NeighborWorks Week, held this month during a fight for racial equity and a virus that caused neighbors to remain distant from one another, looked different than usual. But the celebration of neighborhoods and what makes them strong continued at many network organizations. Some organizations made their events virtual. Others postponed them to focus on their communities in other ways. And in some places, residents got outside to focus on the neighborhoods they call home.

NeighborWorks Week this year looks different than usual. For many network organizations, the week dedicated to service and community celebration went virtual, as community residents remained physically distant from one another due to COVID-19. Communities turned their attentions to social justice, while at the same time, focusing on community building and community connection. Some organizations postponed activities. Others followed through with planned events. 

A good budget can help when the unexpected occurs. But when you suddenly lose income, as many families have in recent months, a budget becomes even more important.

"Budgets change all the time," says Molly Barackman-Eder, senior manager in financial capability at NeighborWorks America. "If you've had a change in income, this is a good time to think about a budget as an organizing tool."

Foundation Communities' (FC) Supper Clubs in Austin, Texas, provide a host of opportunities, says Meghan Hein, community building volunteer coordinator. The dinners, cooked by volunteer groups that range from churches to businesses to book clubs, help residents in FC's affordable housing get warm, healthy meals and stretch their food budgets. With residents and volunteers dining together, there's also a chance to meet other people, talk, and build relationships with the Austin community.

During world wars, they were called "victory gardens," planted by families to help keep food on the table – and prevent food shortages. With grocery store shelves empty and families told to shelter in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are returning to gardening and to the name.

NeighborWorks network organizations say they are continuing to hear from residents interested in doing the financial education and credit repair that will help them on a path to buying new homes. But even before March turned to April, housing counselors say they were also receiving calls from residents who were worried about what was going to happen if. If they lost jobs. If they couldn't pay their rent or their mortgage as the COVID-19 virus forced businesses to shut down or scale back.

On Friday, Chinatown CDC launched a take-out meal program to get dinners to residents in their single-room occupancy (SRO) hotels. The meals, provided by New Asia, a dim sum and community banquet restaurant located in Chinatown, allowed residents to avoid communal kitchens on their floors, a typical setup for the SRO hotels. And that helped residents maintain the physical distance suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

NeighborWorks organizations have spent the past few weeks drafting new policies and communications in the wake of the COVID-19 virus and figuring out ways to share them quickly with their staff, their community, other agencies and one another.