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ABOUT
THE BRIGHT
SIDE FAMILY
MISSION & HISTORY.
The Bright Side Family is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide affordable housing, affordable assisted living, and support services that respond to the changing needs and preferences of older adults in ways that offer choice, promote dignity, ensure safety, and advance economic security.
The Bright Side Family was originally founded as Geriatric Services Inc. in 1990 by Executive Director, Elizabeth Davis, and Geriatrician, Charles Davis, as a response to the lack of affordable supportive housing that was facing their clients and patients.
That same year, Geriatric Services Inc. took over management of Bright Side Manor, a historic residential health care facility that had been operating as senior housing since 1916. At Bright Side Manor, the organization was able to provide the quality affordable housing for seniors that so many communities were lacking. As of today, it is the only assisted living facility in Bergen County that is truly affordable for low-and-middle income older adults.
To address the shortage of subsidized senior housing, the organization opened The Brookdale, a 62-unit subsidized senior apartment building in Teaneck in 2016, and created the PALS (Portable Assisted Living Services) assisted living program in 2015. Assisted Living Programs (ALPs) are licensed to provide services for seniors in subsidized housing who are no longer independent, but cannot afford or do not wish to move out of their community. With expertise in providing holistic and cost-effective assisted living services, The Bright Side Family now operates PALS in three locations: Westwood House in Westwood, NJ and Golden Tower and Belmont Gardens in Garfield, NJ. With support from PALS, tenants can remain in their own apartments as they are provided assistance with personal care, meal preparation, medication administration, light housekeeping, laundry, and health monitoring services.
That same year, The Bright Side Family launched Age-Friendly Teaneck with support from The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation. Age-Friendly Teaneck is based on the World Health Organization’s strategic goal of “facilitating the inclusion of older persons to make our world more age-friendly." The initiative in Teaneck collaborates with local stakeholders to improve overall livability for community members and serve as a model for other New Jersey communities committed to supporting an aging population.
