Byrd Barr Place works hard to provide nearly 10,000 Seattle households with grants to maintain their heat in the winter, but sometimes that grant isn’t enough to prevent a disconnection. Private funds through Byrd Barr Place’s Bridge the Gap Campaign can help these families hit by hard times find some comfort during the cold, wet Seattle… Read Full Article >
Financial Education Newsletter Updates
To read Byrd Barr Place’s new Financial Education newsletters, click here!… Read Full Article >
Bridge the Gap Stories: Emmanuel
Life in Seattle isn’t easy when you are a single parent. Many are familiar with the plight of the single mom, but more recently there has been a rise in single dads, without a commensurate increase in resources. For a single dad such as Emmanuel, losing his housing could equate to losing his kids, since… Read Full Article >
Bridge the Gap Stories: Deshaye
Deshaye was in a tough spot. Employed as a caregiver for an elderly and disabled man, Deshaye’s employer passed away in October 2013, leaving her without any income to support herself or her two children, a six year old boy and a 21 month old girl. In addition, Deshaye’s nephew had moved in with her… Read Full Article >
Bridge the Gap Stories: Qian
Music is Qian’s life. A professional concert pianist and survivor of Mao’s Cultural Revolution, Qian studied piano at Beijing’s premier musical college in the 1970s, despite losing his eyesight at age 13. Playing by feel and by ear, Qian is a prodigy, as he cannot read the notes written on the page. His immense talent… Read Full Article >
Bridge the Gap Stories: Opal
Life has been hard for Opal W. Now in her early 60s, Opal is unable to work due to crippling arthritis in her knees. She walks painfully with crutches, because there is no cartilage left to cushion the blow, so each step causes her shooting pains. Born and raised in Louisiana, Opal moved to Seattle… Read Full Article >
Bridge the Gap Stories: Jody
“The struggling musician” is a stereotype that holds true for many trying to make it in the music industry, as performances are unpredictable and gigs can be feast or famine, subject to the whims of public tastes. Jody is just one of hundreds of struggling musicians in Seattle who previously made a decent living. He… Read Full Article >
Bridge the Gap Stories: Nuvia
Nuvia C. received a disconnect notice from Seattle City Light while her daughters were home from school on Winter Break. Nuvia, whose ten and six year old daughters are in elementary school, worried how her children would spend their much anticipated days off without electricity and heat. “I can’t afford to send my girls to… Read Full Article >
Bridge the Gap Stories: Michelle
A former administrator at a local nonprofit helping some of Seattle’s poorest residents, Michelle is very familiar with the services that exist for low-income families. But Michelle never thought she would need those services until she suffered a devastating accident in 2012 that left her permanently disabled. With a broken neck, collar bone, severe spinal… Read Full Article >
Bridge the Gap Stories: Camille
All programs have rules and regulations to ensure that people are receiving the services they need, but the rules don’t always capture the “human” factor, and there are exceptions to every rule. Camille M. was one of those exceptions. Two years ago Camille had a good life. She and her husband, baby-boomer parents in their… Read Full Article >
