Henry recently moved out on his own with his two-year old son and found himself unprepared to take on the sole responsibility for all his expenses including rent and utilities. While he has a good paying job and can normally cover all his bills for the month, Henry got behind when he missed over a week of work due to COVID. When his utility bill came and he saw that it was $100 higher than normal, Henry got worried that he would not be able to pay it. He called the utility company to ask for some guidance on what to do if he had to make payments. There he was told about Good Neighbors. Henry called us for help and during the coaching session he came to realize that if another emergency or illness happened to him or his young son he would not be prepared. Our volunteer coach was able to help Henry come up with a plan on how to make his finances stretch and use community food resources to help alleviate some of the financial burden of more expensive groceries. Good Neighbors was able to help pay a portion of his utility bill and get Henry back on track. When Henry left the office, he was in a great mood and felt ready to put his plan into action while he actively built savings for the future!

 Marleen and David live in an older home that is not very well insulated. As the weather is starting to get cooler they turned on the heat for the first time this year a few weeks ago and realized that their propane tank is almost empty. When Marleen called the utility company, she was told that to fill it up it would be over $500. Living on a fixed income this expense it too high for them to bear the extra cost for a full tank. Their only option was to fill it half way and that would not be a guarantee to last all winter. Through a friend from their church they were told about Good Neighbors. When David called us and explained the situation, we were able to help them with a portion of this bill through our GRACE fund that in turn allowed them to fill the tank and ensure that they would have enough propane for heat to last the coming cold season. Our volunteer coach also shared information about community food resources they could access to help with the increase in food costs. Both David and Marleen were so very appreciative that someone was able to help in their time of need. 

 Tammy is a stay at home mom who also homeschools her three children. Her husband, Jim, recently lost his job after having to take time off due to take care of an elderly relative. Their rent has increased in the past year and so when they lost the only income for the household things became very difficult for them. While Jim was able to find a new job that is closer to home, he is only making training pay for the first month and it is not enough to cover the rent. Tammy called Good Neighbors to see if we could help after an online search for help with rent. Not only were we able to help pay a portion of their rent we were also able to help connect Tammy with other resources in the community such as food resources and utility assistance programs that would help stretch the household income. When Tammy left the Good Neighbors office she was so very happy to have found us and stated, “You are great and I am so thankful for all your help”.