We love to hear from our neighbors anytime, but more so from those that we have
helped and that they are back on track. That is the story of Ellie and her adult son Marc. Ellie
came to Good Neighbors several months ago for assistance with rent. She was living with her
son and a roommate at the time. Rent was split 3 ways and they paid their rent to the
roommate who would turn it into the property owner. This is not an uncommon practice, but it
does cause some red tape when you need assistance. Ellie walked in one day asking for some
guidance and help. We were able to work her into the schedule that same day and she spoke
with a coach. About her situation. Ellie is a senior on a fixed income and her son works part-
time in a retail store. Marc had a car repair the month prior that was costlier than expected,
and this caused him to be short on rent. Ellie gave her portion to cover his and they were still
short.
We went through our process and got the documentation needed for assistance to help
with rent. However, the landlord informed them that he was getting out of the rental business.
He gave them 3 months to move out and waived their rent for that time in order to save for a
new place. Ellie was devastated as this would mean a move and a change since they would not
have a roommate any longer to help with expenses.
Almost 5 months after her last appointment with GNBC, Ellie called stating that she had
finally found a place to rent with her son. They had been looking for several months to find
something affordable in Blount County. They even had to stay in a motel for several weeks
which cut into the money they had been trying to save. We helped her with a portion of the
rent deposit through our SURE Deposit Program and they moved in. A couple of months after
that we called her to follow up after the assistance. Ellie was doing great. She and Marc were
happy in their new home. Marc was working full-time and they were able to cover their bills.
Ellie stated with tears in her voice that she was so very thankful for the assistance she received
and the time we took to talk to her and help her find solutions. In her word, “We were so close
to being homeless and sleeping in the car. Thank you for all your help. I highly recommend
Good Neighbors and have already sent people your way. Thank you for the work you do!”