By George Terrell Last year we worked to defend African-American students who had been bullied, unjustly disciplined, and retaliated against, and we were able to help convince the school administration to develop a plan to end the continued bullying and assist a student in academic success. We...
By Rebecca Reiner Eleven years ago, Project Neighbors (PN) helped establish Neighbors’ Educational Opportunities (NEO) as a non-profit organization. PN Board Members Sharon Mortensen and Al Trost joined me as NEO’s founding Board members and PN supported NEO with a short-term line of credit until...
By Larry Baas WVLP.LP is your community radio station at 103.1 FM and streaming live at WVLP.org. WVLP, like Hilltop Neighborhood House, HealthLinc, Neighbors’ Educational Opportunities (NEO), Neighbors Place, and dozens of homes throughout the community is a creation of Project Neighbors. WVLP...
By Paul Schreiner Originally built to house what was to become HealthLinc, Neighbors Place is an apartment building housing 18 low-income women. Very affordable, the women are provided with all utilities, free TV, free WiFi, two laundry areas, and a 3000 square foot, grade level common room. Their...
By anonymous donor Over the past few years, I found myself searching for ways that I could respond to the issues of racial inequity. We have been bombarded with news stories that invariably end with the words, “disproportionately impacting Black Americans.” Blacks are three times more likely to...
A critical component of the FRF’s Individual Development Account (IDA) initiative was to secure a strong bank partnership. Matt Vessely, the Regional President of 1st Source Bank, immediately saw the benefit of such a relationship as the initiative brought a unique and focused path for the bank to...
Emergency Loan Program By Rev. Dr. Gregory Jones The freedom recovery fund emergency loan/grant program has benefited six families since its opening in 2022. Approximately $6,000 was made available for emergency responses that were distributed or allocated to emergencies experienced by...
How did you hear about the Freedom Recovery Fund? I heard about the Freedom Recovery Fund from a client. What made you interested in applying for the FRF? I was interested in applying because of the idea of gaining more financial literacy and financial freedom. I want to be in a place where I...
Essence Roberson is a young African American from the Southside of Chicago. Her passion for mental health has pushed her to start Essence Mia Luxx (EML). EML was established in 2020 and has strived to help provide the opportunity for people to embrace themselves as they are. Essence believes that...
Project Neighbors was founded in 1969 on the basic premise that Black home ownership is a critical building block to addressing all other disparities. In the early years, White families subsidized Black families in Valparaiso in both gaining and paying mortgages. Over the years, we’ve...
Being in the right place at the right time can lead to an amazing outcome. In mid-July, while Project Neighbors was working to finish building a duplex, I received a phone call. (I will leave out most of the names in this story to preserve the privacy of the players.) The caller, who I did not...