Bridging Forward program aims to reduce poverty by 30% in South Central Nebraska

HASTINGS, NE — Non-profit leaders in South Central Nebraska are tired of a transactional attitude towards public assistance.

The United Way and Community Impact Network launched the new Bridging Forward program on Thursday and are billing it as a transformational approach to fighting poverty. 

“What’s later? What’s next? What’s going to be more in the future that we can be looking at that’s going to transform your situation and not just put a quick fix on it,” Collaborative Coordinator Brady Rhodes said.

Bridging Forward aims to reduce poverty by 30 percent by 2030 in a four-county area around Hastings.

Rhodes says there’s a perfect storm of circumstances.

“This is the right time. We have all these open jobs and we have this higher poverty rate, let’s figure out a way to solve these at the same time.”

Specifically, 12 percent of people in the target area are in poverty, more than two percent above the statewide rate. There’s also more than 1400 open jobs.

For many people, like Nyareak Pech of Hastings, substance abuse prevents them from improving their situation. Her outlook changed thanks to Bridging Forward’s pilot program.

“I can move on in life. I can start building my life again," Pech said. "That’s what it felt like, ok I can build now, there’s people there to help me.”

Bridging Forward uses a poverty alleviation system including the steps crisis intervention, stabilization, job readiness, placement and advancement. 

United Way Executive Director Jodi Graves says the program will cost $5 million over eight years and require the help of volunteers and advocates.

“We need the entire community to really come together to embrace this to help those individuals and lift those individuals out poverty, which will have such ripple effects for our entire community,” Graves said.

If they meet the 30 percent goal, it would mean 700 households and 1700 people were elevated out of poverty. Graves says the payoff would equal more than $60 million for the community. Pech says the benefits for the individuals are immeasurable.

“You go out there and you get public help, you go out there and you do this. It’s just kind of a repetitive cycle. If they find this program where the cycle stops, I think that they would find themselves in a very happy place,” Pech said.