They say it takes a village to raise a child; I say it takes the whole community to thrive as a community. Over the past several months Good Neighbors has witnessed the impact a caring community can create. This story of hope is a little different than we normally tell. Today I would like to tell you the story of the amazing collaborations happening between the different non-profits in Blount County. 

Recently, we had several neighbors call us for assistance with their rent and others for assistance with deposits. While these two assistances fall within GNBC programing the need was greater than we could provide alone. After inviting the neighbors in the office for our coaching process we were able to determine that, with a partner agency to collaborate with, we could make a bigger impact and help set up our neighbors for success in the coming month.

One such family was behind in their rent due to a work layoff and were struggling to make ends meet. Fortunately, the father was able to find another job quickly though he would have to wait another 2 weeks to get paid. GNBC partnered with WIN-BC, Welcoming Immigrant Neighbor Blount County and we were able to pay a larger portion of his rent and advocate with the landlord to give him time to pay the balance with his first paycheck.

Another family’s story is really one of hope when we partnered with A Place to Stay. This family had experienced homelessness for over a year in various stages of being precariously housed, from staying with family and friends at times to sleeping in their car other times. They had been working with A Place to Stay for several months to get them connected to services that would help them reach stability. GNBC was one of the connections that A Place to Stay helped facilitate for this family. We met with the neighbor and during the coaching they shared their story and we could see just how far they had come when they were able to find housing that was affordable to them and most importantly sustainable to make sure they would be able to gain and keep this stable home. GNBC helped with a portion of their rent deposit to move in to their new home.

For some families that come to GNBC we play only a part in helping them overcome life’s challenges. We count ourselves grateful to be able to provide assistance, share hope, and empower lives!