New Bethany will use the funds to keep families stably housed and children enrolled in school.

Bethlehem, PA (April 13, 2023) – Bethlehem nonprofit New Bethany has been awarded $65,000 from the Pennsylvania Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP). Two local businesses, Braun and Client 1st Financial, made these funds possible. New Bethany extends its gratitude to these businesses for their partnership and for seeing the need for more assistance in the Lehigh Valley community.

New Bethany will use these funds to help lessen the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on impoverished families and children in the Lehigh Valley region. Through Pennsylvania’s Special Program Priorities Project, New Bethany will expand its Housing Advocate program at Donegan Elementary School, Fountain Hill Elementary School, and Broughal Middle School by hiring a full-time School-Based Neighborhood Housing Advocate. This new position will provide case management and tenant navigation to families facing housing insecurity with children enrolled in said schools.

New Bethany has been assessing the success of this position for the last eight months with a part-time School-Based Neighborhood Housing Advocate at Bethlehem Area School District. In this short period, New Bethany’s housing advocate worked with 69 families and assisted 36 families in obtaining and maintaining stable housing. Broadening this role to a full-time position will only increase its positive outcomes.

“New Bethany is grateful to receive this grant from Pennsylvania’s Neighborhood Assistance Program. We extend immense thanks to B. Braun and Client 1st Financial for believing in our mission and seeing the need for New Bethany’s work,” says Chris Cassidy, director of development and planning at New Bethany. “With these funds, we will continue to provide integral support to children and families in Bethlehem’s neighborhoods.”

NAP grants are extended to organizations that address neighborhood and community problems in low-income areas. Those receiving grants must serve low-income residents of communities in need; projects must involve affordable housing, community economic development, community services, crime prevention, education, job training, neighborhood assistance, or neighborhood conservation.

About New Bethany

New Bethany, in their 37th year of service to the Lehigh Valley, encompasses programs that provide food support, clothing, referral services, showers, financial management, permanent housing for men and women, wellness services, and transitional and permanent housing solutions. Their mission is to offer hope and support to people who experience poverty, hunger, and homelessness. New Bethany believes that all people, regardless of circumstances, should be treated with dignity and care without judgment. No one who seeks help is turned away. To learn more about New Bethany, find them on Facebook and Twitter @NewBethMin, or visit them on the web at www.newbethanyministries.org.

 

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