Lifting Up Westchester Inc

Target demographics: hungry and homeless neighbors in need

Geographic areas served: Westchester County, NY

Programs: Emergency Food & Shelter, Housing Stabilization, Vocational Training & Employment and Next Generation Educational Opportunities. For four decades, Lifting Up Westchester has worked to permanently change the lives of our neighbors in crisis by finding them stable, long-term, housing and providing the support they need to rebuild their lives. We serve approximately 3,500 Westchester residents each year through four key program areas: Emergency Food & Shelter:  We operate a 17 bed women's shelter and 38 bed men's shelter in downtown White Plains, as well as drop-in shelters for both men and women with capacity for 30 adults. On weekdays, our soup kitchen serves 60 to 100 individuals a mid-day meal, as well as packed meals to take-away. Housing Stabilization:  We identify safe, stable and affordable housing options for those living in shelter and on the streets and help these clients transition into independent living where possible. For those community members with mental health or other challenges, we provide ongoing financial assistance and a support system to help them maintain their housing. We currently have over 200 individuals living in our supportive housing units - 90% of them have been stably housed for more than 5 years.  Vocational Training & Employment: Our Neighbor’s Program trains low-income individuals to become certified home health aides who we then employ in our social enterprise, Neighbor's Home Health Care, a licensed home health agency. Through Neighbors, we currently employ 175 aides who provide low cost, high quality care to seniors who wish to remain in their homes. Through our partnerships with other agencies, we provide additional vocational training, job readiness, and job search programs to assist clients in finding and maintaining employment. Next Generation Educational Opportunities: We provide after-school mentoring and summer camp programs for over 500 homeless children to ensure that they are the first in their families to go to college and the last to live in poverty. We start working with students age 5 in our literacy program and offer programs throughout their school years ending with our mentoring and college prep program for high school students. 100% of our students graduated from high school last year (compared to 50% of homeless children nationally) with 89% enrolling in college and the remaining 11% in vocational school.