In much the same way that the people who come to work for BronxWorks select for themselves the higher needs of purpose and mission, young people choose to join the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC). Jesuit Volunteers commit a year to provide services and live in local communities, followed often by a lifetime dedicated to building a more just and equitable world. For many years, BronxWorks has shared a partnership with JVC that has brought some of the most dedicated, long-standing, and mission-driven staff members to the benefit of our programs and participants.
Like her predecessors, Marina Weiss started at BronxWorks as a JV, and like many of them, her year in the Corps was just the beginning. Marina grew up in California, moving to Washington DC to attend Georgetown University as an undergrad. She majored in Global Health and Urban Studies and graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in 2018. Right out of college, Marina joined JVC who sponsored her employment at BronxWorks as well as her move to New York City. During her first year, she lived in the JVC house in Harlem with eight other volunteers.
At BronxWorks, she got her start as a Program Specialist with the Community Health Programs, where she helped organize programming, like Teen Battle Chef, community gardens, food justice classes with our Cornerstone participants, and of course, the yearly farm stands. In 2019, after completing her year as a Jesuit Volunteer, Marina stayed at BronxWorks to join the newly-opened Cooper Gardens Supportive Housing Program as a Case Manager. At Cooper Gardens, Marina helped individuals and families move from the shelter system into permanent housing and provided them with the resources and support they may need to remain stably-housed. In 2021, Marina would take her experience from Cooper Gardens to another brand new supportive housing program as one of the first three staff members at Park Haven.
Apartment viewings are one of my favorite parts of the job – being there for people’s first viewing, seeing how they can envision a future for themselves and their families in their permanent home.”
Now, Marina is the Program Coordinator at Park Haven. While no longer a Case Manager, Marina continues to carry a caseload of 4 adults and 2 families. She focuses more on administrative and programmatic functions, like collecting data and reporting on impact to funders; organizing onsite activities and events, holidays and celebrations, knitting, group work, peer led meetings; running the medication monitoring program, training staff in medication monitoring; collaborating with a team of 7 staff to support over 50 adults and families with children. It goes on.
I love that the job is building a community with people. The people we work with have all experienced homelessness – that is the only thing they share in common – but in every other way, they come from different backgrounds. I learn a lot from my coworkers, but also from the clients. We all learn a lot from each other.”
For the second time in New York City, Marina has volunteered for the HOPE Count, on top of volunteering three times for the HOPE Count in Washington DC. She thinks it is important that the data from the HOPE Count help us best determine what resources are needed to support the people living on the street. Also this year, Marina will be riding for a second time in support of BronxWorks in the TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour in May. She is also in her fourth semester toward her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Columbia University. Outside of work, Marina is learning to knit. She spends a lot of time with friends and her cats, Zora and Neale. And she bikes everywhere, including to and from work, and on the weekends for exercise.
In much the same way that the people who come to work for BronxWorks select for themselves the higher needs of purpose and mission, young people choose to join the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC). Jesuit Volunteers commit a year to provide services and live in local communities, followed often by a lifetime dedicated to building a more just and equitable world. For many years, BronxWorks has shared a partnership with JVC that has brought some of the most dedicated, long-standing, and mission-driven staff members to the benefit of our programs and participants.
Like her predecessors, Marina Weiss started at BronxWorks as a JV, and like many of them, her year in the Corps was just the beginning. Marina grew up in California, moving to Washington DC to attend Georgetown University as an undergrad. She majored in Global Health and Urban Studies and graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in 2018. Right out of college, Marina joined JVC who sponsored her employment at BronxWorks as well as her move to New York City. During her first year, she lived in the JVC house in Harlem with eight other volunteers.
At BronxWorks, she got her start as a Program Specialist with the Community Health Programs, where she helped organize programming, like Teen Battle Chef, community gardens, food justice classes with our Cornerstone participants, and of course, the yearly farm stands. In 2019, after completing her year as a Jesuit Volunteer, Marina stayed at BronxWorks to join the newly-opened Cooper Gardens Supportive Housing Program as a Case Manager. At Cooper Gardens, Marina helped individuals and families move from the shelter system into permanent housing and provided them with the resources and support they may need to remain stably-housed. In 2021, Marina would take her experience from Cooper Gardens to another brand new supportive housing program as one of the first three staff members at Park Haven.
Apartment viewings are one of my favorite parts of the job – being there for people’s first viewing, seeing how they can envision a future for themselves and their families in their permanent home.”
Now, Marina is the Program Coordinator at Park Haven. While no longer a Case Manager, Marina continues to carry a caseload of 4 adults and 2 families. She focuses more on administrative and programmatic functions, like collecting data and reporting on impact to funders; organizing onsite activities and events, holidays and celebrations, knitting, group work, peer led meetings; running the medication monitoring program, training staff in medication monitoring; collaborating with a team of 7 staff to support over 50 adults and families with children. It goes on.
I love that the job is building a community with people. The people we work with have all experienced homelessness – that is the only thing they share in common – but in every other way, they come from different backgrounds. I learn a lot from my coworkers, but also from the clients. We all learn a lot from each other.”
For the second time in New York City, Marina has volunteered for the HOPE Count, on top of volunteering three times for the HOPE Count in Washington DC. She thinks it is important that the data from the HOPE Count help us best determine what resources are needed to support the people living on the street. Also this year, Marina will be riding for a second time in support of BronxWorks in the TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour in May. She is also in her fourth semester toward her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Columbia University. Outside of work, Marina is learning to knit. She spends a lot of time with friends and her cats, Zora and Neale. And she bikes everywhere, including to and from work, and on the weekends for exercise.
BronxWorks Community Health Programs are leading some interesting new initiatives, and Ailsha Sepulveda, Program Coordinator for CHP, is at the heart of many of them. From infant mortality reduction, to Teen Battle Chef, to intergenerational programming, participatory budgeting, leading focus groups, and more, Ailsha supports many of the ways BronxWorks is working to
improve health outcomes in our communities.
The most important thing is to create a safe environment through our very first interactions and let our participants share their stories.”
Ailsha was born and raised in the Bronx. She attended the Bronx Dance Academy for middle school and the Bronx Theater High School. Ailsha earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Forensic Psychology with a minor in Anthropology from John Jay College. She also earned her Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice, with a dual specialization in crime and deviance and policing administration, from John Jay.
Ailsha joined BronxWorks in 2018 as a Case Manager in an eviction prevention program, and in 2019 she joined the Community Health Programs. As the Program Coordinator for CHP, Ailsha has her hand in almost everything the team is doing. As a part of the Infant Mortality Reduction Initiative, Ailsha helps to create and facilitate the curriculum of infant and maternal health workshops. She also leads our Intergenerational Programming that brings together our youth participants and seniors from our older adult centers for shared learning and activities. She helps organize Teen Battle Chef for students in our afterschool and summer programs to learn culinary skills, how to utilize the food in their pantry, explore different cuisines, create healthier recipes, and compete in cooking competitions against their peers.
This year, as BronxWorks opened new programming on Saturdays at our Carolyn McLaughlin Community Center, Ailsha was integral in facilitating early focus groups to determine the most needed resources and curriculum. Additionally, this year BronxWorks became a borough partner in the first ever city-wide Participatory Budgeting process. Ailsha has been our community lead and point of contact through the first two phases of the process, responsible for community outreach and engagement, facilitating conversations and idea generation, and working with other partners to vet and develop ideas, and eventually place them onto a public ballot for New York City residents to decide on how to utilize public funding.
Whenever I am speaking with members of our community, I always keep in mind that we are all unique in our own way, and that comes through in how people present themselves and in how we communicate.”
In her work with the community, Ailsha draws heavily on her psychology coursework from her undergraduate and Master’s degrees. She uses techniques that help her better engage with members of the community and effectively convey valuable information to participants of all ages.
Outside of work, Ailsha enjoys going to the gym and hanging out with family. She is a life-long dancer. She hopes to do more traveling and creating new memories.
BronxWorks Community Health Programs are leading some interesting new initiatives, and Ailsha Sepulveda, Program Coordinator for CHP, is at the heart of many of them. From infant mortality reduction, to Teen Battle Chef, to intergenerational programming, participatory budgeting, leading focus groups, and more, Ailsha supports many of the ways BronxWorks is working to
improve health outcomes in our communities.
The most important thing is to create a safe environment through our very first interactions and let our participants share their stories.”
Ailsha was born and raised in the Bronx. She attended the Bronx Dance Academy for middle school and the Bronx Theater High School. Ailsha earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Forensic Psychology with a minor in Anthropology from John Jay College. She also earned her Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice, with a dual specialization in crime and deviance and policing administration, from John Jay.
Ailsha joined BronxWorks in 2018 as a Case Manager in an eviction prevention program, and in 2019 she joined the Community Health Programs. As the Program Coordinator for CHP, Ailsha has her hand in almost everything the team is doing. As a part of the Infant Mortality Reduction Initiative, Ailsha helps to create and facilitate the curriculum of infant and maternal health workshops. She also leads our Intergenerational Programming that brings together our youth participants and seniors from our older adult centers for shared learning and activities. She helps organize Teen Battle Chef for students in our afterschool and summer programs to learn culinary skills, how to utilize the food in their pantry, explore different cuisines, create healthier recipes, and compete in cooking competitions against their peers.
This year, as BronxWorks opened new programming on Saturdays at our Carolyn McLaughlin Community Center, Ailsha was integral in facilitating early focus groups to determine the most needed resources and curriculum. Additionally, this year BronxWorks became a borough partner in the first ever city-wide Participatory Budgeting process. Ailsha has been our community lead and point of contact through the first two phases of the process, responsible for community outreach and engagement, facilitating conversations and idea generation, and working with other partners to vet and develop ideas, and eventually place them onto a public ballot for New York City residents to decide on how to utilize public funding.
Whenever I am speaking with members of our community, I always keep in mind that we are all unique in our own way, and that comes through in how people present themselves and in how we communicate.”
In her work with the community, Ailsha draws heavily on her psychology coursework from her undergraduate and Master’s degrees. She uses techniques that help her better engage with members of the community and effectively convey valuable information to participants of all ages.
Outside of work, Ailsha enjoys going to the gym and hanging out with family. She is a life-long dancer. She hopes to do more traveling and creating new memories.
In our first year of the program, we are offering four twelve-week cycles, one cycle per season. The first cycle kicked-off in the Fall of 2022. The second cycle will run through the Winter, ending in February 2023, followed by a Spring cycle and a Summer cycle this year. Participants can enroll at the start of each cycle and continue through as many cycles as they wish or need.
Focus Groups
As a part of our preparation to open the Saturday Programming, BronxWorks engaged members of our communities in a series of focus groups to help determine the most requested needs from prospective participants. Throughout the Fall, BronxWorks Community Health Staff implemented five focus groups engaging adults with children. Questions were asked in both English and Spanish and focused on the groups’ immediate needs as well as their self-care habits and their goals. Based on the results from these focus groups, we confirmed the key areas for the Saturday curriculum to be Adult Education, GED preparation and support, ESOL, employment assistance, maternal self-care and infant health, and childcare services.
Adult Education
Adult Education classes are provided by our Workforce Development Department, which has a long history of helping adult learners achieve the necessary literacy skills to attain their GED. Adult Education Instructors teach reading and writing, mathematics, social studies, and science to each cohort. Students engage with the coursework and in discussions with one another during classes. The program also teaches effective strategies for mastering an academic curriculum that will prepare participants to earn their GED. Classes are offered between 9:30am until 1:00pm during each Saturday session, with additional tutoring and professional development workshops offered from 1:30pm to 2:30pm. During these optional workshops, participants can learn skills such as preparing a resume or cover letter to help them seek employment or apply for additional education opportunities.
Maternal Self-care and Infant Health
Expanding on the BronxWorks Maternal and Infant Health Program, Saturday Maternal Self-Care and Infant Health curriculum includes Nutrition 101, MyPlate: Basic Dietary Guidelines, diabetes education, cooking classes, recreational activities, as well as positive body image, stress management, safe sleep, and breastfeeding workshops. The goal of the overall program is to increase health equity and education for women and mothers to improve birth outcomes in the Bronx, and the expansion to Saturday encourages working mothers to participate with these important topics and resources.
“Our hope is that through a combination of nutrition education, wellness, relaxation, and self-care activities, mothers will be empowered to prioritize their own health, increase their confidence, decrease their stress, and model healthy behaviors for their families.” – Rachel Gill, Program Director, Community Health Programs.
Childcare Services
The final key component of the Saturday Programming is the availability of on-site childcare services. BronxWorks Childcare Associates are available to work with children from 6 months of age up to 12 years. Our childcare services go beyond simply entertaining the children, incorporating age-appropriate activities and mirroring some lessons offered to mothers through the Maternal Self-Care services. The children are split into three groups according to their age. Activities such as yoga, nutrition education, and stress management education will be offered in an accessible manner for the targeted age groups, allowing parents and children to bond over similar activities and increases the likelihood that self-care activities become a part of these families’ daily routines.
“We wanted to reach participants who would benefit from a highly-curated weekend curriculum. We wanted to reach adult learners, parents, and mothers with young children,” says Eileen Torres, Executive Director of BronxWorks. “The provision of childcare during our Saturday sessions is essential to remove a common barrier to self-improvement for many parents, and allows our participants to thrive within this learning environment.”
Participants and staff alike have been enjoying the new Saturday Programming. As we approach the end of the second cycle, we continue to receive feedback from participants on how we can expand the weekend services to include even more recreational activities, guest speakers, and more.
In our first year of the program, we are offering four twelve-week cycles, one cycle per season. The first cycle kicked-off in the Fall of 2022. The second cycle will run through the Winter, ending in February 2023, followed by a Spring cycle and a Summer cycle this year. Participants can enroll at the start of each cycle and continue through as many cycles as they wish or need.
Focus Groups
As a part of our preparation to open the Saturday Programming, BronxWorks engaged members of our communities in a series of focus groups to help determine the most requested needs from prospective participants. Throughout the Fall, BronxWorks Community Health Staff implemented five focus groups engaging adults with children. Questions were asked in both English and Spanish and focused on the groups’ immediate needs as well as their self-care habits and their goals. Based on the results from these focus groups, we confirmed the key areas for the Saturday curriculum to be Adult Education, GED preparation and support, ESOL, employment assistance, maternal self-care and infant health, and childcare services.
Adult Education
Adult Education classes are provided by our Workforce Development Department, which has a long history of helping adult learners achieve the necessary literacy skills to attain their GED. Adult Education Instructors teach reading and writing, mathematics, social studies, and science to each cohort. Students engage with the coursework and in discussions with one another during classes. The program also teaches effective strategies for mastering an academic curriculum that will prepare participants to earn their GED. Classes are offered between 9:30am until 1:00pm during each Saturday session, with additional tutoring and professional development workshops offered from 1:30pm to 2:30pm. During these optional workshops, participants can learn skills such as preparing a resume or cover letter to help them seek employment or apply for additional education opportunities.
Maternal Self-care and Infant Health
Expanding on the BronxWorks Maternal and Infant Health Program, Saturday Maternal Self-Care and Infant Health curriculum includes Nutrition 101, MyPlate: Basic Dietary Guidelines, diabetes education, cooking classes, recreational activities, as well as positive body image, stress management, safe sleep, and breastfeeding workshops. The goal of the overall program is to increase health equity and education for women and mothers to improve birth outcomes in the Bronx, and the expansion to Saturday encourages working mothers to participate with these important topics and resources.
“Our hope is that through a combination of nutrition education, wellness, relaxation, and self-care activities, mothers will be empowered to prioritize their own health, increase their confidence, decrease their stress, and model healthy behaviors for their families.” – Rachel Gill, Program Director, Community Health Programs.
Childcare Services
The final key component of the Saturday Programming is the availability of on-site childcare services. BronxWorks Childcare Associates are available to work with children from 6 months of age up to 12 years. Our childcare services go beyond simply entertaining the children, incorporating age-appropriate activities and mirroring some lessons offered to mothers through the Maternal Self-Care services. The children are split into three groups according to their age. Activities such as yoga, nutrition education, and stress management education will be offered in an accessible manner for the targeted age groups, allowing parents and children to bond over similar activities and increases the likelihood that self-care activities become a part of these families’ daily routines.
“We wanted to reach participants who would benefit from a highly-curated weekend curriculum. We wanted to reach adult learners, parents, and mothers with young children,” says Eileen Torres, Executive Director of BronxWorks. “The provision of childcare during our Saturday sessions is essential to remove a common barrier to self-improvement for many parents, and allows our participants to thrive within this learning environment.”
Participants and staff alike have been enjoying the new Saturday Programming. As we approach the end of the second cycle, we continue to receive feedback from participants on how we can expand the weekend services to include even more recreational activities, guest speakers, and more.
On December 7, we kicked-off our celebration of our 50th year of providing services to the Bronx. Friends, staff (current and former), board members, partners, and colleagues gathered at the Hard Rock Cafe at Yankee Stadium to commemorate the half-century of our work.
We were joined by New York State Senator Luis Sepulveda, New York City Council Member Althea Stevens, and Deputy Bronx Borough President Janet Peguero who, on behalf of the Office of the Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, herself a long-time champion and partner of BronxWorks, proclaimed the day of December 7, 2022 memorialized as BronxWorks Day.
It was actually December 10, 1972 that would mark the beginning of BronxWorks, as taken from a picture of our grand opening. Founded under the name the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), our first office opened to help senior citizens resolve housing matters and access benefits and resources.
Additional offices opened in the 1980s, as CAB became one of the first Bronx based organizations to provide services to people living with HIV/AIDS. An immigration program was created to provide assistance with legal residence and citizenship applications to the borough’s growing immigrant population.
Former Executive Director, Carolyn McLaughlin (left) speaking to Director of Development, Ken Small (right).
The 1990s saw crucial expansion as CAB responded to the growing needs of the borough, opening two family shelters at Nelson Avenue and Jackson Avenue, a borough-wide Homeless Outreach Team and a homeless drop-in center. We also established workforce programs, three senior centers, and importantly, merged with the Girls Club of New York and acquired the community center at 1130 Grand Concourse.
The lobby of the Community Center at 1130 Grand Concourse acquired by CAB in 1995.
A young BronxWorks participant in the 1990s.
In the 2000s, you can start to see the modern BronxWorks take shape. The organization evolved as the needs of the Bronx grew. We expanded homeless services, including safe havens and shelters. We expanded education and youth development programs, including early learning centers, school-based after-school programs, and college readiness. In 2009, we changed our name to officially become BronxWorks.
From 2010 and onward, you see the exact same pattern of growth where the need is strongest. We added Cornerstone Community Centers #2, #3, and #4, attended by a combined 3,500 participants a year. We launched iconic programs, like Jobs Plus, Young Adult Internship Program (YAIP); Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP); Homebase; community health programs; SNAP Nutrition Education; the Community Food Pantry; CMCC and Mott Haven Farm Stands; the Brook Supportive Housing Residence; Cooper Gardens Supportive Housing Program;
Jerome Avenue Men’s Shelter; Pyramid Safe Haven; and so much more. We added dozens more offices, hundreds more staff, and grew to completely embody our name.
As we complete the third year of the 2020s, what we have seen is thatduring difficult times in the Bronx, BronxWorks always takes action. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, through economic hardship, through unimaginable tragedies, BronxWorks has stepped up to provide the assistance that is needed. Looking ahead to the next 50 years, it’s hard to believe we won’t be right here doing the exact same thing. To commemorate our 50th anniversary, we have a year of celebration planned.
“What makes BronxWorks so special is how aligned we have alwaysbeen to the very heartbeat of the Bronx.”
– Eileen Torres, Executive Director
On December 7, we kicked-off our celebration of our 50th year of providing services to the Bronx. Friends, staff (current and former), board members, partners, and colleagues gathered at the Hard Rock Cafe at Yankee Stadium to commemorate the half-century of our work.
We were joined by New York State Senator Luis Sepulveda, New York City Council Member Althea Stevens, and Deputy Bronx Borough President Janet Peguero who, on behalf of the Office of the Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, herself a long-time champion and partner of BronxWorks, proclaimed the day of December 7, 2022 memorialized as BronxWorks Day.
It was actually December 10, 1972 that would mark the beginning of BronxWorks, as taken from a picture of our grand opening. Founded under the name the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), our first office opened to help senior citizens resolve housing matters and access benefits and resources.
Additional offices opened in the 1980s, as CAB became one of the first Bronx based organizations to provide services to people living with HIV/AIDS. An immigration program was created to provide assistance with legal residence and citizenship applications to the borough’s growing immigrant population.
Former Executive Director, Carolyn McLaughlin (left) speaking to Director of Development, Ken Small (right).
The 1990s saw crucial expansion as CAB responded to the growing needs of the borough, opening two family shelters at Nelson Avenue and Jackson Avenue, a borough-wide Homeless Outreach Team and a homeless drop-in center. We also established workforce programs, three senior centers, and importantly, merged with the Girls Club of New York and acquired the community center at 1130 Grand Concourse.
The lobby of the Community Center at 1130 Grand Concourse acquired by CAB in 1995.
A young BronxWorks participant in the 1990s.
In the 2000s, you can start to see the modern BronxWorks take shape. The organization evolved as the needs of the Bronx grew. We expanded homeless services, including safe havens and shelters. We expanded education and youth development programs, including early learning centers, school-based after-school programs, and college readiness. In 2009, we changed our name to officially become BronxWorks.
From 2010 and onward, you see the exact same pattern of growth where the need is strongest. We added Cornerstone Community Centers #2, #3, and #4, attended by a combined 3,500 participants a year. We launched iconic programs, like Jobs Plus, Young Adult Internship Program (YAIP); Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP); Homebase; community health programs; SNAP Nutrition Education; the Community Food Pantry; CMCC and Mott Haven Farm Stands; the Brook Supportive Housing Residence; Cooper Gardens Supportive Housing Program;
Jerome Avenue Men’s Shelter; Pyramid Safe Haven; and so much more. We added dozens more offices, hundreds more staff, and grew to completely embody our name.
As we complete the third year of the 2020s, what we have seen is thatduring difficult times in the Bronx, BronxWorks always takes action. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, through economic hardship, through unimaginable tragedies, BronxWorks has stepped up to provide the assistance that is needed. Looking ahead to the next 50 years, it’s hard to believe we won’t be right here doing the exact same thing. To commemorate our 50th anniversary, we have a year of celebration planned.
“What makes BronxWorks so special is how aligned we have alwaysbeen to the very heartbeat of the Bronx.”
– Eileen Torres, Executive Director
When Yevy came to the United States she was three and a half years old, and it was not safe at the time the Soviet Union was falling. Her grandmother had already left the Russia Federation for Brooklyn, and so Yevy and her mother made the journey – like so many others – as refugees, coming here to find a safer and better life.
I don’t know how we did it, but we made it work.”
We asked Yevy to describe her experience. “It was my mom always having to figure out how things work in the US,” she says, “It was having to learn English. It was getting hand me downs. We didn’t have an organization like BronxWorks to help show the way.”
Yevy and her family relied on connections they made within a Russian community in Brooklyn. Her mother found employment while she went back to school. She earned a degree from Brooklyn College as a Nutritionist. Back in Russia, she was a Neurologist. School of course became important for Yevy too.
After graduating high school, Yevy attended Hunter College, earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. She earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work from NYU and, in 2019, she joined BronxWorks at the Nelson Avenue Family Residence as a Client Care Coordinator. She worked at the Nelson Family Residence for over two years, was promoted from Client Care Coordinator to Case Manager Supervisor and then to Director of Social Services. In September 2022, Yevy became the Residence Director at the BronxWorks Family Sanctuary, a role for which she is uniquely suited.
Many of the families here have arrived with just the clothes on their backs. They are so very much in need of assistance. But they are also amazingly positive. I’m inspired by their diligence and their eagerness.”
For Yevy, it has come full circle. Her mother, after going back to school to become a Nutritionist, now works for WIC. Yevy, after becoming a Social Worker, oversees a family sanctuary for refugees who have come here seeking a safer and better life. The stories we share with each other are more similar than they are different. Yevy draws from her own experience as an immigrant and refugee to the U.S. in how she approaches her work with these new families who have come here to seek the very same things that she and her mother did almost thirty years ago.
Outside of work, Yevy loves hiking, video games, and cats. She adopted a cat named Pluto from the backyard at the Nelson Family Residence. She likes to spend time with the people that are important to her, and focusing on self-care and art.
When Yevy came to the United States she was three and a half years old, and it was not safe at the time the Soviet Union was falling. Her grandmother had already left the Russia Federation for Brooklyn, and so Yevy and her mother made the journey – like so many others – as refugees, coming here to find a safer and better life.
I don’t know how we did it, but we made it work.”
We asked Yevy to describe her experience. “It was my mom always having to figure out how things work in the US,” she says, “It was having to learn English. It was getting hand me downs. We didn’t have an organization like BronxWorks to help show the way.”
Yevy and her family relied on connections they made within a Russian community in Brooklyn. Her mother found employment while she went back to school. She earned a degree from Brooklyn College as a Nutritionist. Back in Russia, she was a Neurologist. School of course became important for Yevy too.
After graduating high school, Yevy attended Hunter College, earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. She earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work from NYU and, in 2019, she joined BronxWorks at the Nelson Avenue Family Residence as a Client Care Coordinator. She worked at the Nelson Family Residence for over two years, was promoted from Client Care Coordinator to Case Manager Supervisor and then to Director of Social Services. In September 2022, Yevy became the Residence Director at the BronxWorks Family Sanctuary, a role for which she is uniquely suited.
Many of the families here have arrived with just the clothes on their backs. They are so very much in need of assistance. But they are also amazingly positive. I’m inspired by their diligence and their eagerness.”
For Yevy, it has come full circle. Her mother, after going back to school to become a Nutritionist, now works for WIC. Yevy, after becoming a Social Worker, oversees a family sanctuary for refugees who have come here seeking a safer and better life. The stories we share with each other are more similar than they are different. Yevy draws from her own experience as an immigrant and refugee to the U.S. in how she approaches her work with these new families who have come here to seek the very same things that she and her mother did almost thirty years ago.
Outside of work, Yevy loves hiking, video games, and cats. She adopted a cat named Pluto from the backyard at the Nelson Family Residence. She likes to spend time with the people that are important to her, and focusing on self-care and art.
BronxWorks is known for being a trusted homeless service provider in the Bronx and New York City. A key part of our mission to address homelessness is our work with vulnerable families. Today, BronxWorks operates three Family Residences capable of housing 276 families at a time and recently opened a new emergency Family Sanctuary to assist the migrant families arriving in New York City.
This year marks thirty years of our work providing shelter for homeless families in the Bronx. The BronxWorks Nelson Avenue Family Residence (NAFR) first opened in 1992, followed by the Jackson Avenue Family Residence (JAFR) in 1995, and the Willow Avenue Family Residence (WAFR) in 2004. Today, NAFR can house up to 79 families and, with the largest units, can accommodate families of 6-8 people, while JAFR can house 95 families and WAFR can house 102 families at a time. Combined, the three BronxWorks Family Residences can work with and provide shelter for as many as 500 families in a given year.
Homeless families in New York City enter the shelter system through the Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing Office (PATH), the citywide shelter intake center. Based on their intake assessment, families are matched with shelter units depending on their family size and composition and unit availability.
When families arrive at one of our sites, they are immediately assessed and matched with a team that includes a dedicated Case Manager, Housing Specialist, and Social Worker. Each site is also supported by Case Management Supervisors, a Social Services Director, childcare staff, after-school programming, and a robust maintenance and security staff. The teams work to address any family needs, including mental health, supporting children in their education, assistance with benefits, medical care, or legal services, while helping each family ultimately secure permanent housing.
For all families that enter BronxWorks Family Residences, the ultimate goal is to work toward attaining permanent housing. Once a housing package is completed, shelter staff assist each family with their housing interviews, accompany them in viewing potential apartments, and help families move out of the shelter and into their permanent homes. But the work doesn’t just end there. Families are connected with after-care services through the BronxWorks Transform program and other community-based partners that provide long-term case management and engagement during and after their transition to permanent housing.
The BronxWorks Family Sanctuary
As a part of the New York City strategy to assist migrant families arriving from border states, BronxWorks opened a new Family Sanctuary in September. BronxWorks opened the Family Sanctuary in short order to provide shelter for almost 90 migrant families, many of whom are seeking asylum here in the United States.
Most families arrived at the Sanctuary overnight during the first weekend that the site opened. Yevy Bednaya, Director of Social Services at the Nelson Avenue Family Residence, led the opening of the Family Sanctuary as the new Residence Director. It was a large collective effort supported by volunteers from programs throughout BronxWorks to ensure that the site was ready to welcome the families and adequately equipped to meet all of their basic needs.
That first weekend we focused on getting as many intakes done as possible,” Yevy says, “making sure we understood all of the needs of our families, providing clothing and household items, connecting them to medical and legal services, enrolling the children in school, and ensuring that everyone feels welcome and safe here.”
While the work at the Family Sanctuary is similar to the three other BronxWorks Family Residences, there are added challenges as a result of how the families arrived. Many of the families came with minimal belongings, and many have very young children. The families will need added care to adjust to life in the United States and in the Bronx, including assistance with their legal status, all in addition to securing permanent housing. “This process will take longer for us and for the families, and we’re asking them to be patient with us just as we are asking everyone who is here working to be patient with them.” Yevy, a Licensed Social Worker and multi-year veteran of the BronxWorks Family Shelter Department draws from her own experience coming to the U.S. as a refugee when she was child. Within just a few weeks, the BronxWorks Family Sanctuary already housed 84 families representing nearly 300 people, including 110 children.
Why This Work Matters
Marjorie Jeannot is the Department Director for the BronxWorks Family Shelter Department. She oversees the three Family Residences as well as the newly-opened Family Sanctuary. We asked Marjorie to put into perspective her twenty years working with homeless families. “It comes down to the work we do every single day,” Marjorie says. “It can be easy to get stuck on the numbers, whether it is the placement numbers, or the number of families in the system city-wide, but for us, these are families with real people, real children, working to overcome real challenges to achieve their goals.”
Marjorie explains that as a shelter provider for homeless families, BronxWorks Family Residences are responsible for everything as it relates to the well-being of every family member, from their day-to-day needs to their long-term goals. That includes ensuring that the children have the resources needed to succeed in their education. That means making sure students are regularly attending school. That means making sure parents have everything they need to take care of themselves so that they can take care of their families.
The impact we have is made through consistent incremental and daily progress. It is made through being here day in and day out for our families, and celebrating every small success in big ways.”
Marjorie says that at its core, the work isn’t about simply making housing placements, or getting families out of the shelter system. At its core, the work is about working to prepare families while they are with us to achieve a stable and healthier life once they have left.
As the families in the newly-opened BronxWorks Family Sanctuary get settled, Yevy says they are eager to pursue the lives they envisioned as they made the treacherous journey to come here. She says that the children are excited to start school and the parents are keen to find work or learn English
There has been an outpouring of support from the community, including BronxWorks staff, partner organizations, local churches, and private donors and community members. As such, they have been able to give each family many of their basic household needs, such as clothing, toys, cookware and even groceries. “One of the biggest things that our families have wanted to do is cook their own food,” Yevy says. “When I walk through the halls it already smells great.”
BronxWorks is known for being a trusted homeless service provider in the Bronx and New York City. A key part of our mission to address homelessness is our work with vulnerable families. Today, BronxWorks operates three Family Residences capable of housing 276 families at a time and recently opened a new emergency Family Sanctuary to assist the migrant families arriving in New York City.
This year marks thirty years of our work providing shelter for homeless families in the Bronx. The BronxWorks Nelson Avenue Family Residence (NAFR) first opened in 1992, followed by the Jackson Avenue Family Residence (JAFR) in 1995, and the Willow Avenue Family Residence (WAFR) in 2004. Today, NAFR can house up to 79 families and, with the largest units, can accommodate families of 6-8 people, while JAFR can house 95 families and WAFR can house 102 families at a time. Combined, the three BronxWorks Family Residences can work with and provide shelter for as many as 500 families in a given year.
Homeless families in New York City enter the shelter system through the Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing Office (PATH), the citywide shelter intake center. Based on their intake assessment, families are matched with shelter units depending on their family size and composition and unit availability.
When families arrive at one of our sites, they are immediately assessed and matched with a team that includes a dedicated Case Manager, Housing Specialist, and Social Worker. Each site is also supported by Case Management Supervisors, a Social Services Director, childcare staff, after-school programming, and a robust maintenance and security staff. The teams work to address any family needs, including mental health, supporting children in their education, assistance with benefits, medical care, or legal services, while helping each family ultimately secure permanent housing.
For all families that enter BronxWorks Family Residences, the ultimate goal is to work toward attaining permanent housing. Once a housing package is completed, shelter staff assist each family with their housing interviews, accompany them in viewing potential apartments, and help families move out of the shelter and into their permanent homes. But the work doesn’t just end there. Families are connected with after-care services through the BronxWorks Transform program and other community-based partners that provide long-term case management and engagement during and after their transition to permanent housing.
The BronxWorks Family Sanctuary
As a part of the New York City strategy to assist migrant families arriving from border states, BronxWorks opened a new Family Sanctuary in September. BronxWorks opened the Family Sanctuary in short order to provide shelter for almost 90 migrant families, many of whom are seeking asylum here in the United States.
Most families arrived at the Sanctuary overnight during the first weekend that the site opened. Yevy Bednaya, Director of Social Services at the Nelson Avenue Family Residence, led the opening of the Family Sanctuary as the new Residence Director. It was a large collective effort supported by volunteers from programs throughout BronxWorks to ensure that the site was ready to welcome the families and adequately equipped to meet all of their basic needs.
That first weekend we focused on getting as many intakes done as possible,” Yevy says, “making sure we understood all of the needs of our families, providing clothing and household items, connecting them to medical and legal services, enrolling the children in school, and ensuring that everyone feels welcome and safe here.”
While the work at the Family Sanctuary is similar to the three other BronxWorks Family Residences, there are added challenges as a result of how the families arrived. Many of the families came with minimal belongings, and many have very young children. The families will need added care to adjust to life in the United States and in the Bronx, including assistance with their legal status, all in addition to securing permanent housing. “This process will take longer for us and for the families, and we’re asking them to be patient with us just as we are asking everyone who is here working to be patient with them.” Yevy, a Licensed Social Worker and multi-year veteran of the BronxWorks Family Shelter Department draws from her own experience coming to the U.S. as a refugee when she was child. Within just a few weeks, the BronxWorks Family Sanctuary already housed 84 families representing nearly 300 people, including 110 children.
Why This Work Matters
Marjorie Jeannot is the Department Director for the BronxWorks Family Shelter Department. She oversees the three Family Residences as well as the newly-opened Family Sanctuary. We asked Marjorie to put into perspective her twenty years working with homeless families. “It comes down to the work we do every single day,” Marjorie says. “It can be easy to get stuck on the numbers, whether it is the placement numbers, or the number of families in the system city-wide, but for us, these are families with real people, real children, working to overcome real challenges to achieve their goals.”
Marjorie explains that as a shelter provider for homeless families, BronxWorks Family Residences are responsible for everything as it relates to the well-being of every family member, from their day-to-day needs to their long-term goals. That includes ensuring that the children have the resources needed to succeed in their education. That means making sure students are regularly attending school. That means making sure parents have everything they need to take care of themselves so that they can take care of their families.
The impact we have is made through consistent incremental and daily progress. It is made through being here day in and day out for our families, and celebrating every small success in big ways.”
Marjorie says that at its core, the work isn’t about simply making housing placements, or getting families out of the shelter system. At its core, the work is about working to prepare families while they are with us to achieve a stable and healthier life once they have left.
As the families in the newly-opened BronxWorks Family Sanctuary get settled, Yevy says they are eager to pursue the lives they envisioned as they made the treacherous journey to come here. She says that the children are excited to start school and the parents are keen to find work or learn English
There has been an outpouring of support from the community, including BronxWorks staff, partner organizations, local churches, and private donors and community members. As such, they have been able to give each family many of their basic household needs, such as clothing, toys, cookware and even groceries. “One of the biggest things that our families have wanted to do is cook their own food,” Yevy says. “When I walk through the halls it already smells great.”
Celebrating Staff Reaching Over Twenty Years of Service
One of the best parts of the Annual Staff Meeting is celebrating staff milestones. BronxWorks is lucky to have amazingly dedicated staff who have given years or even decades of service to the communities of the Bronx. This year we celebrated five staff members who reached over twenty years of service and one staff member who reached over twenty-five years of service at BronxWorks. That’s a combined one-hundred and twenty-five years dedicated to the betterment of our communities. There is so much history to recognize in the stories of these six staff members and we want to thank them for their commitment to the Bronx.
Wanda Abeyllez – Twenty-Five Years of Service
Wanda grew up in the South Bronx and was actually a summer youth intern with BronxWorks, then known as the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB). After she completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology at Queens College, Wanda applied and was hired as a Case Manager for a housing program. Wanda worked in various housing programs, until 2005 when she joined the Senior Services Department. She has been the Program Director for the E. Roberts Moore Older Adult Center for seventeen years. During her time at BronxWorks, Wanda completed a Master’s in Public Administration from Metropolitan College. Congratulations, Wanda, on twenty-five years of service at BronxWorks.
Maxene Foster – Twenty Years of Service
Maxene started at BronxWorks in 2001 as an Aftercare Case Manager at the Jackson Avenue Family Residence. Born and raised in Jamaica, Maxene moved to the US in 1986, at first to Colorado Springs and then eventually to New York and the Bronx in 1990. She completed an Associate’s Degree in Health Education at Bronx Community College and a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Education and Promotion from Lehman College. Maxene has worked between the Eviction Prevention and Access to Benefits Departments for the majority of her time at BronxWorks, including the last eight years as Program Coordinator of the Benefits Access and Assistance Program. Congratulations, Maxene, on your twenty years of service at BronxWorks.
Marjorie Jeannot – Twenty Years of Service
Marjorie grew up in Haiti and came to the US when she was fourteen. She completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences at Stony Brook University. Marjorie started at BronxWorks fresh out of college as a Case Manager for an eviction prevention program. She left BronxWorks to pursue her Master’s in Social Work at Columbia University and returned as the Program Director for the Living Room. During her time at BronxWorks, Marjorie has also worked as Department Director of various Workforce Development programs, and Director of the Nelson and Willow Avenue Family Residences. Today, Marjorie is the Department Director of Family Shelters. Congratulations, Marjorie, on twenty years of service at BronxWorks!
Rosa Martinez – Twenty Years of Service
Rosa started at BronxWorks within the Access to Benefits Department and has worked as an Administrative Assistant and Messenger for many years. She has reliably assisted programs including Eviction Prevention and Walk-in Offices throughout her time at BronxWorks. Rosa’s family is originally from Puerto Rico, and now she lives in the Bronx. As an Administrative Assistant, Rosa has helped staff throughout the agency and appreciates everyone she has been able to work with. Congratulations, Rosa, on twenty years of service!
Frank Melendez – Twenty Years of Service
Frank was introduced to BronxWorks by a friend. He was hired in 2001 as a Family Monitor at the Jackson Avenue Family Residence. Later he joined the maintenance team, where he would work from 2004-2016. Born and raised in the Bronx, Frank attended the Adlai Stevenson High School. In 2015, he transferred to the Senior Services Department as a Driver, maintaining the vehicle and delivering food to a number of sites, as well as providing maintenance at the Morris Innovative Older Adult Center. He also does part-time street homeless outreach on the weekends with the Homeless Outreach Team. Congratulations, Frank, on your twenty years of service!
Igor Zekster – Twenty Years of Service
Igor grew up in Ukraine and lived in Russia, where he studied and worked in neurosurgery science and brain research. He has a Master’s of Science from Gorky University. Igor came to the US in the late 1990s with his wife and daughter. He was recruited by a friend to a small technology business where he got his start working in IT, completing projects like cabling and building computers. After completing his certification in IT, Igor interviewed at BronxWorks and was hired as an IT Technician. Igor helped design and start to build the entire modern IT infrastructure at BronxWorks. He has been integral in growing the IT department during his twenty years of service at BronxWorks. Congratulations Igor!
Celebrating Staff Reaching Over Twenty Years of Service
One of the best parts of the Annual Staff Meeting is celebrating staff milestones. BronxWorks is lucky to have amazingly dedicated staff who have given years or even decades of service to the communities of the Bronx. This year we celebrated five staff members who reached over twenty years of service and one staff member who reached over twenty-five years of service at BronxWorks. That’s a combined one-hundred and twenty-five years dedicated to the betterment of our communities. There is so much history to recognize in the stories of these six staff members and we want to thank them for their commitment to the Bronx.
Wanda Abeyllez – Twenty-Five Years of Service
Wanda grew up in the South Bronx and was actually a summer youth intern with BronxWorks, then known as the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB). After she completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology at Queens College, Wanda applied and was hired as a Case Manager for a housing program. Wanda worked in various housing programs, until 2005 when she joined the Senior Services Department. She has been the Program Director for the E. Roberts Moore Older Adult Center for seventeen years. During her time at BronxWorks, Wanda completed a Master’s in Public Administration from Metropolitan College. Congratulations, Wanda, on twenty-five years of service at BronxWorks.
Maxene Foster – Twenty Years of Service
Maxene started at BronxWorks in 2001 as an Aftercare Case Manager at the Jackson Avenue Family Residence. Born and raised in Jamaica, Maxene moved to the US in 1986, at first to Colorado Springs and then eventually to New York and the Bronx in 1990. She completed an Associate’s Degree in Health Education at Bronx Community College and a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Education and Promotion from Lehman College. Maxene has worked between the Eviction Prevention and Access to Benefits Departments for the majority of her time at BronxWorks, including the last eight years as Program Coordinator of the Benefits Access and Assistance Program. Congratulations, Maxene, on your twenty years of service at BronxWorks.
Marjorie Jeannot – Twenty Years of Service
Marjorie grew up in Haiti and came to the US when she was fourteen. She completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences at Stony Brook University. Marjorie started at BronxWorks fresh out of college as a Case Manager for an eviction prevention program. She left BronxWorks to pursue her Master’s in Social Work at Columbia University and returned as the Program Director for the Living Room. During her time at BronxWorks, Marjorie has also worked as Department Director of various Workforce Development programs, and Director of the Nelson and Willow Avenue Family Residences. Today, Marjorie is the Department Director of Family Shelters. Congratulations, Marjorie, on twenty years of service at BronxWorks!
Rosa Martinez – Twenty Years of Service
Rosa started at BronxWorks within the Access to Benefits Department and has worked as an Administrative Assistant and Messenger for many years. She has reliably assisted programs including Eviction Prevention and Walk-in Offices throughout her time at BronxWorks. Rosa’s family is originally from Puerto Rico, and now she lives in the Bronx. As an Administrative Assistant, Rosa has helped staff throughout the agency and appreciates everyone she has been able to work with. Congratulations, Rosa, on twenty years of service!
Frank Melendez – Twenty Years of Service
Frank was introduced to BronxWorks by a friend. He was hired in 2001 as a Family Monitor at the Jackson Avenue Family Residence. Later he joined the maintenance team, where he would work from 2004-2016. Born and raised in the Bronx, Frank attended the Adlai Stevenson High School. In 2015, he transferred to the Senior Services Department as a Driver, maintaining the vehicle and delivering food to a number of sites, as well as providing maintenance at the Morris Innovative Older Adult Center. He also does part-time street homeless outreach on the weekends with the Homeless Outreach Team. Congratulations, Frank, on your twenty years of service!
Igor Zekster – Twenty Years of Service
Igor grew up in Ukraine and lived in Russia, where he studied and worked in neurosurgery science and brain research. He has a Master’s of Science from Gorky University. Igor came to the US in the late 1990s with his wife and daughter. He was recruited by a friend to a small technology business where he got his start working in IT, completing projects like cabling and building computers. After completing his certification in IT, Igor interviewed at BronxWorks and was hired as an IT Technician. Igor helped design and start to build the entire modern IT infrastructure at BronxWorks. He has been integral in growing the IT department during his twenty years of service at BronxWorks. Congratulations Igor!
