In the Neighborhood (ITN) is a platform for individuals and small businesses affected by COVID in the greater Seattle area.
Seattle was among the first cities in the United States to be hit hard by the COVID pandemic. Stay-at-home orders were issued on March 15th and case numbers grew rapidly in the weeks to follow. I, as well as my co-founders, Pari and Raphael, grew up in this city. We felt an urgent and sudden need to offer support to our neighbors but found ourselves overwhelmed by the barrage of resources, news, and the closure of small business.
Thus, in consultation with local community leaders, the idea for ITN was born. We compiled resources, designed, constructed, and launched the platform in less than 2 weeks. The platform features a wide range of grassroots and government resources for small businesses and individuals alike, including a database of community volunteers who have pledged to donate their skills and time to help struggling small businesses.
We continued to grow and evolve the website throughout the spring, allowing the platform to ebb and flow with the ingenuity and needs of the people of Seattle, pausing our efforts in early July in solidarity with the national reckoning of racial issues.
