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Bridging <br /> Attachment C <br />Please describe the purpose/mission of your non-profit: <br />Bridging's mission is to empower people to thrive in their homes by providing quality furniture and <br />household goods for those pursuing housing stability. Bridging was founded in 1987 on one simple, yet <br />powerful idea—that together we can create a bridge between those in need and those with excess. <br />Bridging plays a key role in stabilizing families and individuals by providing furniture and housewares <br />that make their house into a comfortable home. <br /> <br />In the Twin Cities metro area, more than 250 social service agencies connect clients with Bridging for five <br />main reasons: Persistent Low Income, Mental Health, Disability, Foreclosure/Loss of Home, and Domestic <br />Abuse. <br /> <br />Please describe how your non-profit currently serves the community of Roseville. In your response <br />please include the number of Roseville community members you serve and the costs for providing <br />your services to the Roseville community: <br /> <br />Bridging serves half of our client base (about 2,300 families/5,800 individuals) out of our Roseville <br />warehouse. Of these served in 2022, 54 families were Roseville residents (with 105 total people in these <br />households – 32 of whom were children). <br /> <br />Our operating budget in 2023 is $4,268,054, approximately half of which runs our Roseville Warehouse. <br />The value of the furniture and household goods that each family receives is approximately $2,000 (for a <br />family of four). <br /> <br />Bridging empowers people to thrive in their homes by providing quality furniture and household goods to <br />those pursuing housing stability. Each week on average, Bridging serves 100 families (50 out of our <br />Roseville warehouse). On average, client families receive basic home essentials, including 8-12 pieces of <br />furniture and 2-3 large shopping cartloads of household items that include bedding, towels, pillows, pots <br />and pans, dishes, small appliances, artwork, and other necessities. Bridging prioritizes client dignity in our <br />process; clients choose all their furniture and household items. Clients share that this is a huge cost savings <br />during their quest for stable housing and that it is a step towards transforming a living space into a stable <br />home. <br /> <br />Generally describe the impacts of COVID to your organization <br />COVID impacted our program revenue, our number of volunteers and our ability to serve in-person. <br />COVID stopped our in-home furniture donation pick-up program, which greatly reduced our program <br />revenues. COVID reduced the numbers of homes we were able to serve (from close to 4,500 to 3,000). <br />COVID also impacted our corporate partnerships (volunteering and sponsorships) and most of our <br />corporate partners went fully remote. <br />Please describe the negative and operational impact COVID-19 has had on your organization. In your <br />response, please include specific information about the financial and operational impact along with <br />any pertinent documents demonstrating the impacts: <br />As an essential part of the housing process, Bridging received critical sector exemption during the <br />pandemic, and were allowed to remain open to receive furniture donations and serve families in need. <br />Although we remained open, our volunteer base greatly diminished. A great majority of our volunteers