Hello Neighbor (organization)

Hello Neighbor
Founded2017
FounderSloane Davidson
Legal status501(c)(3) nonprofit
HeadquartersPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Region served
United States
Websitehelloneighbor.io/

Hello Neighbor is a United States non-profit organization headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that was founded in 2017 by Sloane Davidson.[1] This organization aims to partner recent refugees with families already living in their communities.[2] The catalyst for Hello Neighbor was Thanksgiving 2016, when Davidson stumbled onto an Airbnb program that was matching American families with refugee families for Thanksgiving dinner.[3] Davidson signed up and got a call saying she had been matched with a family of Syrian refugees in her neighborhood.[4] The two families connected and became close friends. It was this interaction that inspired Davidson to launch the non-profit.[3]

Hello Neighbor's goal is to help refugees become more self-sufficient[5] by partnering them with friends who can help them both navigate city systems and have a little fun in the process.[6][7]

As of May 2017, all Pittsburgh mentorship slots have been filled.[8] The program supports 25 refugee families with 25 families in the Pittsburgh area.[9]

  1. ^ Young, Virginia Alvino. "New Program Partners Native-Born And Refugee Pittsburghers As Friends And Mentors". 90.5 WESA. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  2. ^ Mayo, Bob (2017-01-31). "'Are we welcome here?' Muslim Pittsburghers, visiting students, refugee families worried by Trump order". WTAE. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  3. ^ a b Maunz, Shay. "Meet the Woman Playing Matchmaker for Refugees and Americans". Glamour. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  4. ^ Hui, Mary; Hui, Mary (2017-08-16). "It began with a refugee Thanksgiving. Then she launched a program to pair newly-arrived families with American mentors". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  5. ^ Deto, Ryan. "Pittsburgh veterans encourage bettering relationships with immigrants". Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  6. ^ Lieber, Ron (2017-02-17). "How You Can Help Refugees in the United States". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  7. ^ Treviño, Julissa. "A Syrian Refugee and Her American BFF Explain What They Have in Common". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2017-10-11.
  8. ^ "Hello Neighbor Interest Form". helloneighbor.typeform.com. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  9. ^ Farabaugh, Kane. "'Hello Neighbor' Builds Cultural Bridges for Refugees in Pittsburgh". VOA. Retrieved 2017-08-18.