Project Neighbors

About the group:

Established in 1969.

A community effort.

Provides housing, rehabbed and new for families with children, setting rents and purchase payments as low as possible to suit the means of the families.

Offers affordable and subsidized childcare also health care with satellite sites in Michigan City and Kouts.

Nonprofit organization.

Mission: Project Neighbors is dedicated to strengthening community, especially focusing its efforts on families who live below the poverty line and seek to raise their children in a healthy environment. To this end, PN endeavors to empower community families toward wholesome and healthy living, including decent housing, food, medical care, childcare, education and economic stability.

Special events: Institutions initiated by Project Neighbors include Village Market, Hilltop Neighborhood House, Hilltop Community Health Center, and Maria Elena's Restaurant. WVLP is another of PN's projects. Project Neighbors has purchased and or rehabbed 56 units and is breaking ground for nine more housing units in the Hilltop area.

Advice: "Project Neighbors calls attention to needs that had not been addressed before," said PN secretary Lois Reiner. "We've been able to get things going and capture the imagination of the community. We are lucky to have strong selfless people involved."

How to get involved: For more information on Project Neighbors, call Lois Reiner at (219) 462-4822.

People might be surprised to know: "We've been able to accomplish so much with so little," said Reiner. nSUE BERO, Times Correspondent

To nominate an organization for this feature, e-mail slbero@hotmail.com