Connecting with Service Providers

Dan Doody (R to L), John Meister, and Kenna MacKinnon of The Neighborhood Bridge meet with local service providers at BUILD. Courtesy of Todd Bannon/Growing Community Media. 

The Neighborhood Bridge has spoken to over 40 service organizations that serve the Austin neighborhood to become familiar with the community's needs and the services available. We have also partnered with five schools serving West Austin families—St. Catherine-St. Lucy, St. Angela, Christ the King Jesuit Prep, Catalyst Circle Rock, and Chicago Jesuit Academy—to determine the needs of local families. 

Dan Doody, President of the Board of The Neighborhood Bridge, explains: "Our purpose is to connect people in need with services that are available. The premise is that there are a lot of services and a lot of aid that our partner school students and families qualify for, but there are a lot of barriers to accessing them. The goal of The Neighborhood Bridge is to break down those barriers." 

One recent meeting was hosted by BUILD, a nationally respected gang intervention, violence prevention, and youth development organization based on Chicago’s West Side. Among the attendees were representatives of NAMI Chicago, Thresholds, Oak Park River Forest Community Foundation, PCC Community Wellness Center, Catholic Charities, Beyond Hunger, and Community Mental Health Board of Oak Park Township. The Neighborhood Bridge shared its vision as a connector between families and the services available. Local service providers provided helpful feedback as to ways to provide services that help both families and service providers. 

More meetings are planned with local service providers to continue establishing relationships with high-performing nonprofits serving the West Side of Chicago. 

See a list of the many service providers we have connected with here.

Read more about The Neighborhood Bridge’s plans in these articles in the Wednesday Journal and the Austin Weekly News.