September 28th is Good Neighbor Day! Good Neighbor is a community program of Goodwill of the Finger Lakes that partners with care and case managers, as well as other local organizations, to provide community members with needed apparel and household goods.
Additionally, Good Neighbor Community Navigators, stationed at our six Good Neighbor Hubs, help connect people to local programs and services. You can find information on the Good Neighbor Program and locations of the Good Neighbor Hubs here.
For Good Neighbor Day, we asked our Community Navigators about what they do, and what it means to them to play such an important role in the community.
Matt - Webster Community Navigator
What does being a Community Navigator mean to you?
It’s ultimately all about helping people who are in need in our community. To be able to help someone, sometimes at the lowest point in their lives, get vital resources like clothing or home goods, or getting them connected to other community focused organizations that can help them gives me a true sense of fulfillment and the knowledge that the work we do is making a difference. We view the resources we provide as a “hand up” not a “hand out” as we work to help our neighbors become self-sufficient and contribute to our shared community.
How do the Good Neighbor Hubs benefit the community that you live/work in?
People are able to stop in and learn about all of the resources we at Goodwill of the Finger Lakes offer, as well as learn about our many community-based partner organizations that can further assist clients with things like healthcare, home aid, transportation, food security, financial assistance, and so much more! We share the same network and database as our colleagues in 211 so we can find places in the clients ZIP code to help them, cutting down on travel costs and closing the “referral loophole” where people get bounced from place to place.
We like to think of our hubs as “one stop shops” where community members can get information or referrals for all of their presented needs! Stop into our hubs in Webster, Greece, Canandaigua, or Syracuse to learn more!
Melissa - Greece Community Navigator
What does being a Community Navigator mean to you?
For me, being a Community Navigator means connecting people in a difficult situation or encountering some struggles to the right providers - helping to connect individuals to case management for referrals and fulfill requests that have come into our Good Neighbor mailbox.
How do the Good Neighbor Hubs benefit the community that you live/work in?
Good Neighbor has done excellent work in our community, especially within this past year. We’ve seen a large increase in clients through our request form. As well as building relationships with others who give back to Rochester, Canandaigua, and Syracuse areas. The leadership at Good Neighbor and the team that has been created is making big waves in changing our communities’ circumstances by providing clothing, kitchen items, household items, shoes and accessories to individuals, families, schools, churches and food pantries in need. So proud to be where I am right now, and excited to see where Good Neighbor will be this time next year!
Lynnessa - Syracuse Community Navigator
What does being a Community Navigator mean to you?
It means that I can connect with my community in a tangible and needful way! It gives me the opportunity to be a support in a time of need for others and allows me to assist them on their life’s journeys.
How do the Good Neighbor Hubs benefit the community that you live/work in?
I am from underserved communities (Brooklyn & Harlem, NY) and know the struggles of the people in my community all too well. I know that although there are many services to aid people in the Onondaga County area, the services many times, do not get directly to the person(s) who actually need them the most. This role allows me the chance to make the difference count, when sometimes, life starts “life-ing” in a safe and present way!
J.T. - Canandaigua Community Navigator
What does being a Community Navigator mean to you?
Being a Community Navigator means that I get to go out into my community and build relationships with organizations to work toward the common goal of enriching the lives of others. It is very fulfilling when you see firsthand how your work has improved someone’s life.
Within my first month of work, we experienced flooding in Canandaigua. A woman came into the Good Neighbor Hub and told me that her and her 4 children just moved to the area and had to evacuate their home and leave their belongs in boxes on the floor. Their apartment flooded and everything they owned was ruined by the time they were able to return. She had $20 and hadn’t eaten because she was planning on using the money to feed her kids. I worked with our store manager and was able to connect this woman with several local resources, including access to food, beds, a television, and I was able to get clean, dry clothing for the family through Good Neighbor. This woman was so grateful that about a week later she brought her youngest son into the Good Neighbor hub to say thank you.
This is just one of many examples of what being a Community Navigator means to me.
How do the Good Neighbor Hubs benefit the community that you live/work in?
A Good Neighbor Hub is so much more than a place people come to when they need clothing. It is a safe space in the community that folks can turn to when they need assistance and do not know where else to turn. Good Neighbor Hubs provide a place for people to get connected to resources that best fits their needs.
Roxanne - Community Navigator at the Monroe County Hall of Justice
What does being a Community Navigator mean to you?
To me, being a Community Navigator means connecting with Rochesterians to the many unknown resources in the community in a culturally responsive manner.
How do the Good Neighbor Hubs benefit the community that you live/work in?
The Good Neighbor Hubs benefit the community by fulfilling essential and basic needs for families. Basic needs like clothing and household items. We also have a Working Wardrobe program that provides clothes for a job interview. Another benefit is the vast amounts of resources that are shared with the community and the community agencies that the Good Neighbor Hubs collaborate with.
Roxanne works at the Community Connections Desk (CCD) at the Hall of Justice. Read more about the CCD here.