When the new residents came to Manchester, New Hampshire – from Nepal, from Somalia, from Sudan, from Bhutan – they wanted to farm, growing food that would allow them to be self-sufficient in their new home. Some of them lived in apartments, with no gardening space. The Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success (ORIS) found them that space. And since 2011, farmers have grown and sold crops through Fresh Start Farms.

NeighborWorks Week, held this month during a fight for racial equity and a virus that caused neighbors to remain distant from one another, looked different than usual. But the celebration of neighborhoods and what makes them strong continued at many network organizations. Some organizations made their events virtual. Others postponed them to focus on their communities in other ways. And in some places, residents got outside to focus on the neighborhoods they call home.

As communities struggle to find balance and recover from the impacts of COVID-19, high unemployment and social injustice, NeighborWorks organizations are working to balance the need for change and supporting equality while also keeping residents united and safe. 

Cleartech Group, an IT solutions business in Leominster, was named the Small Business Administration's Minority Owned Small Business of the Year for the state of Massachusetts. Tony Fields, a veteran who opened Cleartech in 2017, says his business received the award because of his growth, customer service and dedication to community service. 

The seniors living in Lackawanna County don't want to leave the homes they've known for years. NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania (NWNEPA) doesn't want them to have to leave either; that's why they formalized an Aging in Place program that began in 2018.

Some years, hurricane season is marked by one or two major storms that make headlines across the country. Some years, it's marked by smaller storms that disrupt fewer lives. But every year, the Red Cross encourages residents to be prepared.

Since 1993, NeighborWorks America has convened over 15,000 lower-income resident leaders at its annual Community Leadership Institute (CLI). The nation's largest effort to amplify resident voices equips these leaders with the tools, seed funding and network of support they need to drive changes in their neighborhoods. 

NeighborWorks network organizations say they are continuing to hear from residents interested in doing the financial education and credit repair that will help them on a path to buying new homes. But even before March turned to April, housing counselors say they were also receiving calls from residents who were worried about what was going to happen if. If they lost jobs. If they couldn't pay their rent or their mortgage as the COVID-19 virus forced businesses to shut down or scale back.