NeighborImpact

NeighborImpact’s mission is "Supporting People, Strengthening Communities." To that end, NeighborImpact has become the area’s leading provider of emergency food programs, housing and homeless services, energy assistance, child care resources, early childhood education services, and financial capability and asset building programs for the economically-distressed.

NeighborImpact plays a critical role in Central Oregon. Our history reads as 36 years of identifying residents’ and communities’ changing needs and finding ways to meet them. For nearly four decades, we have created new services, hired new staff, fostered new partnerships, sought and secured new resources. Over the region’s years of growth, events occurred that required something new, different, and better. We helped build it.

NeighborImpact was created by Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson counties to serve Central Oregon’s three-county region. We were incorporated in December 1984 and opened for business in January 1985. Initially, about 10 employees served residents of Bend, Redmond and La Pine. That small staff ran an emergency shelter and also offered rental and energy assistance; home weatherization; a food bank; minor home repair; information and referrals; and self-help education programs. Today, our 250+ employees offer 11 programs that serve more than 55,000 households in Bend, Redmond, La Pine, Sisters, Sunriver, Prineville, Madras, and Warm Springs – an area the size of New Jersey.
The following details our programs.

Food Bank – Our food bank is the regional affiliate for Oregon Food Bank and Feeding America. We are the hub of the food distribution network in Central Oregon. Our food warehouse stores and distributes more food per square foot for its size than any food program in Oregon: almost four million pounds of food representing more than $3 million in value. We distribute that food to agencies that operate pantries, shelters, emergency food box locations, congregate meal sites and food distribution programs in Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Those food sites serve more than 60,000 persons every month; they rely on NeighborImpact to source, store and supply food for their clients. Since the pandemic, we have distributed 90,000 pounds of food a week), more than double our pre-pandemic distribution of 40,000 pounds weekly. We feed 60,000 people a month through partnerships with emergency food sites. Our food recovery program, a partnership with 19 grocery stores that re-distributes safe, healthy food approaching its “sell by” date, keeps 50 tons of food a month out of the landfill – reducing food waste and greenhouse gas emissions.

Head Start/Early Head Start/Child Care Resources - Head Start/Early Head Start close the achievement gap for more than 750 of Central Oregon’s most vulnerable and at-risk children aged 0-5 and pregnant women. The program integrates high-quality early education and family engagement with other critical services. Child Care Resources offers training, technical assistance and business support to child care providers, preschools and early educators in Central Oregon. Child Care Resources builds the infrastructure of child care in Central Oregon.

Housing Stabilization/Homeless Services - Assists persons in housing crises through rent subsidies and services that foster stability. Conducts street outreach and provides short-term housing solutions, including winter shelters, to unhoused persons while connecting them to long-term solutions. The program supports Central Oregon’s homeless coalition’s efforts to end houselessness.

Energy Assistance - Helps households with shut off prevention and bill payment assistance for electricity, natural gas, oil, propane, fire wood, and wood pellets.

HomeSource - Offers resources to help people understand, grow and protect their financial life, from their first savings to homeownership. The program provides financial education, homebuyer education, home preservation, foreclosure prevention, reverse mortgage, mortgage assistance and a matched savings program.

Lending- Offers loan products at reasonable interest rates for home rehabilitation, septic replacement and down payment assistance; makes down payment loans to Veterans buying their first home.

Weatherization - Provides construction services to add insulation, seal air leaks and repair heating systems. This program not only reduces renters’ and homeowners’ energy costs but also keeps their homes livable.

Representative Payee - Approved by the Social Security Administration to receive and disburse disability benefits on a person’s behalf, ensuring that their finances are used to meet essential living needs.

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) - Supports local governments seeking CDBG funds for high priority infrastructure, community facilities, economic development and housing projects that benefit low- and moderate-income populations. Services include project development, grant application preparation, compliance oversight and grant administration.

As Central Oregon has grown, so has NeighborImpact. Our stellar performance, proven track record, whistle-clean audits, and responsible stewardship of public and private funds have positioned us not only to advance our own mission but also to support other non-profits in the community.

We have developed the capacity, expertise, and experience to do the work that other agencies cannot -- and to support the work that they can. NeighborImpact is a vital community partner.

You can share in our ongoing history. With help from thoughtful, future-looking people, we have met Central Oregon’s evolving challenges; we have worked diligently and with remarkable success to build stronger, more resilient communities. Together, we can weave safety nets to instill stability and build prosperity. With you as our partner, we can ease our neighbors’ daunting burdens. We shoulder the load. Having the support of the generous, community-minded people makes it lighter.

We invite you to learn more. Visit us at neighborimpact.org.