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