Lifebridge Raises $220K At Women's 'Aging With Dignity' Event

SALEM, MA — A sold-out Lifebridge North Shore fundraiser at the Peabody Essex Museum raised $220,000 while focusing on the needs of older women who are homeless or housing insecure.

The annual event, "Together for Women: A Lifebridge Conversation," drew 300 guests for a luncheon centered on this year's theme, "Aging with Dignity."

Guests viewed art and writing by current Lifebridge clients, a recreation of a shelter bed with privacy panels, and a panel discussion moderated by Salem City Councilor-at-Large Alice Merkl.

Panelists Helen Johnson, Mary Jane McGlennon, and Dr. Robert Slocum discussed accessibility needs for aging women, risk factors for homelessness, and ways shelters and support centers can be designed to be more accessible and trauma-informed.

"For the first time ever in greater Boston, women are experiencing homelessness at higher rates than men, reversing decades of national trends," Brittany Molloy-Kenney, Lifebridge vice president of philanthropy, said. "By the time a woman comes to Lifebridge, she has already exhausted every other resource. She is not giving up; she is out of options."

The program focused on the growing number of women over age 60 who are homeless or struggling to afford housing, often for the first time in their lives.

The organization said the death of a spouse, medical bills and the rising cost of living all contribute to that trend.

"The average market rate for an apartment in Salem is $1,850 for a studio and $2,283 for a one-bedroom," Johnson, a Lifebridge case manager, said during the panel. "Yet, the average income for an elderly or disabled person on social security is $900."

Johnson added that the waitlist for subsidized housing can take years and said women are especially at risk during the period between recognizing they need support and obtaining affordable housing.

Lifebridge Board Member Laura Tyrrell announced that the nonprofit has purchased a new building for its women-only shelter, River House. Lifebridge said the money raised will support programming, moving costs into permanent housing, family reunification costs and other services for vulnerable women.

"Creating a women-only environment is not a preference; it is essential," Jason Etheridge, Lifebridge president, said. "For women who have endured domestic violence, trafficking, sexual assault, substance use, and other forms of trauma, often at the hands of male perpetrators, healing cannot begin in mixed-gender settings.

"Safety, privacy, and emotional security are key to recovery."