Family-to-Family

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As went American industry in the 1970s and 80s, so went Braddock, Pennsylvania. As with so much of the “Rust Belt,” the town of 2,100 in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh has seen jobs largely dry up, and despite the spirited and sustained efforts of local workers to revitalize the local economy, its population remains a fraction of its peak in the early 20th century. Poverty today is rampant. 

  • 37% of Braddock residents lived below the federal poverty line
  • Half of those live in extreme poverty — below 50% of the poverty line. 

Poverty in Braddock reaches across racial and ethnic boundaries, affecting the town’s African American, Caucasian, Latino and mixed residents. In particular, children in Braddock experience poverty — around 50% of kids there live in poverty, almost triple the statewide average. 

Our community partner in Braddock is the nonprofit For Good PGH, an organization whose programs stress inclusivity in order to “create positive experiences for underserved populations” in greater Pittsburgh. Their convictions that “giving is much easier than we realize” and that “the impact is profound” are ones that Family-to-Family shares. We are proud to support their work.

Community Partner:

Kristen Michaels
For Good PGH
910 Braddock Avenue
Braddock, PA 15104

Data Sources:

Nestled amidst the largest metropolitan area in the U.S., Jersey City is one of the country’s most densely populated cities. A port city located on the Hudson River and New York Bay just across from Manhattan, it’s a landing place for a steady stream of immigrants, including significant communities from Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Many of these immigrants struggle to find housing and employment, and the city’s poverty levels are well above the national average.

According to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey on Jersey City:

  • Jersey City is diverse: 35.4% of the population is White, 28.8% Hispanic, 25.4% Asian and 24% African-American.
  • 18.7% of the city’s population lives below the poverty level, with significant racial disparities. 
  • 25.3% of the African-American population and 23.5% of the Hispanic population live in poverty.

Family-to-Family works with the immigrant aid organization Church World Service (CWS) in Jersey City, with CWS recommending refugee families in need to our refugee sponsorship program. The organization focuses on welcoming refugees and asylees to northern New Jersey and enabling them to become self-sufficient members of the community. Last year CWS Jersey City served more than 200 refugees and asylees with everything from home and community orientation, application assistance for public benefits and healthcare, job preparation, job placement, and basic needs support.

Jersey City refugee families sponsored through Family-to-Family receive a monthly grocery store gift card to a store near their home.

Community Contact:
Courtney Madsen
 Church World Service
26 Journal Square, Suite 600
Jersey City, N.J. 07036

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a refugee family!

While the prevailing stereotype of Boston is that of a cluster of tightly-knit, mostly white, working class neighborhoods, the reality is that recent decades have brought a sea change to the city’s racial and economic makeup. Boston is increasingly diverse racially (28% of Bostonians were born outside the U.S., one of the highest rates in the country), while also presenting startling levels of income inequality (it’s the 7th least equal city in the nation by some metrics).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau:

  • 25% of children in Boston under 18 years old live in poverty
  • 15% of Boston families have an annual income of less than $25,000, and 32% have an income of less than $50,000

Poverty, and the food insecurity it brings, is most keenly felt by those Bostonians born outside the United States. Almost one in three Asians live in poverty — more than double the rate of white Bostonians. Many of these impoverished recent immigrants are the families we help through our Boston partner organization, Josiah Quincy Elementary School (JQES), located in the downtown section of the city.  

The largest public elementary school in Boston; Josiah Quincy is an inner city school with a diverse student body with special programs for English Language Learners and Students with Multiple Disabilities. Over 83% of the students are considered high needs (current or former English Language Learners, Economically Disadvantaged, or Students with Disabilities). The mission of the school is to prepare students to be contributing global citizens, with an emphasis on international mindedness. 

Through our sponsorship program, economically struggling families recommended by our contact at Josiah Quincy, Ashley Alvarez, receive monthly grocery store gift cards to a local grocery store near their homes.

Community Contact

Ashley Alvarez
Josiah Quincy Elementary School
885 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02111

Data Sources:
U.S. Census Bureau, 2018 American Community Survey
Impact — BCNC (Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center)
‘Atlas Of Inequality’ Shows Income Segregation Around Boston
http://www.bostonplans.org/getattachment/3e8bfacf-27c1-4b55-adee-29c5d79f4a38

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!

Bordering New York City to the south and the Hudson River on the west, Yonkers is often called New York’s “Sixth Borough.” With a population of 185,000, Yonkers is a divided city – the middle class mainly lives on the city’s east side and low income families mainly on the city’s urban, west side.

The highest level of poverty is focused in southwest Yonkers, where Family-to-Family’s partner organization, Westhab, Inc. is located. Westhab is a poverty outreach organization dedicated to alleviating homelessness and providing those in need with affordable housing.

Rent in Yonkers is expensive; median housing costs are well over $1,000 dollars per month, and the city has had a troubled past with affordable housing. For the thousands of families living in poverty, the city’s high cost of living presents a constant struggle.

According to the Census Bureau’s 2014 American Community Survey, in Yonkers:

  • 23% of households earn less than $25,000 per year
  • 17% of adults over 25 do not have a high school diploma
  • 25% of children under 18 live below the poverty line

Family-to-Family receives referrals of families in need of help for our Sponsor A Family program from Westhab’s Theresa Colyar, who is also working with F-to-F to expand our Sponsor A Family program across Westchester County. Because of its proximity to F-to-F headquarters in Hastings on Hudson (less than 5 miles away), Westhab is also a regular recipient of gently used clothing donations from Family-to-Family.

In Yonkers, Family-to-Family provides sponsored families with monthly grocery gift cards to a local Stop & Shop store.

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!

Community Contact
Theresa Colyar
Westhab, Inc.
8 Bashford Street
Yonkers, New York 10701

Learn more about poverty in Yonkers:

The Painful Lessons of the Yonkers Housing Crisis

The Front Lines: Poverty and Homelessness in Southwest Yonkers

One of the five boroughs of New York City, Staten Island is a mix of well kept suburban houses and low income housing complexes. Poverty rates have risen steadily here over the last 20 years: in 1989 the U.S. Census Bureau found 6.5% of residents lived under the poverty level; in 2000, 8.9%, in 2010, 11%.

According to the 2007-2011 American Community Survey, in Staten Island:

  • 17.9% of households have an annual income of less than $25,000
  • 34.9% of single mothers and single women with children live in poverty

Family-to-Family’s contact and partner on Staten Island is the Christian Pentecostal Church (CPC) and its pastor, John Rocco Carlo. The church operates a food pantry in addition to offering shelter, housing resources and counseling to those in need.

When Super storm Sandy hit the Northeast in October 2012, Staten Island suffered incredible devastation. Homes and businesses were destroyed, leaving thousands displaced – including many of the CPC’s parishioners. Two days after the storm Pastor Carlo started a massive grass roots relief effort.

Along with 3 other area churches, the CPC organized a makeshift disaster relief depot of sorts – enabling community organizers across Staten Island to pick up and distribute basic necessities (food, blankets, warm clothing, etc.) to those displaced by Sandy. These early efforts quickly grew into a major resource hub for Staten Island residents who were only beginning to realize just how arduous the process of recovery would be.

According to the Pastor, the most common issue is the challenging question of how to rebuild. The cost of flood insurance has skyrocketed in the post-Sandy months, making the dream of rebuilding businesses and restoring jobs seem unattainable. Many in this community were left both homeless and jobless in Sandy’s wake and must make difficult decisions about how best to move forward.

This is a community of resilient and hardworking people – many of whom were struggling even before their homes and workplaces were damaged or destroyed. Family-to-Family’s efforts to support Staten Island residents include both one-to-one family hunger relief sponsorships and one-to-one hurricane adoptions.

In Staten Island, Family-to-Family partners with The Food Bank of New York to provide groceries for our sponsored families.

Community Partner:
Rev. John Rocco Carlo
Christian Pentecostal Church
900 Richmond Rd.
Staten Island, N.Y. 10304

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!

The town where Family-to-Family started, and the home of Family-to-Family founder Pam Koner is a small village of 8,000 people located alongside the Hudson River in New York.

While much of Hastings is a well-to-do bedroom suburb of Manhattan, there are pockets of poverty here, and the economic downturn and job losses have drastically affected families that were previously managing to just scrape by. 

When Pam Koner learned from community leaders that these families needed help, she reached out to other F-to-F Hastings families, who quickly pitched in to shop for and pack monthly food boxes. 

Unlike in the other communities served by F-to-F, in Hastings the names of both the donors and the families in need are kept anonymous, since it’s a small town and people are likely to know each other. Each family in need is identified only by an alphabet letter. 

So, for example, a food box labeled for “Family G” is delivered to the town recreation center each month, where the recipient family can pick it up in privacy. And although we keep it anonymous, families are still finding a way to communicate… by sending notes back and forth with no names.

In Hastings-on-Hudson, Family-to-Family partners with local residents of the community to provide groceries for our sponsored families. Volunteer shoppers provide groceries and gift cards each month.

Community Contact: 
Donny Waterous
Hastings-on-Hudson, New York

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!