The mission of Neighbor2Neighbor (incorporated as N2N) is to provide meals and meet other daily needs in the context of a supportive community among homeless and near-homeless persons in the Westport area of Kansas City.

N2N offers a spirit of radical hospitality, which means generously welcoming all persons with compassionate service and accountability. Neighbor2Neighbor is about relationships. When many helping agencies would say “client,” we say “neighbor.”

Current Services include: Meals: N2N has partnered with faith communities, Jewish Community Center, Harvesters, and other groups to serve breakfast and lunch seven days a week and supper five nights a week. In the past year, N2N served over 68,000 meals.

Health care is provided through an on-going partnership with Swope Parkway Health Center. Mental health support is provided through Truman Behavioral Health, and alcohol and drug treatment are also available through partnerships.

Legal help: A volunteer attorney is available as needed.

Employment readiness includes in-service training and job experience at N2N, as well as cooperation with such agencies as Goodwill Industries.

Emergency assistance for such needs as utilities, prescriptions and replacement of ID documents is provided in part from generous grants through the William T. Kemper Foundation and the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City.

The Staff/Volunteers: N2N has two full-time staff (the director and assistant director) and a part-time resource specialist who is supported by significant grants from the Health Care Foundation. Several others, who were or are homeless, work part-time. Last year, persons contributing over 10,000 volunteer hours made it possible for us to serve our neighbors.

Neighbors served by Neighbor2Neighbor: Hungry people in our community lead what some call a fragile existence, facing difficult choices between the essentials of living: paying for food or rent, utilities or health care. N2N serves those who live this fragile existence, and as a result of the economic downturn, the numbers of “newly near-homeless” continue to increase.