Thanksgiving has always been my family’s favorite holiday. My parents usually host 20 or more family and friends for an incredible day of feasting, football, and fellowship. This year, our tradition will be broken for the first time in my life. It has been a tough year all around. My parents have only held my […]
Category Archives: Westhab Stories
The Long Way Home
Born in Yonkers 71 years ago, Mr. Jones doesn’t play the lottery. His number already came up once, so he doesn’t like the odds of that happening again. Unfortunately, the winning prize the one time he played was a trip to Vietnam. His time overseas was a nightmare, and he was welcomed back with indifference […]
It’s a Done Deal! Westhab Purchases 5 Hudson Street
Westhab is now the proud owner of 5 Hudson Street (the Windham) in downtown Yonkers, a site where we have been providing affordable housing and much-needed services to our neighbors since 1984. Congratulations are in order for 33-year-Westhab-veteran Ken Belfer, who spearheaded the acquisition, and who has been with us from (almost) the beginning. Not […]
Mixed. Peach. Black.
My wife is dancing playfully with our two girls—ages two and four. “Show me that Black girl magic,” she says, and the girls twirl and jump excitedly. This is a normal day in the life of the Nightingale household, even though the skin tone of the kids looks a lot like daddy’s. The importance of […]
Defining Essential in the New COVID-19 Reality
I hope that everyone reading this is well, taking proper precautions, and staying safe. Our world has changed dramatically in the last two weeks, and we’ve learned a lot very quickly. We’ve begun using terms like social distancing and self quarantining. We’ve had to examine what is really essential in our lives. Today, New York […]
Leading from the front—Valerie C. Smith
I sat down with Valerie C. Smith a few short days ago to find out how the COVID-19 pandemic was affecting the vulnerable people Westhab serves and how our front-line staff are rising to meet this unprecedented challenge. After several days working from home, the conversation feels like it was a lifetime ago. But Ms. […]
Westhab Partners with Westchester County and Palladium Management to Provide New Affordable Housing in New Rochelle
New Rochelle, NY—Westhab is pleased to announce that a newly renovated building on Fountain Place in New Rochelle has reached full occupancy. 21 Fountain Place, which formerly served as student housing for Monroe College, received a substantial renovation to provide affordable and transitional housing for 52 families. The building is being leased by Westhab from […]
One Step Closer to Dayspring
On October 22, 2019, Westhab’s real estate development team, led by Senior Vice President Andrew Germany, headed to Manhattan for the financial closing of the $45 million Dayspring Campus project. The project includes the construction of Dayspring Commons (a 63-unit, brand-new, high-quality affordable and supportive rental building designed with families in mind) as well as […]
In My Backyard
Westchester County is blessed with great schools, transportation, business opportunities, and family amenities. But where is anyone to live? The low and moderate-income workforce that fuels Westchester’s economy—from the busboys clearing tables all the way to the teachers charged with educating our children—often live in counties to our north, New Jersey, Connecticut, and elsewhere and […]
Changing Lives—Eric’s Story
At the beginning of 2018, Eric was sleeping on his mother’s living room floor; his infant son was sleeping beside him in a portable crib. After living nearly 10 years in American Samoa, where he had worked primarily as a network engineer, Eric had just moved back to New York. For 30 years, he had […]