During the month of May, which Mental Health Awareness Month, people and organizations are encouraged to speak more openly about mental health. NeighborWorks® America had the chance to sit down with Kate de la Garza, executive director of Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, for a wide-ranging conversation with a mental health focus. de la Garza has been at the helm of the organization, currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, since January 2024. 

More than 400 tribal leaders, housing practitioners, health organizations, community development professionals and national partners gathered in Anchorage, Alaska, this month for the Housing Our Relatives Summit, a first-of-its-kind convening focused on

NeighborWorks® America welcomed leaders from across its nearly 250-member network to Washington, D.C., last week, for its annual Executive Symposium. The gathering gave leaders – and, for the first time in person, board members – a chance to connect, to innovate, and to talk about solutions for the nation’s housing crisis.

This year, about 220 network leaders and 120 board members joined in the event. The theme was Collective Leadership: Building Strength for Today & Tomorrow!

Marcia Erickson grew up on a cattle farm in rural South Dakota where neighbors knew and took care of one another. If one neighbor fell ill or got hurt when it was time to bring in the corn, the others were ready to help. “The crops can’t wait,” Erickson said.  

At least five volunteer Santa Clauses will help Montgomery Housing Partnership, the Kensington Chamber of Commerce and the Wheaton Fire and Rescue Squad hand out gifts to residents as part of the Angels for Children Toy Drive. The program, which has been going for 27 years to get gifts to kids around holiday time, is growing. But there’s also a growing need, says Robert A. Goldman, executive director of MHP.

Whitley D. English has spent her entire life in Asheville, North Carolina. It’s where she grew up, worked and raised her two children. It’s also where she survived the most traumatic experience of her life: intimate partner violence. 

She was left with two black eyes, multiple facial fractures, a missing tooth and a hospital stay. “I was left with a long road to recovery and justice,” she said.  

The neighborhood where Chester Dewitt grew up, known as Chad Brown, has a reputation. “There came a time that whenever a violent crime made the news, it was called ‘Chad Brown-related,’” he said. 

September is Disaster Preparedness Month, a time where U.S. residents are encouraged to take steps – both big and small – to prepare for emergencies and disasters, which are increasing in both cost and scope. This year’s theme is Preparedness Starts at Home, with organizations, including the federal government, offering ideas about creating a family emergency plan and more.