It’s compassionate people such as yourselves that play a supportive role in our outreach. Your support allows us to keep offering a “Hand-Up” by working to stop the poverty cycle before it starts for struggling families and individuals, in our community.

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* My Neighbor was able to efficiently network/connect people with resources they didn't know were available to them.

For a Young Woman Who has Lost Faith

A meeting with a young woman started out as a pretty routine assessment of her crisis needs and during our conversation about resources, guidance and financial assistance, she talked about how it had been hard for her to graduate high school and go on to college- basically on her own.

Now, she was struggling greatly with her finances, couldn't pay rent, couldn't pay utilities, couldn't buy food, coudn't, couldn't, couldn't. She was employed but couldn't get paid.

I asked her if she had a support system or family in her life. She seemed so alone and dejected when she responded "no, not really". I offered my support to her (as well as assistance and resources), but I knew she needed long-lasting support,

So, I asked her,

"Are you a person of Faith?"

She told me that she did believe in God, but, that she thought He had left her when she was a teenager. She went on to explain why, and that she just could not believe that God could love her if He let her fall prey to such a great betrayal of an adult to a child.

I reminded her about her accomplishments and that she had to have GREAT INNER STRENGTH to get to where she was- her life moving forward.

I felt that I could not let her leave my office feeling so personally void and I could not let her leave feeling that God abandoned her.

We talked for a while longer and when she was readying to leave, I suggested to her that when she starts to feel herself "stressed" and alone, to call upon her strength; to call upon God, and ask for help (from Him) and remember all of her accomplishments and goals.... And maybe he didn't really leave her.... maybe he was there and part of this strength she had found within herself all along.

Loss of Empoyment Leads to Homelessness

A family of 4 was able to move out of a garage and into an apartment before Christmas. A father and husband who has a Masters Degree in a technical field had lost his job during the summer and was finally able to find work for $10/hr, the mother had been working, but was now staying home to care for the 2 young children (3yrs and 10 months).

To make ends meet they lived in a pop-up camper until it got too cold for the children. Then, they moved into a "heated" garage. Just a basic garage with a a cement floor and small forced air heater.(no bathroom or running water)

As fall was turning into winter, it was getting too cold for the children in the garage. They came to My Neighbor seeking direction and help. My Neighbor helped them with a housing deposit and discussed long-term options and solutions and directed them to resources for household items, food, diapers, debt management, ect.

They were over joyed, to have a home, to have heat and running water, to have bedrooms and a place where the children can play on the floor and just be safe; they finally had a HOME.

Your Financial Support has a Personal Impact and

YOUR HELP MADE A DIFFERENCE HERE!!!