The communities and people that Westhab serves often get a lot of negative labels: distressed, at-risk, high-need. The outward signs of poverty can be evident and do represent very real challenges. But that isn’t the whole picture. All communities have strengths and weaknesses. In poor communities, we choose to focus our lenses on the negative. […]
Category Archives: Westhab Stories
A Marine Makes His Way Back Home
Edward is a proud Marine Corps veteran who served from 1974–1986 as an aviation ordnanceman, rising to the rank of staff sergeant. He loved the Marines, especially the opportunity to travel the world. His favorite port of call was France. Today, Edward lives at 28 Pier Street in Yonkers, Westhab’s transitional residence for homeless veterans. […]
The Willow Rapid Re-Housing Center’s New Beginnings Internship Program
Throughout our lives, we are faced with challenges and obstacles along our personal journey, and sometimes we wish we could hit the restart button. Sometimes, a helping hand and some support would make a world of a difference. The Willow Rapid Re-Housing Center’s New Beginnings Internship Program, which began in late 2017, was designed with both of these things in mind: to provide a helping hand to the men living in the shelter and […]
For the Love of Coffee on National Coffee Day
Ah, coffee, the social worker’s best friend. From the enchanting aroma of roasted coffee beans to the warm velvety titillation the first sip leaves on your palette, coffee in the workplace is almost a necessity. At Westhab’s main office on 8 Bashford Street in Yonkers, we are thankful to have a Keurig machine that is […]
Tawan Frazier—Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
Westhab client Tawan Frazier describes his involvement with the criminal justice system as, “a minor setback for a great comeback.” With that attitude, it is no wonder Tawan was quickly able to parlay his participation in the LEAP program into a full-time job and a promising future in the HVAC industry. Tawan’s setback is not […]
Make Labor Day Part of Your Every Day
“Happy Labor Day weekend!” For the six years that I have lived in the United States, I have, countless times, happily and cluelessly repeated this wish to family members, friends, the barista that always gets my drink right at Starbucks, and everyone else that I converse with on the first Monday of September. But I […]
Vincent Millan—An Intern’s Story
This post was authored by our summer intern, Vincent Millan. Vinny is rising junior majoring in civil engineering at SUNY Buffalo. He grew up in New Rochelle, N.Y., and we were very lucky to have such a hard-working, competent young person in our office this summer. Click above to read his story.
Linda Tyson: A Quarter Century at Westhab
Do you remember where you were in June of 1993? Bill Clinton was president, Sleepless in Seattle was in theaters, Cleveland was breaking ground on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and the Chicago Bulls were NBA Champions. It’s surely a time Linda Tyson will never forget—it was in June of 1993 that she […]
Will You Be a Hero Today?
With all the recent hysteria around superhero movies, I cannot help but wonder what the fascination is with this genre. What draws us to relate to these characters? American Mythologist Joseph Campbell would point us to what he calls the “monomyth” or “the hero’s journey”— a universal pattern he finds in all narratives from around […]
Westhab and The Westchester Bank—A Community Partnership That Works for Westchester
If you live in Westchester, you have probably heard of The Westchester Bank (TWB.) They are our local bank, with six branches throughout the county. And, if you’ve seen their ads on television or in local publications, you’ve seen TWB’s President and CEO, John Tolomer. But you might not be aware of everything that John and TWB bring […]