General Info

IFCA is the Interfaith Council for Action, Inc doing business as Innovations for Community Advancement. Most know IFCA by, simply, its acronym, an historical moniker that is recognized and respected in the communities we serve. Although IFCA was founded in 1968 with a coalition of local faith-based institutions, IFCA does not maintain any faith-based alliances. Beyond rents, IFCA relies solely on private donations and available government funds which are decreasing at an alarming rate year after year. As the oldest neighborhood preservation company in Westchester County, New York, IFCA's traditional model was to buy the worst house on the block, renovate and rehabilitate it, and rent apartments at below market value to local working families. IFCA also provided apartments for those who were transitioning from homelessness to independence via County grant programs. Often, after IFCA bought and renovated that worst house , revitalization of an entire block or neighborhood would occur. Others in the community saw the improvements and would buy or rent in the same area. This model worked effectively for many years with IFCA developing ancillary programs and services for those they now housed. Through this model, IFCA presently provides affordable/workforce housing for more than 100 families. IFCA was a co-founder of a low-cost primary care center that is now the Open Door Family Health Care Center In 1995, in collaboration with the New York Medical College, IFCA created the first Interim Lead-safe House in Westchester County. One of two community agencies that provided case management services to over 100 families through the Westchester County Dept. of Planning's Family Self Sufficiency ( FSS ) program.