The Neighborhood

09/10/2020

Thank you!

Ten years ago, a small group of people came together and repurposed an old nonprofit to start an organization focused on helping homeless families in greater Austin. The group had limited time or resources but wanted to help make a difference in the community.

The Neighborhood (after Mister Rogers) became the all-volunteer, 501c (3) focused on helping homeless / at-risk families (with children) struggling with basic needs in the Austin area. Most of the support is focused on single Moms with kids. The Neighborhood provides wrap-around emergency services for children and their families, including but not limited to; motel stays, deposits, utility payments, groceries, clothing, bus passes, and other items.

Over the years, we have purchased approximately 40,000 backpacks for Austin at-risk kids. Most of these backpacks are given away at the annual City of Austin/AISD - Back to School Bash. One of our favorite activities is to get our group together, stuff backpacks with school supplies, and then hand them out to the thousands of kids the week before school starts. This year, due to COVID, we were unable to help out at the large scale event at Palmer. This year we purchased another 5,000 backpacks that will be distributed at a school level when school opens up.

Its been an extra challenging year for so many. We wanted to thank everyone for the continued support and for helping us make a difference in our community.

Thank you!

The goal of The Neighborhood is to encourage and empower individuals and families as they move through the struggles that hold them back from realizing their potential. The Neighborhood realizes its goals by working closely with a variety of local groups and organizations.

06/17/2020

06/03/2020

Will you help us help our kids?

It's a scary and challenging time for many, and the homeless and at-risk families in Austin served by The Neighborhood have only faced increased struggles as a result of COVID-19. We have had a busy three months working with Project HELP (Austin ISD) and social workers, assisting homeless families with emergency motel stays rental aid and basic needs.

It's also approaching that time of year to provide backpacks to homeless and at-risk kids in Austin ISD.

For the last nine years, The Neighborhood has provided over 25,000 backpacks to Austin ISD kids in need.

Last year alone, with your donations, we purchased 4,500 backpacks. These backpacks have historically been distributed at the Austin ISD and the City of Austin's Back-to-School Bash. This year, because of COVID-19, the "Bash is canceled, but the need is still there. This year, our backpacks will be sent directly to the school campuses to distribute to the students. The need for economic relief for these families is great, and we will purchase 4,500 backpacks to our kids in need again this year.

In order to make this happen...WE NEED YOUR HELP! Will you please consider donating to the backpack drive?

Donations can be made at The Neighborhood's website. Be sure to put "Back to School " as the purpose under the donation field.

100% of your money goes directly to backpacks for our kids.

The Neighborhood is an all-volunteer organization with no paid staff and no overhead.

$25 buys a backpack and school supplies for 1 child
$100 buys a backpack and school supplies for 4 children
$1,000 buys a backpack and school supplies for 40 children

Your donation helps give these underserved kids a chance to have a positive experience, starting with the very first day of the new school year. Thank you for your generosity in helping kids in our own backyard - at a time when so many needs are unmet; it will make a difference to them. We appreciate you, and can't do it without your support!

03/22/2020

Thanks for the reminder Fred....

08/03/2019

We would like to thank all of our donors and volunteers for another successful back-to-school bash! Today, The Neighborhood provided 4500 backpacks for families that are struggling with the financial needs of living in Austin. Our amazing volunteers helped buy, stuff, and hand out backpacks to the excitement of so many amazing and grateful kids getting ready for the new school year! Thank you!

04/21/2019

Message for the day...

04/17/2019

For most students, part of the excitement of an upcoming school year involves new backpacks and school supplies. After getting the lists from schools and teachers, they shop at the stores where bright new colors, styles and varieties are prominently displayed. The appropriate items purchased are dutifully packed into the new backpacks and carried into class for the adventure of another school year with friends and teachers. For thousands of homeless and at-risk students in Austin ISD, this ritual can be a matter of dread rather than excitement, just a reminder of how out of touch their lives have become. The list of needed supplies may be yet another ominous indication of the impediments they face for a positive social and meaningful educational experience in school.
How will they possibly obtain what is needed? Will the supplies be provided in a manner of public charity that reveals their status to all and results in embarrassment and humiliation?
The Neighborhood along with Austin ISD has carried out a program to address this seminal aspect of the school experience, providing backpacks and school supplies which are disseminated in connection with AISD’s “Back to School Bash” for children in need. The Neighborhood is able to purchase these items in bulk quantities at deep discounts and package and distribute them with volunteer labor.
On August 3rd, 2019 The Neighborhood will be handing out backpacks and supplies to over 4,500 at-risk children that live in our school district.

Please consider making a donation to the Neighborhood to help these kids.

All of your money (100%) goes directly for backpacks for the kids, since The Neighborhood is an all-volunteer organization with no paid staff or overhead. Your donation helps give these young kids a chance for a positive experience from the very first day of a new school year.

an all-volunteer 501c3 created to bring people together to serve, coordinate activities and pool resources to benefit individuals and families.

12/06/2018

Can you Help us Help our Kids?

The Neighborhood is hoping to sponsor 35 unaccompanied high school youth this holiday season with “Wal-Mart gift cards” to help them make ends meet and bring some joy to their holiday season. We would like to each gift card to be in the amount of $40. Please see link below if you want to be a sponsor.

Some info on our clients:
Homeless high school students seldom reveal their true living conditions to anyone at the school; teachers, counselors, or school administrators. There is a lack of trust and good track record (usually for a good reason) with adults making this a challenging process to provide wrap-around services for these at-risk kids.
Homeless children experience a lack of safety and privacy and lack adequate health care. These Kids often lose their sense of community and sustained relationships. They are likely to become among the highly mobile and move from school to school. Homeless children often repeat grades, are more likely than their non-homeless counterparts to be suspended or expelled, and are among the growing numbers of high-school dropout. Residential instability and extreme poverty are two major factors that influence academic failure. Mobility not only increases the probability of academic failure and drop out, but is also related to health and behavioral problems.
Homeless students, as defined by the law, include those who are staying in a motel or shelter, are unsheltered, or are "doubled up" with friends or family. Being doubled up is the most common, accounting for approximately 70 percent of homeless students in the school year.
Unaccompanied homeless youth play the role of both student and parent in the process of managing their education during their time of homelessness. Homeless youths stay wherever they can — a couch, a car, a basement, a motel. If they are fortunate, they might find a shelter bed, but that’s like winning the lottery….too few beds too many kids.
For Homeless high school kids, this means moving from place to place, hoping not to wear out their welcome, never knowing when they will be asked to leave, and sometimes being forced to stay with strangers, which puts them at risk of abuse. Experts estimate that around 5,000 runaway or homeless youth die each year due to illness, su***de, or assault. The disruption and trauma of homelessness wreak havoc with all aspects of a child’s life.
Schools are often the only safe and stable place in their lives and the place where The Neighborhood can reach out to some of these vulnerable children through our trusted network of partners.

Donations of $20, $40 or more will quickly help us take care of our youth in need
The Neighborhood is an all-volunteer, 501(c)3 organization with no paid staff or overhead.

http://www.theneighborhoodaustin.org/donate

09/29/2018

A great short video of the BASH put together by our good friend Jim Canning.

Shared with Dropbox