organization following recent strategic planning sessions with a Leadership Howard County team.

I hope you are enjoying the holiday season. It has been a whirlwind for me. This month, our Coalition to End Homelessness convened to review a recent evaluation of our county’s coordinated system for homelessness services. The evaluation, conducted by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, found that the system is doing many things well, yet there are definite areas for improvement.

As the air turns colder and our county gears up for inclement weather and code-blue shelter, I’m thankful to live in – and serve – a community that intentionally stretches resources and fosters collaboration between partners to help those without homes. On Dec. 6, we will celebrate the expansion of the shelter at Grassroots Crisis Center, which will provide thousands of additional and much-needed shelter bed nights each year. The Grassroots shelter gives people a place to stay as they work with Bridges and other partners in our Coordinated Homeless System to find housing.

Bridges to Housing Stability, a leading nonprofit organization in Howard County dedicated to eradicating homelessness, is excited to announce a comprehensive brand refresh. This update includes a new logo, an updated brand visual identity, and a revitalized look that captures the renewed spirit and energy of the organization following recent strategic planning sessions with a Leadership Howard County team.

Behind the scenes at Bridges, we are gearing up for a very busy time. Case managers are putting together lists of families that need Thanksgiving baskets and holiday gifts, our finance team is preparing for our annual audit, several staff members are writing grant applications, program managers are submitting grant reports to funders, and our fundraising and donor relations manager is planning several upcoming events.

There’s something exciting about a new school year and the beginning of fall. I always think about my favorite 90’s movie, “You’ve Got Mail”, when the main characters email each other about wanting to buy school supplies and send each other bouquets of newly sharpened pencils.

I’ve been enjoying a few days of cooler temperatures this week and spending more time outdoors. The summer is flying by. We have started a new fiscal year at Bridges and are evaluating the previous year. Bridges served many more households than last year, in large part by expanding our Housing Connections Program and launching the Family Home Start Program.

Bridges to Housing Stability, a leading nonprofit organization in Howard County dedicated to eradicating homelessness, is excited to announce a comprehensive brand refresh. This update includes a new logo, an updated brand visual identity, and a revitalized look that captures the renewed spirit and energy of the organization following recent strategic planning sessions with a Leadership Howard County team.

On June 21st, the summer solstice, our Coalition to End Homelessness held a housing celebration to highlight all clients that have been housed and exited homelessness during the past year. This year our event included a celebration of the case managers who work alongside our clients in the system. Bridges and our partners in the Howard County Coordinated Entry System have housed 119 households in the past 12 months. A phenomenal achievement that has contributed to the decrease of households experiencing homelessness within our community.

There is much to celebrate this month. We had a successful Beans & Bags for Bridges event on May 5th. We are so thankful for all the support of our sponsors, Board of Directors, staff, volunteers, and donors who made it such a great day despite the rain. Another celebration for us is how far our new program, Family Home Start, has come three months after it launched in February.

This week the Supreme Court heard arguments in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson. Their ruling won’t be released for some time, but homeless advocates throughout the country are worried because the case will determine if cities can fine or incarcerate people for being homeless and sleeping outside, even if a shelter bed or other housing is not available.

Join Us at Beans & Bags for Bridges! We’re a little more than one month away from our Beans & Bags for Bridges event on Sunday, May 5. I’m excited about expanding the event this year to Centennial Park, with … Read More

Volunteers Conduct “Point in Time” Count of Homelessness On Jan. 24, a surprisingly warm night, teams of volunteers participating in the 2024 Point in Time (PIT) Count went out into the streets, woods, and farmlands of Howard County to locate … Read More

We are so grateful for the generous support we received for our year-end campaign. Thank you to everyone who donated. Your contributions help us continue our current housing programs and give us the capacity to expand our services in 2024. … Read More

As we come to the end of 2023, I am excited about the direction Bridges is heading. We have new programs on the horizon and partnerships that will help us serve more people in the community. Earlier this year, our … Read More

“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tunes without the words – and never stops at all.” Emily Dickinson   Our community is beautiful in the autumn. I love all the trees and … Read More

Howard County housing has been in the spotlight this past month. On Oct. 11, the County Council approved an amended “HoCo by Design,” our county’s general plan. The plan’s growth policies include additional affordable housing (both rental and for-sale), detached … Read More

As a child and young adult, I created scrapbooks to faithfully document significant moments. At the end of each year, I’d look back through the book and remember all the highlights. In a similar way, Bridges’ annual report allows us to reflect on the accomplishments of the past year. So I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read our most recent annual report (fiscal year 2023).

Tee It Up to Help Us Prevent Homelessness Dear Friends, I hope it has been a wonderful summer for you.  With schools starting, we have been busy this month getting backpacks and school supplies distributed to the children in our programs. As … Read More

A Year of Transition for Bridges Dear Friends, Bridges’ fiscal year 2023 just ended, and July has been a busy month of reports, reflection, and looking ahead. FY23 was a transition year for Bridges. We transitioned from pandemic protocols to … Read More

Housing Costs Continue to Destabilize Families Dear Friends, Housing costs are an inescapable factor in our organizational mission and daily work. Housing is the biggest expense in most peoples’ budgets, so when housing gets more expensive, more families have trouble … Read More

Latest Community Indicators Highlight Housing Dear Friends, The Association of Community Services recently published its annual Self-Sufficiency Indicators report, which is always an excellent source of data about the economic stability of Howard County residents. The report, available here, confirms the … Read More

Achieving Affordable Housing Dear Friends, This month, I am happy to share the good news of the purchase of our 50th rental home for our Alliance Program. This program provides below market-rate rental housing to families in Howard County. Why … Read More

Dear Friends, The pandemic has dictated many changes to our Chili & Challenge event over the past two years, but once again, for this year’s event (Oct. 10) we received abundant support from volunteers, congregations, individual donors, and sponsors. Their contributions made the event a tremendous success. Thank you … Read More

A Memorable Year  Every year is memorable in some way. Personal or professional milestones mark our days, months, and years. At Bridges, like every other nonprofit, Fiscal Year 2021 brought many changes to our delivery of services in the community. There is much to celebrate, but much work left … Read More

Bridges has provided Rapid Rehousing services over the past three years, and we consider it to be a core competency of our organization. The goal with Rapid Rehousing is to move a client into housing within 30-45 days. The work involves extensive case management … Read More

The Housing Opportunities Task Force is working to identify Howard County’s housing affordability issues and make recommendations to address them. This is your opportunity to help shape the future of housing in Howard! The task force asks that you participate … Read More

This summer, Bridges was awarded critical COVID-19 operating relief funding. This funding, in addition to the client assistance relief funding we’ve received since COVID-19 began, allows Bridges to continue to serve the most vulnerable in our community during these unprecedented … Read More

I don’t consider myself a very creative person, but for the past six months, I have had to exercise my creative muscle professionally and personally almost daily. That’s one small benefit of the pandemic: it is forcing many of us … Read More

Meet Russ Snyder, one of Bridges’ truly selfless and amazing volunteers. Russ has generously donated his time, energy, and solid judgment to effectively advocate for affordable housing in Howard County as a member of our Board of Directors since 2012. For Russ, making a difference in his community is more than just volunteering, it is a calling … Read More

Even in the best of times, moving forward is often difficult for many of Bridges’ clients. Facing the challenges of low wages, scarce affordable housing, housing discrimination, and many other barriers are formidable. No one can surmount all of these obstacles alone. I’m not just talking about our clients, though. Everyone … Read More

All of us have been impacted by COVID-19. But many low- to moderate-income households face particularly extreme hardships as they struggle to make ends meet. Many clients tell us that food insecurity is their most pressing challenge. Bridges’ program staff continues to keep a laser focus on providing information about community resources (food banks and pop-up pantries, ethnic food warehouses, etc.) as … Read More

We are looking for an enthusiastic and organized Volunteer Coordinator with strong communication skills to help create a robust volunteer program. Bridges is partnering with Volunteer Maryland and AmeriCorps to fill this exciting 11-month, full-time position. The goal is to … Read More

As we embark on a new fiscal year, we would like to thank the Howard County Department of Housing & Community Development, Howard County Department of Community Resources, United Way of Central Maryland, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, and Community Foundation … Read More

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 … Read More

Recent events have highlighted racist practices within the criminal justice system that need to change. Housing discrimination for people of color has also been a reality for hundreds of years. Laws have often been on the wrong side, offering little to no … Read More