How strangers become neighbours

One example of how newcomers are quickly drawn in to services and connected to the community comes from Satinder Singh, the Family Life Education Co-ordinator and the Co-ordinator of the Family Place pro- gram. [...] On the one hand, the Neighbourhood House was accused of drawing more homeless people to the neighbourhood, thereby (some believe) jeopardizing the safety of residents; on the other hand, there was an immense outpouring of sup- port for the program by people who wanted to help alleviate poverty in the community. [...] The church also benefits finan- cially from the rent paid for the space, which has contributed to the sta- bility of the church in the community. [...] CNH strives to include all members of the community by providing transla- tion and interpretation services; translating the annual program and ser- vices brochure into four languages other than English; hiring staff that reflect the cultural, generational and economic make-up of the commu- nity; and adhering to a multiculturalism policy that decrees the right of all people to participate equally i [...] Perhaps one of the greatest “shifts in attitude” has been the acceptance of the economic underclass, including the homeless, in the community.