Last winter The Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven and United Way of Greater New Haven launched Neighbor-to-Neighbor LifeLine, a community effort that raised and distributed locally more than $640,000 over twelve weeks to meet immediate, emergency needs in Greater New Haven.  

Results of the 2009 effort include:

• 352 families are in homes that would have otherwise been lost or inaccessible due to foreclosure or other economic strains
• Over 160,000 additional meals have been served to children and adults
• 290 families have received one-time emergency support to help them avert or pull-out of crises
   

N2N 2010 - The Need Now

The Jewish Federation and United Way of Greater New Haven, with the continued leadership of volunteer chair Andrew Eder, are working together again in 2010 to raise awareness and funds to address hunger and housing needs in Greater New Haven. Based on input from service providers and donors, the N2N 2010 effort will invest in local organizations meeting emergency needs (housing, food, one-time emergency relief) and working to help people not only get out of crisis but also stay out of crisis with supports like financial coaching, skills training, resume development, etc. 

While in some parts of the country the economy is improving, the need is still great in Connecticut as unemployment and foreclosures continue to rise during this tough winter.

• In New Haven, the percentage of all people in poverty (that's a family of four living on $21,200 annually) increased from 22.1% in 2007 to 27.3% in 2008.
• The percentage of people considered living in poverty far underestimates the need in our region, where a family needs to earn $21.17/hour to afford the typical 2-bedroom apartment ($44,000 annually).  That's the equivalent of almost three full-time minimum wage jobs.
•  In September 2008, the unemployment rate in Connecticut was 6%, jumping to 8.2% in September 2009.  This represents an increase of 6,803 people who report being unemployed. The unemployment rate in the New Haven area has gone up 33% compared to the same time last year. As of November 2009, the unemployment rate for New Haven was 11.2%.
• The number of people that have enough healthy food on the table is at an all-time low.  Even with enrollment in food stamps up 32% in one year and 58% in five years, Connecticut has the highest increase in the rate of food insecurity. 

People continue to struggle with the high cost of living in our region, and they are making difficult decisions between purchasing food and paying for other necessities.

The N2N 2010 effort will locally raise and distribute funds to meet emergency needs in the areas of food, housing, and relief funds.  The dollars raised will be invested between February and March 2010 in non-profit, faith, and municipal organizations that serve the people of greater New Haven to help individuals and families avert or pull-out of crises and to give people the footing for longer-term financial security.