From volunteerism to accompaniment: how to love your unhoused neighbor 

by Pam Rempe | Nov 19, 2024 | Imagine the Possibilities, Pursue the Common Good

Part 3 of 3: November is National Homelessness Awareness month. To honor our unhoused neighbors during this month we will be featuring a three-part series on homelessness by DJ Johnsen. If you happened to read either (or both!) of the pieces I wrote before this, thank...

Parking Spots and Deli Meat

by Pam Rempe | Nov 13, 2024 | Imagine the Possibilities, Pursue the Common Good

My alarm went off and I woke to find myself drenched in sweat. There are certainly hotter places to be in the middle of summer than New York City, but considering we never sleep without the A/C running, I knew something had gone amiss. Sure enough, I got out of bed to...

The man who changed my life.

by Pam Rempe | Nov 5, 2024 | Imagine the Possibilities, Pursue the Common Good

Part 2 of 3: November is National Homelessness Awareness month. To honor our unhoused neighbors during this month we will be featuring a three-part series on homelessness by DJ Johnsen.    Alright, so maybe it’s hyperbolic to say one man – and only one man...

Learning How to See: Neighborhood Found Poetry 

by Pam Rempe | Oct 22, 2024 | Discover the Gifts, Imagine the Possibilities

I am learning to fine-tune my ability to see and pay attention. In a world of deadlines and urgent appointments, beeping phones, alerting messages and distracting advertisements, I need practices that slow me down and help me see anew in the most familiar of places.  ...

The Power of Proximity

by Pam Rempe | Oct 8, 2024 | Getting to Know Your Neighbors, Imagine the Possibilities

Our home was so close to Bao and Lydia’s that I could literally see their orange paint from our yellow stairwell. We exchanged courtesies with them when our outdoor projects impacted one another’s property and notified each other when we were traveling for an extended...

National Good Neighbor Day 2024: A Note from the Director 

by Pam Rempe | Oct 4, 2024 | Getting to Know Your Neighbors, Imagine the Possibilities, Pursue the Common Good

When we launched The Hopeful Neighborhood Project in March 2021, the world was still reeling from COVID-19. We had to make adaptations to many of our plans, creating options that allowed for connection at a distance. Our team was formed over Zoom. Our partnerships...