4 From Your Door: Building Stronger Neighborhood Connections

Published July 1, 2026

This summer, the City of Lake Oswego’s Community Health and Resiliency Advisory Board is launching 4 From Your Door, a new neighbor-to-neighbor emergency preparedness initiative. The pilot program will begin in select neighborhoods, with the goal of expanding citywide if it proves successful.

The idea is simple: in an emergency, your closest and most valuable resource may be the neighbors who live just a few doors away.

The program encourages neighbors to connect with the households immediately around them—two doors to the left, two doors to the right, or across the street. By building these relationships before an emergency occurs, neighbors can better support one another during events such as extreme heat, wildfire smoke, ice storms, or extended power outages.

How It Works

Residents are invited to identify up to four nearby households they would be comfortable checking in with during a major emergency. There is no formal registration—just a mutual agreement:

“We know how to reach each other, and we’ll check in when something serious happens.”

Participation is completely voluntary.

You may receive a door hanger from a neighbor inviting you to join their small check-in network. A tear-off response card—or a simple text message—allows you to accept or decline the invitation. If you choose not to participate, that’s perfectly okay, and no explanation is necessary.

If you accept, you’ll exchange basic contact information and communication preferences. Over time, you’ll create a small network of nearby households that can look out for one another when it matters most.

As a best practice, keep your neighbors’ contact information with your emergency preparedness supplies so it’s readily available if power or cellular service is disrupted.

Building a more resilient neighborhood starts with knowing the people who live nearby. A simple conversation today could make a meaningful difference during tomorrow’s emergency.

Questions?
For more information about the 4 From Your Door initiative, contact Maria Bigelow at mbigelow@lakeoswego.city.

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Neighborhood Enhancement Program (NEP) Project Coordinator

Primary Role:

  • Handles NEP grant applications, grant approvals, reviews receipts for reimbursement and is the single point of contact between the entire Palisades Neighborhood Association (PNA) and the City.
  • To be successfull in this role you should be organized, communicative.
  • Time commitment: From 8-12 hrs. throughout the year

Process:

  • Accepting NEP proposals: Anyone living in the Palisades Neighborhood Association can submit proposal(s) to the NEP Coordinator along with estimated costs throughout the year. They should follow the application guidelines and answer the questions related to their proposal.
  • PNA Board will Vote on Which Items To Include in our NEP Proposal: During the month of March PNA board meeting the NEP Coordinator asks the board to vote on the proposed item(s). NEP Coordinator encourages person(s) proposing the item(s) to attend the meeting to answer questions that might come up. The PNA board then votes on which items should be included in the NEP grant proposal.
  • Developing and Submitting the NEP Grant Proposalt: During the NEP grant proposal period (usually the month of May) the NEP Project Coordinator:
    • Fills out the NEP grant proposal application based on items approved by the PNA Board;
    • Gets sign offs from the PNA Chair
    • Submits the proposal form to the city in early May for the initial review process
    • Provides additional information requested by the city
    • Revises and submits the final application to the City by the deadline (typically May 31).

What Happens Next:

  • Iris McCaleb from the City forwards the NEP grant proposals to the grant review committee and then to the City Council who review it and awards certain grants.The NEP Coordinator will receive a letter of award from the City and will share it with the PNA Leadership Team.
  • As items are purchased from the approved grant list, the project close-out form is filled out by the person requesting reimbursement. They will attach digital copies of receipts and photos and then submit all to both the NEP Project Coordinator and the PNA Chair. The NEP Project Coordinator submits the reimbursement request to Iris at the City for reimbursement.
  • Reimbursement checks are then sent directly to the person who purchased the item(s).