Success Stories of those Helped

Thanks to the generosity of the local community, we are able to provide compassionate and effective help to thousands of local individuals and families in poverty, hardship and crisis each year. Here are just a few of our many success stories.

Stephanie was referred to North Hills Community Outreach by Columbia Gas for help with a shut-off notice. A 20-year-old mother of a toddler with physical disabilities, Stephanie came to us distraught and overwhelmed. Her son’s father had just abandoned them, and she had no idea of how to put her life back together.

NHCO takes a holistic approach to helping those in need. In addition to signing Stephanie up for Columbia Gas’ Customer Assistance Program, we provided many other services in a compassionate and effective manner:

• Enrolled her in our comprehensive case management program, designed to help people achieve economic self-sufficiency over time*
• Guided her through the court system, which resulted in monthly child support payments
• Encouraged her to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse
• Awarded her an NHCO college scholarship funded by local contributors
• Gave her a donated computer for schoolwork

Stephanie recently graduated from UPMC St. Margaret School of Nursing and earned her LPN degree. If that weren’t impressive enough, she also just purchased a new car AND a new home in West View! She is returning to school this fall to pursue her RN degree (with an NHCO scholarship funded by Zonta Three Rivers North).

When asked about the difference NHCO has made in her life, Stephanie says, “North Hills Community Outreach has helped my son and me in so many ways. The food pantry, college scholarship, a computer, holiday help…I would really like to thank all of NHCO’s volunteers and staff who have helped me to succeed.”

Kristin is a divorced mother of two young daughters who came to North Hills Community Outreach in the spring of 2005, struggling financially and seeking help with housing and utilities.

With NHCO’s assistance, Kristin was able to secure an apartment in Etna. We paid her security deposit and helped set up her apartment with funds and furniture donated to NHCO by caring community members. To help Kristin manage her utility bills, we enrolled her in Duquesne Light’s Customer Assistance Program and advocated for her with Equitable Gas.

Next, we enrolled Kristin in our holistic Case Management program*, a long-term approach to helping low-income individuals reach economic self-sufficiency and make a better future. Kristin’s dream is to be a nurse. With NHCO covering the application fee, she applied and was accepted into UPMC Shadyside’s Nursing School and began in August 2006. To help defray the cost of books and uniforms, we awarded her $1,950 in NHCO scholarships (with funds from generous businesses, civic groups and individuals). She is right on track to graduate with her RN degree next June.

Kristin participates in NHCO’s Family Savings Accounts program, with a savings goal of $2,000 to purchase a safe and reliable car. She expects to finish the program and receive her $2,000 in matching funds in May 2008.

Additionally, Kristin and her daughters have received holiday assistance, brand new backpacks and school supplies, as well as winter coats.

In a thank you letter, Kristin wrote, “I hope you know that your efforts serve to make my journey a bit easier. I don’t know how I would have gotten this far without the help of North Hills Community Outreach.”

Wesley lives in Bellevue, works full-time as a kitchen manager for a nonprofit organization, and is a single father of six-year-old Margaret. He came to NHCO in 2006 looking for help and guidance after his fiancée and daughter’s mother suddenly passed away.

We enrolled Wesley in our case management program*, a long-term and holistic approach to helping low-income people become economically and personally self-sufficient.

Budgeting is crucial to self-sufficiency, and we immediately went to work with Wesley to implement a budget, which he has been able to maintain. To further assist him, we enrolled him in the Columbia Gas Customer Assistance Program, applied for and received a $500 grant from $1 Energy, applied for LIHEAP, and provided rental assistance so he could secure a more suitable apartment for himself and his daughter.

We provided Wesley and Margaret with Thanksgiving dinner as well as utility and grocery credits through Sharing Holiday Warmth, and we also worked with a local dentist to get him affordable and much needed dental care.

More help was available for Margaret: we referred them to The Caring Place for grief counseling, collaborated with Pine Richland Middle School to ensure that she had Christmas gifts, and gave her a new backpack with school supplies.

Wesley continues to make great progress. He is signing up for NHCO’s Family Savings Accounts program with a savings goal of purchasing a house, and he just completed a leadership development course at CCAC. Using a tax refund along with some savings he had set aside, Wesley recently purchased a safe and reliable vehicle. He even volunteers one day a week at a local food bank.

Any family can unexpectedly find themselves in a hardship or crisis situation. Wesley and Margaret’s story is just one of many. With your support, we can provide compassionate, effective and immediate help to many local individuals and families in need this spring.

“Thank you for all you have done, for working with me as a single father who was in need of help with his little girl. So touched am I by all the caring I have received from you. My daughter is happy and growing up learning life the right way.”— Wesley

Donna is severely hearing impaired and lives primarily on social security income and food stamps. She has raised her grandson Jeremy by herself for the past nine years and came to NHCO’s Millvale Satellite in December 2003, requesting help to make his Christmas a brighter one. Since then, we have also provided Donna and Jeremy with rental assistance, school supplies, utility help, Thanksgiving dinners, emotional support and disaster relief.

On September 17, 2004, Donna and Jeremy were rescued by rowboat from the rising flood-waters, and they were not allowed to return to their severely damaged home for three days. At this critical time, NHCO provided for their basic needs including food and clothing. NHCO also gave Donna a $650 gift card to purchase a washer and dryer. When a local St. Vincent de Paul donated a washer and dryer to the family as well, Donna returned the unused gift card to NHCO without a second thought.

We knew Donna and Jeremy still needed a great deal of help to get back on their feet, so we paid $600 in rent to keep the family housed until a Section 8 housing voucher was granted (an arduous two-year process that was hastened by a phone call from NHCO’s Millvale service coordinator advocating on her behalf).

Their home has been restored, but their struggles are not yet over. Wanting to supplement her minimal income and give back to the community, Donna took a part-time job at a youth-serving organization through the Senior Training and Employment Program (STEP), which adversely affected her social security check. She has consulted with a volunteer lawyer through NHCO’s Ask the Attorney program, and we are hopeful that this situation will be resolved appropriately and soon.

Because Donna is unable to drive, we encouraged her to take advantage of NHCO’s Free Rides for Seniors bus, which provides transportation from Sharpsburg through Blawnox and back. The program utilizes volunteer bus drivers and dispatchers and is funded largely by the St. Margaret Foundation.

With funds, goods and time all donated by caring neighbors, NHCO is here today and tomorrow for Donna, Jeremy and many, many others like them.

Joni is a divorced mother of three living in Hampton Township. When she first came to North Hills Community Outreach in November 2004 for help, she was working part-time at a local hotel and struggling to meet expenses. She had administrative skills but needed to go to school to increase her marketability in business and her ability to support her family.

Joni was awarded a $300 scholarship to pay for her books for the spring 2005 semester at CCAC-North. Since then, we have renewed her scholarship every semester, providing a total of $3,031 towards her education. These scholarships were generously underwritten by Alicia Photography and Zonta Three Rivers North. She is maintaining a 4.0 GPA and is well on her way to earning her Paralegal Associate of Science degree.

In February 2005, Joni opened a Family Savings Account at NHCO to save for her oldest daughter’s college education. She met her financial goal of saving $2,000 in December 2006; this past fall she used her savings and $2,000 in matching funds from the PA Department of Community and Economic Development for her daughter’s expenses at Slippery Rock University.

North Hills Community Outreach takes a holistic approach to helping individuals and families in need. In addition to the scholarships and savings program, Joni also participated in New Choices, a career preparation program through PA WomenWork and NHCO. She also received gifts donated to NHCO by Mercy Hospital for the holidays, credits on her utility bills through Sharing Holiday Warmth, backpacks and school supplies for her daughters, gift certificates and tickets to our annual Dessert Theater.

Here’s what Joni had to say about the difference NHCO has made in her life: “Because of the assistance I have received from North Hills Community Outreach, my life has improved in many ways. Not only do I have the excitement of working towards a Paralegal Associate of Science Degree, but I also have anticipation of what my future may hold. In addition to providing me with knowledge that will enable me to have a successful career, pursuing a college education has restored my sense of worth and given me hope. Having the opportunity to go to college will enable me to go from a position of dependence on others to become a woman with the confidence and ability to survive — even thrive — on my own. I am very grateful for the generosity of others and North Hills Community Outreach’s efforts.” 

In three years, Joni has moved much closer towards self-sufficiency. She has learned to manage her limited financial resources, excel in college and maintain a part-time job while raising a family and investing in their future.

Smoking Cessation Success Stories

“Jan,” 41 years old, was pregnant with her first child when her husband died unexpectedly. Shortly after her daughter’s first birthday, Jan realized that as the main influence and role model for her daughter, she needed to quit smoking. Additionally, as the sole parent to her daughter, she wanted to decrease her chances of developing any smoking-related disease as much as possible. Jan saw in her church bulletin that NHCO was offering smoking cessation classes and decided to join in May. Jan quit smoking in June.

“John,” 65 years old, had two surgeries on his legs due to poor circulation. Doctors have told him that they may have to amputate his legs if circulation doesn’t improve and that two ways to drastically improve his circulation are to quit smoking and to exercise. John joined our smoking cessation class (also after seeing it offered in his church bulletin) in July and successfully quit smoking by August. He also started a walking program, which is also recommended during our smoking cessation class.

“Dan,” 57 years old, has had part of one of his lungs removed and has COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). Dan had quit smoking when he had the surgery to remove part of his lung, but sadly went back because of stress he was dealing with. When he saw how low his lung capacity was deteriorating again, he decided he had to quit smoking if he didn’t want to live with an oxygen tank by his side. Dan was referred to our program by the NHCO utility specialist and started the program in September. Dan quit smoking in October and has already noticed an improvement in his breathing.

*NHCO's Case Management self-sufficiency program is funded in part by the PA Department of Community and Economic Development.