By Armando Camacho, Neighborhood House President

It’s been a challenging but successful year for Neighborhood House: when people most need the help we are pleased to provide – food assistance for someone newly unemployed, emergency help for someone who just lost their house or apartment, English classes to help new arrivals find jobs – funding for such assistance declines. Such was the case in 2009, when we were forced to reduce expenses, including staff, by 18%, while the economy reached its lowest point in decades.

Despite these reductions, I am happy to announce that Neighborhood House met record demand for our programs, while at the same time expanding our community involvement on the West Side. Let me share with you some key Neighborhood House accomplishments of 2009:

• The food shelf served 38,821 people, distributing over 620,000 lbs. of food, up 12% from 2008. About half of those served were children.

• As new arrivals faced the tough job market, their resolve to learn English strengthened: the English Language Learner program grew to 950 students in 2009. The program was also honored with the Verizon Tech Savvy award for its efforts to provide low-income students with computer access and education.

• The new Saint Paul Police Substation completed its first full year at the Wellstone Center. Assistant Chief and Neighborhood House Board member Tom Smith says, “The new partnership between Neighborhood House and the Saint Paul Police Department is another example of making our neighborhoods a safer place." In particular he is pleased to see the increase in officer presence. “Whether at the ball fields or across the street in Castillo Park, our police presence has both strengthened our relationship with West Side residents and drastically reduced unruly behavior.”

• Our second National Night Out celebration was one of the largest in the Twin Cities, with more than 1,000 people attending. It was truly a neighborhood event, with over a dozen local organizations taking part.

• More than 700 dinners were served at the annual Optimist Club/Neighborhood House Holiday Dinner and over 1,200 children were able to celebrate the holidays with gifts from the toy distribution held in conjunction with the dinner. We thank Toys for Tots for making the toy distribution possible.

• Neighborhood House continued to lead a major trend among non-profits: social enterprises that both offer services and fund programs. We have two successful social enterprises: renting meeting space at the Wellstone Center and our Cultural Proficiency Workshops. Over 77,000 people attended meetings and events at the Wellstone Center, while Cultural Proficiency Workshops drew over 2,000 attendees. In addition to raising money to meet the ever-increasing demand for our services, these events draw people to the West Side, where they patronize local businesses and learn more about our unique community.