At the beginning of January, a young, single father of three arrived at Community Service Programs (CSP) of West Alabama, Inc. He was seeking rental assistance.

He had no transportation, was in between jobs and had little family or social support, shares Elisha Maston, housing counseling supervisor. "During our time with him, we discovered that he not only faced eviction, but multiple utility disconnections."

At this time of year, as individuals across the country contemplate the things they're grateful for, many NeighborWorks network organization do what they do year round: They help residents get what they need. That includes providing access to food. Some organizations help by setting up food pantries. Others connect residents to pantries at partnering organization. 

Thousands of turkeys

At this time of year, as individuals across the country contemplate the things they're grateful for, many NeighborWorks network organization do what they do year round: They help residents get what they need. That includes providing access to food. Some organizations help by setting up food pantries. Others connect residents to pantries at partnering organization. 

Thousands of turkeys

Cleo Jones' home in Birmingham, Alabama's Finley subdivision needed some work. He'd saved up for

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 COVID19, high unemployment and social injustice, NeighborWorks organizations are working to balance the need for change and support equality while also keeping residents united and safe. 

Kelleigh Gamble, CEO for Neighborhood Housing Services Birmingham Inc., talks about recent days, and his expectations and hopes for the weeks ahead.

Every weekday morning for the past five years, you'd find Mattie Shandon in the kindergarten wing at Chestnut Grove Elementary School in Decatur, Alabama. A volunteer in the Foster Grandparent Program through Community Action Partnership of North Alabama (CAPNA), she would unpack backpacks, go over math problems and make sure her group of students knew the sound every letter of the alphabet was supposed to make.

No matter the time of year or the area of the country, when disasters strike, lives are transformed. Every disaster is uniquely painful to the people it displaces. Hurricanes don't have much in common with wildfires; earthquakes don't resemble floods. But all disasters, natural and manmade, destroy homes and livelihoods. Another commonality: cookie cutter, one-size-fits-all approaches don't work to cope with them.