Neighbor 2 Neighbor was born on one of Greentree's balconies one day in 2012, as a couple of GT residents discussed ways they might be of service to their community. Recognizing needs but not wanting to be simply another entity telling others what to do and/or how to do it, we discussed our shared belief that empowerment enables people to take responsibility for themselves and their families and that empowerment is best facilitated through education and advocacy. We liked the idea of neighbors helping neighbors and believed strongly that building community would strengthen individuals as well.
2) What made you think Neighbor 2 Neighbor could make a difference when other, more traditional, helper models seemed to be leaving so many wanting?
In retrospect, probably wishful thinking. And no small amount of determination, bolstered by our individual experiences with overcoming adversity through our own activism.
3) What sort of activities has Neighbor 2 Neighbor brought to Greentree to benefit those who live there?
In the beginning, we tried to meet on a regular basis, inviting all adults who live here to participate. But we were never able to get a lot of people to attend our meetings and eventually stopped holding those meetings mid-2013.
There have also been some successes. Donations made possible a Thanksgiving dinner for some residents in 2012. Early in 2013, we sponsored classes on e-cigs as a harm reduction method for users of tobacco and obtained donations of gear for those who wanted to try it. (We don't know how many apartments at Greentree are home to smokers, but we do know that as of this writing, October 2013, over 7% of the 55 apartments here house people who haven't touched an analog cigarette for at least 10 months because they're vaping instead.) We've also provided transportation to residents who needed it in order to be able to vote.
4) Why do you think Neighbor 2 Neighbor was unable to get people to attend meetings?
Good question, and one we speculated about often. We do have several guesses:
- To be blunt, too many residents not wanting to be visible or active because of their fear of drawing attention to activity they were a part of that could cause them to lose their housing.
- In some cases, a sense of helplessness/hopelessness of the problems here seemed to be a discouraging factor.
- Inexperience with the model of self help.
- Fear of eviction on the basis of their activism, fueled by gossip/stories of those perceived to have been evicted for "complaining too much."
5) Why did your web page become about maintenance problems at Greentree?
Going back to even before Neighbor 2 Neighbor was conceived, a number of residents at Greentree were expressing their frustration with a perceived lack of responsiveness on the part of Urban Housing Solutions in regard to building maintenance and safety issues. By June, 2013, no small number were asking if we shouldn't be talking to somebody other than UHS and suggestions were made to call local media or building codes departments. N2N was approached about spearheading that effort and our response was that we felt like we hadn't yet done all we could to work with UHS. At minimum, we believed we needed to document our attempts for resolution before calling in outside agencies. That's when we started taking photos, video, etc. and posting them on this website.
6) So, is this web page the only activity of Neighbor 2 Neighbor now?
Yes, it is. And Neighbor 2 Neighbor is only one person now, but that person is committed to keeping up the page as long as there's a need to document maintenance/safety issues on the property.
7) Aren't you afraid of being retaliated against for reporting on the problems at Greentree?
Of course. That's why the commitment to document the processes is so important.
8) And what do you have to say to those who claim media and/or codes should never have been contacted about the problems because those reports called attention to the issues at this property?
I say the stairs will eventually be as safe for them as they will be for me. And, you're welcome.
9) What's the best way to get in contact with the manager of this page?
Email us HERE.
