Our Mission

BronxWorks began in 1972 as the Citizens Advice Bureau.

The organization was founded by a social worker and a group of clergy, community activists, and local elected officials. A two-person walk-in office was established shortly thereafter. It focused on helping seniors resolve housing matters and access entitlements.

BronWorks expanded to meet community needs. A second walk-in office was established at 2925 Grand Concourse in 1984, and by 1989 BronxWorks had expanded services with the additional opening of the Avenue St. John office. Around the same time, the organization became one of the first Bronx-based HIV/AIDS service providers and began to work with homeless families. An immigration program was also created to provide legal residence and citizenship application assistance to the borough’s growing foreign-born population.

The 1990s was a decade of tremendous growth for BronxWorks. A walk-in office was established in the New Settlement Apartments complex, two family shelter contracts were awarded, three senior centers were sponsored, a drop-in center was created to augment the work of the Homeless Outreach Team, a Workforce Development Center was created, and the Main Community Center at 1130 Grand Concourse was acquired as a result of a merger with the Girls Club of New York. BronxWorks formally joined the settlement house system in 1993, joining United Neighborhood Houses of New York, the umbrella organization for the city and state’s settlement houses.

BronxWorks in the 2000s

BronxWorks continued to grow throughout the first decade of the new millennium. A service center for seniors was established at River Park Towers, two early learning centers were created, a Safe Haven was developed to complement the Living Room homeless drop-in center, programs for disconnected youth were implemented, two school-based after-school programs were started, and college readiness services were formalized. BronxWorks also opened a second large-scale neighborhood center, the Betances Community Center.

Known as the Citizens Advice Bureau or CAB from its 1972 inception, our organization was officially re-branded as BronxWorks in November 2009. The change coincided with the creation of a new administrative headquarters at 60 East Tremont Avenue.

With the new name also came a new mission statement:

BronxWorks helps individuals and families improve their economic and social well-being. From toddlers to seniors, we feed, shelter, teach, and support our neighbors to build a stronger community.

The tagline “Lifting Lives, Building Futures” accompanied our new logo and mission statement.

BronxWorks 2010 to 2019: A Decade of Growth

The year 2010 began with BronxWorks securing another Cornerstone community center. BronxWorks also became the social service provider for The Brook, a 199-unit apartment building managed by Breaking Ground that offers supportive housing to previously homeless single adults.

BronxWorks was one of a select number of organizations nationwide to receive a Social Innovation Fund grant to implement the Jobs Plus program in early 2011 to provide job training, search, and placement services. BronxWorks was also one of eight organizations citywide – and the only one in the Bronx — to be awarded a contract to establish one of the city’s new Innovative Senior Centers.

BronxWorks was selected as an organization to pilot several programs. In addition to the launching of Jobs-Plus, BronxWorks was selected to launch Opportunity NYC, an experimental income supplement program; be one of the first participants in the Young Adult Internship Program (YAIP); and advise the administration on policies related to serving the street homeless. With the arrival of the de Blasio administration in 2014, BronxWorks remained an organization for pilot initiatives and expansion efforts initiated by the city government.

By decade’s end, BronxWorks increased its number of Cornerstone community centers, adding the Classic, Pyramid, and St. Mary’s Cornerstones to the portfolio.

The Cornerstones were annually serving close to 3,500 participants and hosting events that were attended by nearly 4,700 a year.

With the Cornerstones and Jobs-Plus firmly in the BronxWorks family of programs that served public housing residents, our organization became an active partner in the PACT/RAD (Permanent Affordability Commitment Together/Rental Assistance Demonstration) initiatives undertaken by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) to improve property management and social service provision in public housing complexes. By 2019, BronxWorks had formed partnerships with several property management companies, including Gilbane, Kraus, and L+M Development Partners.

BronxWorks services expanded to include housing counseling to residents of the NYCHA Bronx River Houses to keep them stably housed. By the decade’s end, BronxWorks had established walk-in offices at the Stratford Towers and 680 Theriot Avenue. A walk-in office and a community room at the Soundview Senior Residence came online in 2018.

BronxWorks Adult Homeless Services also expanded to include the Pyramid Safe Haven for single homeless adults in 2015 and the Jerome Avenue Men’s Shelter (JAMS) in 2018. BronxWorks expanded its supportive housing efforts in the 2010s, partnering with SBH Health System (formerly St. Barnabas Hospital), L+M Development Partners, and Hornig Capital Partners in 2018 to create the Cooper Gardens Apartments, which includes 218 units of affordable housing and 95 units of supportive housing.

Because the Bronx had the worst health outcomes of all 62 New York State counties, in 2017, BronxWorks recommitted to expanding health and wellness activities into existing programs.

The BronxWorks youth and senior programs incorporated active living and wellness components into their ongoing service delivery efforts. Some youth programs, devised gardening projects where students grew herbs, salads, and vegetables. Seniors, undertook similar activities, incorporating a diabetes awareness curriculum into wellness efforts and creating or enhancing community gardening activities in selected neighborhoods.

BronxWorks furthermore created a group of community health programs to promote food justice, healthy eating, and fresh food access. By decade’s end, BronxWorks Community Health Programs represented an umbrella of programs including SNAP-Education, farm stands, and a collection health literacy programs providing cooking demonstrations, healthy grocery shopping workshops, and videos to promote smart food choices.

In June of 2018, the BronxWorks Community Food Pantry opened at the Carolyn McLaughlin Community Center after program participants expressed a strong need for a food source to supplement their SNAP benefits. The Food Pantry operated on Saturdays to serve families who might not be able to participate in weekday pantries due to work schedules, and was facilitated by BronxWorks staff volunteering during their time off.

In 2018, BronxWorks also began hosting Poverty Simulations for leaders and front-line staff of health care organizations, educational institutions, and community service agencies. The Poverty Simulation was created to help raise awareness about different aspects of poverty and create discussion about the potential for change in local communities.

BronxWorks established an agency-wide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, building on other diversity and inclusion initiatives like the BronxWorks LGBTQ+ Committee, to advance essential discussions on equity and justice and other key topics facing our communities today.

BronxWorks in 2020: Looking Forward

As the COVID-19 Pandemic devastated the New York City economy, leaving low-income families particularly vulnerable, BronxWorks saw demand for food pantry and other emergency food services dramatically increase.

In response, BronxWorks ramped up our pantry services, opening the CMCC Food Pantry every week instead of bi-weekly, and tripled the number of our food pantries from four to twelve. We implemented an appointment system to promote social distancing despite the heightened demand and enforced other safety procedures.

As BronxWorks looks toward our 50th year, our goal is to continue to grow and adapt to help our communities recover the pandemic and rebuild stronger than ever. Our efforts throughout the pandemic have exemplified the BronxWorks approach to providing the most needed services within our communities. Our growth throughout the years have modeled this approach and will continue to guide our operations for the years to come.