Since inception, The Westchester Community Foundation has operated as an affiliate of The New York Community Trust.
As part of our centennial celebrations, we are creating a single, unified organization to more powerfully advocate for our region with one voice.
We will still maintain our physical offices in Westchester with the same dedicated staff who will continue to honor and build upon our relationships with local nonprofits and communities.
You can now find us at: https://www.thenytrust.org/westchester/
The Westchester Index is at westchesterindex.org.
The New York Community Trust. For Westchester. Forever.
Helping domestic violence survivors is a complicated and lengthy process. The Rehousing in Supportive Environments, or RISE, pilot program led by Caring for the Hungry and Homeless of Peekskill(opens in a new tab), My Sisters Place(opens in a new tab), and Lifting Up Westchester(opens in a new tab) is using federal funds to find housing for domestic violence survivors. Westchester Community Foundation is making sure that other critical needs of these survivors are met.
“I am forever grateful to RISE for our new life,” said one mom. “I tried many times to leave in the past, but always went back because I couldn’t do it on my own. RISE gave us a safe place to heal and the finances and resources to do so. It took us a while to get adjusted, but RISE was there for us every step of the way! For the first time in a very long time, we felt safe. We were finally able to sleep peacefully at night and not worry.”
The program’s objective is to help survivors secure stable, affordable housing as a first step to long-term safety, employment, and self-sufficiency. RISE helps participants pay for childcare, transportation, school supplies, tuition, and rent arrears or other financial damage created by an abusive partner.
“Placing women, many of whom are mothers, in safe housing and then providing an array of supports can make an important difference in getting these families back to stability,” said Laura Rossi, executive director of our Westchester Community Foundation.
