President's & CEO's Message

As communities from San Francisco to San Diego, Portland and Seattle grapple with unprecedented demand for affordable housing, we are proud to bring solutions and results to the table.

Market-rate rents have skyrocketed in BRIDGE locations, with Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento, San Francisco and Seattle posting growth among the top 10 nationwide. While employment figures rose, incomes remained flat for households on the lower rungs of the economic ladder, driving demand for affordable housing through the roof.

In this context, BRIDGE's implementation of its five-year Strategic Plan in 2013 was fortuitously timed and has helped guide a path to growth. With the dedication of our staff and Board, BRIDGE has been focusing on strategic outcomes such as pipeline development and cost management. In 2014, the company ranked #5 nationally and was the only nonprofit to appear in the top 10 of Affordable Housing Finance's Top 50 Developers.

While we are proud of our bricks-and-mortar buildings, we know that at the end of the day, our impact on people’s lives is what counts. The average BRIDGE resident earns a $31,852 a year. Nine out of 10 residents earn 50% or less of Area Median Income.

At every ribbon-cutting celebration, we hear that the combination of well-managed homes plus resident and community services brings people new opportunities and new hope.

For Lolly Gilbert, a certified nursing assistant who lost her husband to cancer, moving into BRIDGE's 474 Natoma was an answer to her prayers. "I kept hoping for a place of my own, where I could enjoy some quiet and privacy," she said. "When I went through the door of my new apartment for the first time, I cried and cried, but they were tears of joy."

For more than 30 years, we have been building, sustaining and leading. It is in our DNA to press for innovative, cross-sector solutions to some of the toughest challenges faced by people and communities, and we look forward to the work ahead.

Thank you for your friendship and partnership.

Cynthia A. Parker
President & CEO