Naomi Gilchrist doesn’t remember exactly when she moved into her apartment in Sewickley, but she does recall the assistance from the Union Aid Society that helped to make living there possible.
“I have my own little apartment — it’s a nice apartment — and I’m very pleased to have it,” said Gilchrist, 93.
Gilchrist is the eldest tenant at Union Aid Apartments, a low-income, 22-unit one-bedroom apartment building for seniors 55 and older owned by the nonprofit.
Union Aid Society serves the 11 municipalities of the Quaker Valley School District: Aleppo, Bell Acres, Edgeworth, Glenfield, Glen Osborne, Haysville, Leet, Leetsdale, Sewickley Borough, Sewickley Heights and Sewickley Hills.
It relies on community support and donations to assist residents who meet certain income requirements.
“ ‘Neighbors helping neighbors since 1898’ is the tagline that drives the nonprofit to this day,” said Union Aid Society executive director Carla Nash.
Gilchrist grew up in Sewickley and said she’s appreciative of the opportunities provided to her through assistance from the Union Aid Society.
“Everybody gets along well,” Gilchrist said of the residents living there.
Housing help in demand
The apartment building is near Heritage Valley Hospital and the Sewickley Village business district.
In her six years volunteering as director, Nash has met personally with all of the candidates awarded financial assistance with housing, career development, child care, food, medication, utility bills, transportation, back-to-school supplies and more.
Union Aid Society assists all demographics, but, currently, 85% of those receiving aid are single mothers.
“Union Aid Society has helped for more than 125 years, and our main existence is to be a financial bridge to those in need with a low-income base,” Nash said.
The main mission of the society is geographic.
“We want to keep families in Quaker Valley, and it’s important to us if families have children in our school system, they don’t get up and move,” Nash said. “We are 100% financed by the community. They’ve been very generous. It’s a two-way street.”
Nash recalled one family success story that came about, in part, with assistance from the Union Aid Society.
A request for assistance came in from a divorced mother with a young son and triplet girls, who are now adults.
“When I first met this young mom, the girls were young and the home they were renting was almost uninhabitable — and she would have to take the kids to her mother’s to try and get the house in order. The living conditions were substandard, for example, no running water and she was paying rent and it was a constant struggle,” Nash said.
Union Aid Society occasionally assisted by paying the mom’s rent.
“She worked a lot and really hung in there. Her job just stopped during the pandemic, and it was just a lot, so we helped her in any way we could,” Nash said.
When the triplets made excellent grades and graduated from Quaker Valley High School, each received a $5,000 scholarship annually for their college education, and now the mother is back on solid financial footing.
“This past Christmas we served 75 families, and there’s a huge need and the need is growing,” Nash said. “Things cost more.”
Nash highlighted a lack of affordable housing and rent increases as main contributors to an uptick in requests for financial assistance.
“Rental owners are fixing up their places and charging more for rent, and affordable housing just isn’t there right now,” Nash noted.
Nash said monthly apartment rental prices for a one-bedroom apartment have increased from an average of $500 per month to $900 or more in the Quaker Valley School District.
The current apartment waiting list has 35 people.
“Affordable housing is a huge issue, and there’s not a lot we can do except for trying to keep an eye out for affordable rentals,” Nash said.
Nash lamented that in the past year, at least three families have had to leave Quaker Valley School District because of a lack of affordable housing.
“It upsets me because Union Aid’s existence is to help keep families in Quaker Valley,” Nash said.
Union Aid Society originally helped residents during the influenza pandemic of 1918 by serving soup to patients.
These days, the nonprofit operates from one room inside the Sewickley Municipal Building.
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Barbara Cooley Thaw of Bell Acres has volunteered as board secretary and communications chair since 2009.
“Too many people think that Sewickley has streets paved with gold, but more than 20% of eligible students are on free and reduced lunches in the Quaker Valley School District,” Thaw said. “People work hard, and sometimes circumstances happen that put them in a financial moment.”
Thaw said the organization once helped a woman who was a waitress and broke her arm, forcing her to be off for an extended period of time.
“There are so many success stories that we hear about, and they’re life-changing,” Thaw said. “The work we do is outstanding.”
Stepping up to assist others
Step Up Scholarships are another way the society assists adults looking to pay for school-related expenses, which can include child care, tuition, books and transportation.
The need-based scholarships are available to eligible high school seniors residing in Quaker Valley School District and qualifying adults.
Jenni Wilson, 40, of Bell Acres requested financial assistance to become a certified veterinarian assistant after deciding she’d rather work with animals than humans.
Wilson is studying online at Penn Foster and expects to earn her certification this month.
The course costs about $2,000 — all made possible by the Union Aid Society.
“Union Aid Society helped me to fulfill my goal of doing that,” Wilson said. “It’s a big burden off of my shoulders with having them there to help me with the financial aspect of it.”
Wilson met with Thaw in person and is grateful to the nonprofit for helping her to further her professional and educational goals.
“She has a big heart, and she will bend over backward to help anyone who needs help,” Wilson said.
The working board has about 15 individuals.
Union Aid Society receives no government support and relies on donations received through the annual newsletter mailed out each spring.
“We never know if our neighbors need assistance, and Union Aid is here to provide consistent support for our neighbors in need,” Thaw said.
The donations help to pay for operating costs that average about $350,000 and include managing and operating the apartment building, back-to-school, holiday and Thanksgiving programs, and Step Up scholarships.
Additionally, Nash serves as a life coach for many single mothers or anyone needing her services.
“I’m most proud of my life coaching within Union Aid, and I’ve been working with single mothers and created a course (called) surviving on a shoestring budget,” Nash said. “I had 12 moms first sign up, and, out of that, three of those women no longer need my services. I told the board if I could help one person (mentoring) it would be worth it.”
Union Aid Society is an all-volunteer organization, and Nash emphasized the importance of everyone involved.
“They’re a very valuable resource to the organization. They’re committed to our mission and give a good amount of time and talents to keep us running and making a difference in the community,” Nash said.