Even in the best of times, many of our longtime neighbors struggle with the escalating costs of city taxes, home maintenance, heating and cooling and the ever-rising health care costs associated with growing older. Cost-of-living increases are often impossible to meet for our elderly neighbors on fixed incomes. Faced with hard choices, what trade-offs must our elderly neighbors make in the twilight years of their lives when a sudden home repair is needed? Do they pay their taxes or replace crumbling plumbing? Do they keep paying for their medicine or do they fix that leaky roof that if left unattended will soon destroy the value of their only real asset? In many cases, the cost of upkeep forces an elderly homeowner to sell their home.
Believing that it was just plain wrong that the cost of a home repair would force an elderly homeowner to live in fear, two East Lake neighbors joined forces in 2000 to make a difference in their community. What started out as two individuals volunteering their nights and weekends quickly grew to include hundreds of volunteers, an army of dedicated service contractors, and expanded outreach to five different neighborhoods. Neighbor in Need was formally incorporated in 2007 and makes transformational home repairs for more than 50 households annually.
WHAT WE DO
Neighbor in Need’s main objective is to tackle any home repairs that degrade the quality of life for the homeowner or devalues the home. Repairs typically include heating and cooling, plumbing, electrical, roofing and light construction like repairs to soffit, sheetrock, porches, flooring, etc. Our other objective is to provide resources and expertise to help seniors protect their assets (which in most cases the largest is their home). In collaboration with Councilmember Natalyn Archibong, Neighbor in Need hosts the annual Willapalooza which pairs seniors with local lawyers who specialize in estate planning to preserve the families’ economic stability and legacy.
The goals of Neighbor in Need are simple. Through our efforts we strive to:
- Ensure the safety and health of our residents
- Enable seniors to age in place
- Preserve families’ economic stability
HOW
For almost twenty years, Neighbor in Need has successfully leveraged a unique combination of local community involvement and corporate sponsorship to assist our seniors. We rely on top shelf home services contractors for much of the work we provide. These companies offer us large discounts and help us stretch our budget as far as possible. Their support allows us to provide quality licensed and insured work at no charge to those we help.
And, thanks to generous friends like you! Neighbor in Need is 100% volunteer run so all donations go directly into action for our seniors. The more we raise the more we can do!
See Neighbor in Need in action! Visit our Facebook page to view our photo album.
RECOGNITION
- 2018 – Hometown Hero by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- 2017 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award recipient bestowed by the Rollins School of Public Health and the Goizueta Business School of Emory University. This award recognizes members of the greater Metro Atlanta community who raise awareness of social injustice, speak on behalf of justice, celebrate diversity, and impel action in building a better future for all.
