REDMOND, OR -- More than 43,000 households and 320,000 people were served by NeighborImpact, last year; the nonprofit saw a 1% in clientele who received more than one of their eight services, or received a service more than once in a six month period.
Rachel Suchan, with the Redmond-based agency, says unemployment is down and the recession is largely past, but economic hardship continues to be a reality for many. "Obviously, not everybody in the community is experiencing poverty. A lot of our community members are noticing the improvement in the economy, but I think that that improvement is definitely not experienced by all." She tells KBND News, many of those who need help have jobs but have suffered an accident, illness, or other unexpected expense, "I think that the stress that the extreme weather's put on the community last year is still resonating, and a lot of people are still trying to recover from the financial burden that things like roofing damage have put on their families."
She also says the numbers could be higher because more help is available, "I think some of that is the addition of new partners in the community, and programs, so as we expand the types of services we offer, and the number of partners that we have in the community to help make it happen, we have the ability to reach more people."
NeighborImpact provides emergency food assistance and child care resources, as well as lending and home ownership counseling and services, assistance with transitional housing, and help with home heating bills and weatherization.
