Betty, a senior from Hamden, knows the anguish of making it during these tough economic times.  She was in need of a lifeline or some ray of hope.  Neighbor to Neighbor for utility assistance provided that bit of help!

Don is a young Hamden senior with many challenges.  He has been disabled, blind in one eye and continues to try to make it through each day.  He receives assistance from other social services programs but continues to struggle with the day-to-day survival.   The assistance he is receiving from the N2N grant monies will be used  for his past due electric bill enabling him to continue to make the challenges he faces daily. He is truly grateful and inspired to make another day with the help of United Way.

Paying rent was always the priority for Sasha*. She knew that she needed to maintain her apartment, and kept falling behind on utility payments. Monthly, she paid what she could, kept her heat extremely low during the winter, and used electricity only when absolutely necessary. Still, her bill accumulated and she was suddenly faced with a potential shutoff. She only has enough Disability Income and savings to cover her rent payment. Harbor Health Services worked with her to obtain money through the N2N Grant and pay her balance. 
 

Arthur* had been living comfortably until he was suddenly facing eviction. Not wanting to go through the stress of court, he left quickly and ended up in a motel. Running out of money, Harbor Health Services worked together to find him an apartment that had just become available and needed virtually no turnover maintenance. 
 

I am often reminded how difficult it can be for our folks who are trying to do the right thing for themselves.

Today at the Kitchen a young man came up to me looking for some help. He is a recovering heroin addict and every day he goes to the methadone clinic off Howard Avenue.

His problem is this; he lives in Waterbury and the only methadone clinics available are in either Hartford or New Haven and he needed bus fare to get back and forth.

When Betty came to JFS she was troubled about keeping a roof over her head, as family illness and other personal circumstances put her behind on her rent for the first time in her life.  Not knowing where to turn, Betty had read an article in the New Haven Register about Neighbor 2 Neighbor Grants and contacted JFS to see if they could give her advice and a referral to necessary resources.

 Herb came to the Community Dining Room for a warm meal. He was disheveled and depressed and very quiet. I began a conversation with him, personal connection being a large part of what we offer here at the Community Dining Room; a welcoming place to find food, friendship and referral services. Before I tell you Herb’s story let me say you’ve heard these stories before and each one is an equally important insight into the sometimes difficult lives our neighbors lead. It is very important to remember and to give thanks that there are social service agenc

We have a gentlemen who has been homeless for at least 3 years and through all of his obstacles he managed to stay clean and sober.  Though temptation was there for him to revert back to his old ways he chose to go in another direction.  He began seeking employment.  Having no money to catch the bus, he would walk to fill out job applications.  Sometimes walking as far as Milford, CT.  On one his travels a gentlemen saw him walking and asked if he needed a ride, he declined and thanked the gentlemen for the offer.  The gentlemen began to see him more often in h

Eric came to the shelter in October 2009 and began to search for employment with the assistance of case management and the job developer.  He gained employment in January 2010 full time as a cook in the Milford Mall. He began to save his pay checks and started to search for affordable housing.  He did find an apartment in New Haven. He requested assistance in paying the security deposit.  In February 2010, Neighbor-to- Neighbor funds assisted him in paying his security deposit. He continues to work and had maintained his housing on his own ever since.
 

After being homeless for years, Daryl*was thrilled to move into his own apartment. This was not accomplished overnight. Daryl lived in shelters and then worked his way through transitional housing programs until he was ready to get an apartment.   Daryl was very proud of himself and was extremely disappointed when he almost became homeless again. Daryl’s only source of income is his disability check and his case manager at AIDS Project New Haven worked with him very closely to help him budget his finances. Even wit