Bridge Forward

💡 Did You Know? 💡

Only 39% of Americans have enough savings to cover a $1,000 emergency expense. That means most people are vulnerable to unexpected financial hardships. 🚨

At Bridge Forward, we’re committed to changing that statistic by empowering our participants with the tools and knowledge to build a safety net. Not only do we provide direct financial support to help families during difficult times, but we also provide financial coaching through our Economic Prosperity Program.

Together, we can make a difference. Help us continue our mission by donating and supporting our programs. Every contribution helps build a more financially secure community.

👉 Donate Now https://buff.ly/3UObLuZ

Do you have an emergency fund? What are your tips for saving? Share in the comments below! 💬👇



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: Bankrate. "Survey: 39% of Americans would struggle to cover a $1,000 emergency expense." Bankrate

Exciting developments at Bridge Forward! We have been diligently working on our Economic Prosperity Program for quite some time, and we are thrilled to share our progress. 🌟

This program is designed to provide personalized financial coaching, workshops, resources for budgeting, debt management, credit building, and much more. We are currently in Phase 1, collecting invaluable feedback from our participants because we believe their voices matter the most. Their insights and experiences guide us in refining the program to truly meet their needs and help them achieve financial stability.

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to shape this program together. Your support and engagement are crucial in making this initiative a success.

🌟 Join Us in Making a Difference! 🌟

At Bridge Forward, we believe in the power of community and collective action to create lasting change. We need your help to continue our mission of empowering individuals and families towards financial stability and closing the racial wealth gap.

✨ Take Action Today:

1. Donate: Your contribution directly supports our Economic Prosperity Program, providing vital financial literacy, coaching, and resources to those in need. https://buff.ly/3UObLuZ

2. Share: Spread the word! Share our mission and resources with your network to help us reach more people. Every share counts!

3. Get Involved: Follow us for updates and opportunities to volunteer or participate in our initiatives. Together, we can make a real impact.

Let’s build a brighter future together. 🌍💪

🌟 Meet Michelle Lucas: Empowering Financial Well-Being at Bridge Forward! 🌟

At Bridge Forward, we have been dedicated to empowering individuals and families toward financial stability for some time. We are excited to introduce Michelle Lucas, our Financial Coach and organizational development specialist, whose expertise from Wallet Prosperity aligns perfectly with our mission. Her work focuses on engaging participants, sharing impactful stories, and continuously evaluating and developing our programs to ensure they are effective and meaningful.

Michelle's skills in budgeting, financial goal setting, debt pay-off strategies, and credit repair will enhance our efforts, fostering healthy money relationships for those we serve. Her dedication to financial empowerment and her ability to connect with others will make a lasting impact at Bridge Forward.

Through our ongoing efforts, we have been developing our Economic Prosperity Program, designed to provide comprehensive financial coaching, resources, and support. This program aims to help individuals and families achieve long-term financial stability and success, aligning with our commitment to economic empowerment.

Join us in welcoming Michelle to our team and celebrating the continued growth and impact of Bridge Forward as we work towards a community where financial well-being is accessible to all.

Financial Fact: A recent survey found that 57% of Americans are uncomfortable with their level of emergency savings. 🏦💡

Having a solid emergency fund is essential for financial stability, providing a safety net for unexpected expenses like medical bills, car repairs, or sudden job loss. At Bridge Forward, our mission is to empower individuals and families with the tools and knowledge to build and maintain financial security. Through our Economic Prosperity Program, we offer personalized coaching to help you develop smart savings strategies and achieve peace of mind.

👉 Want to learn more about how we can help you build your emergency savings? Follow us for more tips and resources! 💬


*Cited from Bankrate's 2023 Emergency Savings Report*

We know finding stable housing can be a challenge. Massachusetts offers a variety of housing assistance programs to help you find and maintain a safe, secure home. From emergency shelters to long-term housing solutions, there’s support available for everyone in need.

🔹 Emergency Assistance: Immediate help for families facing homelessness.
🔹 RAFT Program: Financial assistance to help you stay in your current home.
🔹 HomeBASE Program: Housing assistance for families transitioning out of shelters.
🔹 Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program: Long-term rental assistance.

Our mission at Bridge Forward is to empower you with the resources you need to achieve financial stability and build a brighter future. Take the first step today by exploring the housing assistance options on the Massachusetts Housing Assistance page and if you need our help navigating these resources we're here for you and can be your advocate.

For more info, visit: [Massachusetts Housing Assistance](https://buff.ly/3VPcptV)

At Bridge Forward, our mission is to help address the racial wealth gap and provide lasting financial stability to low and moderate income families. Meet Cisnell, a dedicated community activist with over 20 years of empowering BIPOC communities. Through Bridge Forward, we were able to support Cisnell during a critical time in her life.

Faced with housing insecurity while pursuing her National Urban Fellowship at Georgetown, Cisnell found herself in a financial crisis. "I was caught up in an economic downward spiral that had an impact on my mental well-being and placed me in survival mode,” she shared. At Bridge Forward, we understood her situation and provided the support she needed. “The person on the other side of my application understood my circumstances and had trust regarding my character, so the procedure appeared 'too good to be true.' I felt heard, and I left our meeting with my integrity intact."

With our assistance, Cisnell was able to secure her financial stability and continue her studies. She has now completed her degree and continues to make significant contributions to her community and to our organization.

Congratulations Cisnell!

At Bridge Forward, we are committed to measuring our impact and continuously improving our programs to better serve our participants. Join us in supporting more inspiring stories like Cisnell’s. Together, we can create a brighter, more equitable future.

At Bridge Forward, we understand the immense stress that finances can cause. Our mission is to provide long-lasting financial stability, especially for individuals and families experiencing economic hardship and affected by the racial wealth gap. We offer multi-year financial and coaching support to propel their journey towards stability and wealth building.

STEP FORWARD: Set Financial Goals One powerful step you can take to reduce financial stress is to set clear, achievable financial goals. Here's how:

Be Specific: Define exactly what you want to achieve.
Break It Down: Divide your main goal into smaller, manageable steps to make it less overwhelming.
Track Progress: Regularly monitor your progress and adjust your plan as needed to stay on track.

At Bridge Forward, our Economic Prosperity Program equips participants with the knowledge and skills to manage their finances confidently. We are committed to fostering economic mobility and helping our community build a brighter financial future.

Join us in our mission to close the racial wealth gap and create lasting financial stability.

Support and donate today!

We're thrilled to share that our founder, Luisa Peña Lyons, not only attended the recent inspiring Disrupting Poverty Conference by EMPath in Boston but also contributed as a speaker on the panel for "Intersectional Professionals: Putting Lived Experience to Work."

✨ Key Highlights:
- Anthony Barrows from the Center for Behavioral Design & Social Justice presented research on the impact of lived experience on policy and program design.
- Luisa, alongside Charles Lerner, Travis Baird, and A.J. Lucky, shared best practices and perspectives on integrating lived expertise to help solve issues of poverty and economic mobility.

We're grateful for the amazing partnerships and insights gained at this event. Together, we're closing the wealth gap and enhancing racial and economic equity. Let's continue to work towards a brighter future!

👉 Support our mission: https://buff.ly/3UObLuZ

Join our founder , for a timely conversation with The Boston Foundation: In the wake of the pandemic, many individuals and families are vulnerable to the rising costs of food, shelter, and utilities. Organizations serving these communities can prevent people from “falling through the cracks” by helping them meet their food, fuel, and shelter needs.

This Wednesday, May 8th at 9AM we’ll be in community with our partners at the Food, Fuel and Shelter Fund to better understand our work and trends.

The Food, Fuel and Shelter Fund understands the power and impact of proximate leaders and organizations, and works to meet both immediate and longer-term community needs.

Register at https://www.tbf.org/Events/2024/May/Food-Fuel-and-Shelter-Fund-Forum

Join us in supporting individuals & families www.bridgeforward.org/donate

As we enter the winter months the need is even more pressing with increased costs.

We’re so grateful for Novara and Abby Park local restaurants in Milton for donating proceeds of their Charity Cocktail this month to Bridge Forward Fund, as we support families experiencing financial hardship and seeking to experience economic mobility. please consider supporting us! Or if you would like to make a donation here is our link www.bridgeforward.org/donate …As we enter the holidays/winter and experience increased costs of living the need is huge ❤️

This months charity cocktail tastes like fall in a glass 😍🍁

The “Ty Collins” features from plus house spice infused pear liqueur, lemon, pomegranate and a splash of soda - get it while you can and help us support local organization with a $2 donation for every cocktail sold!

A great free workshop from our partner Wallet Therapy

I’m back from vacation and so excited for the upcoming free webinar! Have you signed up yet?! Grab your spot now!

LINK IN BIO!

Unlock financial success! Join our FREE "Mastering Your Credit Score" webinar and take control of your future. Boost your score, avoid pitfalls and secure opportunities. Limited spots available! Sign up now: https://www.wallettherapy.net/events/mastering-credit-scorehttps://www.wallettherapy.net/events/mastering-credit-score 💪💰

Join us as we support individuals and families most impacted by systemic inequality resulting in barriers to economic stability and a thriving society where everyone can reach their potential and have equal access to prosperity.

As highlighted in The Time is Now report, "The weight of issues like housing instability, food insecurity, environmental toxins and poverty disproportionately affect populations of color as a result of longstanding systemic racism."

https://www.bluecrossmafoundation.org/publication/time-now-59-billion-case-massachusetts-health-equity-reform

We're so incredibly elated to share that Bridge Forward Fund has received a grant from the Boston Foundation's Fuel, Food & Shelter Fund to help us tackle the financial hardship faced by residents in Massachusetts! This hardship further widens the racial wealth gap and we're thrilled to be partnering with TBF to help alleviate this problem.

As SNAP extensions end March 1, we worry about the many families who will be unable to afford food especially given the increase in prices caused by inflation:

Millions brace for an end to SNAP benefits l GMA After nearly 3 years, the federal government is ending pandemic-era payments to low-income families on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.SUBSCRIB...

Really great financial literacy programs by the Office of Economic Empowerment, Massachusetts State Treasury

We are excited to announce our lineup of Managing Your Money workshops with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs - EOEA and M&T Bank!

Visit our events page to register for any of our upcoming events focused on banking & budgeting, credit and scam & fraud, mobile banking, and the basics of homebuying! Morning and afternoon sessions are available for each topic.

Register: https://www.mass.gov/managing-your-money-trainings

We’re inspired by this story! You too can support generational wealth building through a donation to families we work with at Bridge Forward Fund who aim to experience economic mobility www.bridgeforward.org

One home, six owners of color, seven decades of building generational wealth ‘For us, we just feel so blessed to be able to live in the city that we grew up in.’

ARE YOU HELD BACK BY A POOR CREDIT SCORE?
NOT SURE WHAT TO DO?
You are invited to a VIRTUAL workshop : DEMYSTIFYING CREDIT
When: Tuesday, December 13, 2022 05:00-6:30 PM Eastern Time
Some things covered in the workshop:
• Understanding credit score is and how it is calculated
• Learn how to access your credit report
• Learn about (free) tools for managing credit
• Strategies for how to establish (good) or improve credit

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIldOisrTMoHtWYXXFHTgpgQsH2Uh2qR4ob

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Join us in standing with our trans community https://www.instagram.com/p/ClBybZqpJsl/?igshid=MDM4ZDc5MmU=

It’s #TransgenderAwarenessWeek and you need to know that the transgender pay gap is real 💰 swipe to see what you can do about it

This week Bridge Forward Fund is at the Well with grappling with the most pressing issues of our time. Reflect. Renew. Refound.

Today we honor indigenous people and their sacrifices. Centering equity and justice in our funding. Here is our land acknowledgment. Founder & CEO Luisa Peña Lyons

Join us as we launch this essential fund especially during a time of such financial uncertainty. Founder, Luisa Peña Lyons www.bridgeforward.org

Bridge Forward updated their business hours.

Bridge Forward updated their address.