September 21, 2011 Local Social Service Agency Builds Innovative Framework for a Strong Future

(Elyria,OH) Neighborhood Alliance, formerly known as Neighborhood House Association, has enhanced its service delivery model and its name to better reflect its bold strategy. NeighborhoodAlliancecarved out an innovative model to forward its mission with the ultimate goal of strengthening the communities it serves.

The first element of this model includes building collaborations with like-mission organizations to combine their collective strengths and resources.  This service delivery-model harnesses the power of some of the strongest agencies in the county to serve theLorainCountycommunity by working together as opposed to in isolation.

“Demands for services are increasing everyday and more and more organizations are competing for the same dollars, this persuaded us to examine how we execute our programs and develop a more creative approach to answer the growing demand. Now is the time to make decisions with greater intention and an even stronger sense of purpose,” shares Connie Osborn, President & CEO of Neighborhood Alliance.

Organizations will be working together to deliver more comprehensive services; or collaborating on funding opportunities where and when possible to, ultimately, more effectively serve a greater number of people in need.  Some examples of these partnerships include:

Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio

Collaborating to provide a series of trainings for those preparing meals at Haven Homeless Shelter with the goal of using more fresh produce for food preparation.

Fairhill Partners of Cleveland

Partnering to provide Stanford School of Medicines Chronic Pain Management’s program on living healthy lifestyle to seniors inLorainCounty.

In order to implement this enhanced service delivery model, the Board of Directors and leadership team recognized the former name, Neighborhood House Association, didn’t accurately capture what the organization does and what it strives to do in the future. 

“The new name, Neighborhood Alliance, simultaneously embraces the organization’s future and honors its past. This change positions Neighborhood Alliance to operate as a comprehensive, social service agency with a united identity,” shares Osborn.

This strategy of collaboration and strong financial management positions Neighborhood Alliance to thrive and build upon its 80-year legacy of fostering strong individuals, strong families and stronger communities.

NeighborhoodAlliancewill continue to expand its programs and services to address the diverse and changing needs of families and individuals at every stage of their lives. Signature services such as child enrichment services, senior services, shelter and emergency services, and family support services improve the lives ofLorainCountyresidents every day.

Please visit Neighborhood Alliance at www.myneighborhoodalliance.org and on Facebook and Twitter.

ABOUT NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE

WHO WE ARE

NeighborhoodAlliancehas been compassionately caring for the community since 1927. We are helping our community grow stronger by caring for our clients’ most basic needs. We provide emergency shelter, daily meal delivery and nutrition services for seniors, childcare and child enrichments programs, access to wellness programs such as Help Me Grow for those in need. We are empowering the people of our community with the tools to create a better life for themselves. With our inspired mission of strengthening neighborhoods, we continue to expand programs and services to address the diverse and changing needs of families and individuals inNortheast Ohio.

OUR IMPACT

We’re unique because we fit inside of neighborhoods to serve our neighbors in need. Ninety seven percent of the population that we serve lives in poverty. By design, we deliver our signatures services such as child enrichment, senior enrichment, family support, and emergency and shelter within walking distance of those in greatest need.

Whether it’s a hot meal for a senior citizen, an overnight stay in a safe shelter for a mother, father and their children, or rent assistance for a family struggling with layoffs or unemployment issues, Neighborhood Alliance touches the lives of thousands every year.

We bring a collaborative approach to serving our community and work in tandem with other like-mission organizations to deliver services whenever possible to ultimately enhance comprehensive services to residents.

OUR PROGRAMS

NeighborhoodAllianceoffers comprehensive services to meet the basic needs of individuals’ at every stage of their lives. We are as diverse in programming as we are in the clients that we serve.

Child Enrichment Services offers childcare for infants, toddlers, pre-schoolers, and for school-age children before and after school. We also offer a summer program for first graders through age 12.

Senior Enrichment Services provide hot home-delivered meals and activities for seniors to stay engaged and remain social.

Family Support Services facilitate in-home parenting education and support, program referral and developmental screenings for families with children up to three years old.

Shelter and Emergency Services serves asLorainCounty’s only 24-hour/7 days a week family homeless shelter. Additional programming and services are provided to address the varied needs of the residents.

BY THE NUMBERS

In the last decade, Neighborhood Alliance has been able to serve:

-1,255,310 meals prepared and delivered to over 5,000LorainCountynutritionally-at-risk and disabled seniors.

-5,780 men, women and children with over 179,000 shelter nights provided in Lorain County’s only 24/7  68- bed homeless shelter.

-Over 3,000 children with over 162,800 days of child enrichment programming and after-school services.

-Over 2,660 children with parent education programming, support and developmental services for prenatal to three year olds.

-6,100 seniors with nearly 89,600 opportunities for seniors to remain socially active and engaged in their community.

 

 

May 6, 2011 Neighborhood House Association Names Osborn as CEO

Neighborhood House Association is pleased to announce it has appointed Connie Osborn to President and CEO. Following a national search, the search committee, which included representatives of the board of directors and senior administration, selected Connie for the position. Connie will be responsible for executing Neighborhood House Association’s strategic plan and directing the day-to-day operations.

Connie has been serving as Interim CEO of Neighborhood House Association since February of 2011. She has more than 25 years of experience directing and managing early childhood and educational development programs. After joining the Neighborhood House Association team in 1998, Connie received ten consecutive promotions, working her way up to CEO.

“Neighborhood House Association has been answering a critical need in the community since 1927. With the support of the board of directors, donors and staff, we will stay focused on providing hot meals, emergency shelter, access to resources and care for children and seniors,” says Connie Osborn. “My vision is clear; we will stay focused our mission and search for opportunities to collaborate with like organizations to make difference in the lives of people in our community.”

Last year with Connie’s guidance, Neighborhood House Association reduced its operating costs while providing over 10,000 days of childcare, almost 20,000 nights in our homeless shelter and serving over 115,000 meals to seniors throughout Lorain County.

“As Vice President of Operations since 2010, Connie has been responsible for ensuring the operations run smoothly on a day-to-day basis. The board of directors is confident Connie will embrace her new charge of setting the direction of our organization as we continue to serve thousands of clients annually by providing a hot meal, a safe place to stay, or educating preschool aged children so that their parents are able to maintain or find employment,” shares James Valderrama, Chairman of the Board.

Neighborhood House Association has been caring for an individual’s basic needs since 1927. With the mission of enhancing individual and family life to improve neighborhoods and communities, Neighborhood House Association has expanded its programs and services to meet the needs of the community. Services such as child enrichment services; senior services; Haven Center Homeless Shelter and emergency services; and family growth resources, improve the lives of Lorain County residents every day.