Rochester Area Neighborhood House Offers Local Employers a Chance to Help their Neighbors in Need

Have you wanted to find ways to give back to the community but just don’t have the time?  Would you like to be able to help your struggling neighbors in need just by going to work everyday? Rochester Area Neighborhood House, a private, non-profit human service organization that assists struggling individuals and families in their efforts to move toward self-sufficiency, is proud to announce the roll out of the Neighborhood House Employee Donation Program. Area businesses often ask how they can support local programs that assist struggling families, and participation in the Employee Donation Program is an excellent way to provide that support.

Rochester Area Neighborhood House is a private, non-profit human service organization that was founded by communities of faith in 1968. Neighborhood House has grown over the years to become a private, non-profit and currently services all families in need from Rochester, Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills, Oakland Township and Addison Township. The agency mission is to assist the community during times of hardship, partnering with the community and other social service providers to help struggling individuals and families move toward self sufficiency. Neighborhood House provides emergency financial assistance, utility assistance through THAW, short-term counseling services, job coaching, budget assistance programming, food assistance through its Food Pantry, clothing assistance through its Clothes Closet, transportation through its wheelchair accessible van, and much more to families in need in the local service area.

If local employers would like to partner in order to assist their neighbors in need, they can simply contact the Neighborhood House executive director, Linda Riggs, and arrange for a presentation for their employees. Neighborhood House will work closely with each site as the employer assigns a donation coordinator, distributes brochures to employees, and gathers pledge cards from those employees who wish to participate; collection can be done individually or through payroll deduction. Each participant will receive a monthly thank you letter that acts as a receipt for income tax purposes as all donations to Neighborhood House (a 501(c) 3 organization) are fully tax deductible.   Participation in this program would be strictly voluntary and could be entered into or terminated at any time.

Over the past several years, Neighborhood House has seen a steady increase in the number of families seeking and qualifying for assistance. In 2009, Neighborhood House serviced 2,000 families with over 4,800 services. In 2010, those numbers jumped to almost 2,200 families with over 6,000 services, and in 2011 Neighborhood House serviced almost 2,500 families with over 6,100 services. However, the story is not just about the families that were able to receive help; it is also about the families who weren’t able to receive help due to lack of local resources.

Executive Director, Linda Riggs, noted that “in 2011 we received 472 requests from local families for direct financial assistance. This could be for something such as rental assistance to prevent an eviction for a family who has faced a job layoff or a medical emergency. We were only able to fulfill 289 of those requests. While that means we were able to fill 61% of the requests, it also means that 39% of the requests went unfilled.  Financially, those requests represented a total cash need of $327,000.  Our budget could only cover $118,000 of that need. Our current budget will allow us to serve a similar number of families in 2012. Based on our history, we suspect that the need will increase; and that is only for one of our programs.” Neighborhood House currently receives some grant funding but mostly relies on support from area churches, civic organizations, social groups and individuals.  “We are now reaching out to the business community for help,” noted Riggs.  “Only with their help will 2012 allow us to meet the requested needs of our neighbors.”

Please call 248-651-5836, visit www.ranh.org or e-mail director@ranh.org to receive more information about the Employee Donation Program or other programs offered by Rochester Area Neighborhood House.

About Sarah Hovis

Freelance wordsmith, arts appreciator, grammar geek, sports spectator, stationery snob, and world traveler, Sarah charts her own course as the owner of saliho creative. She uses her creative mind and engaging dialogue to fearlessly bring the written word to life in print and online… all while keeping a watchful eye out for the next literary adventure. You can reach her at sarah@rochestermedia.com.

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