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Nonprofit The Bridge describes family navigation network, data and a user’s account of rent and childcare struggles
Summary
The Bridge updated commissioners on the Family Resource Connector Network’s navigation, collaborative and youth/family leadership strategies, presented service data and introduced a client who described housing and childcare pressures and how navigation funds helped her remain housed.
Marion Fay, executive director of The Bridge, and staff outlined the nonprofit’s Family Resource Connector Network during a Jan. 28 presentation to the Douglas County Board of Commissioners and introduced a client who described receiving help through the program.
Fay said the program uses three strategies: central navigation (one-on-one navigator support), community collaboration and youth and family leadership. Navigation assigns a bilingual or English-speaking navigator who assesses needs and connects families with concrete supports.
"When a referral is received, it is assigned to one of our five navigators," said Nikia Gunn Abdoulaye, The Bridge’s director of central navigation. She described a case in which a navigator connected a Spanish-speaking family with clothing, hygiene and household items to address attendance problems caused by lack of adequate clothing.
The Bridge presented referral-volume charts covering 15 months and a ZIP-code heat map showing heavier referral activity in 68111 and 68104, and less penetration in 68107 (South Omaha) where The Bridge said it intends to increase bilingual navigation and community-cafe outreach.
Client testimony followed. Kareah (last name given as Lea) told commissioners she contacted 2-1-1 and was assigned a Bridge navigator after facing eviction-related financial shortfalls and childcare costs. "She did not make me feel like I was inadequate," Kareah said of her navigator, describing an experience in which the navigator stayed in contact, coordinated with Holy Name’s housing program and helped the family secure limited funding that prevented eviction.
The Bridge said navigation allocations are capped at $500 per family per year (funding for the direct-assistance pool comes from non-county sources), and the organization emphasized that $500 is often a bridge to leverage other community funds. Staff described the program as an upstream prevention strategy to keep families out of deeper system involvement.
Commissioners praised the presentation and asked for additional budget and metrics detail. Commissioner Borgeson asked for fiscal breakdowns and success metrics; The Bridge agreed to provide follow-up budget and outcome information and said it would share client success stories to illustrate impact.
Why it matters: The Bridge’s navigation program provides short-term funds and connections intended to avert crises such as eviction, which can trigger involvement with child-protective services and the juvenile system. Commissioners flagged the need for measurable outcomes to understand long-term impact.
Ending: The Bridge committed to follow-up on budget and success-metrics reporting; commissioners expressed support and requested more detailed outcome data.
