Monarch Housing’s Blog!

Star-Ledger highlights plan!

On Sunday August 3, 2008, The Star-Ledger published an article by Diane C. Walsh [Email address: dwalsh #AT# starledger.com - replace #AT# with @ ] entitled “Agency to combat homeless problem: Nonprofit requests $50K from county“. This is an issue we posted about on July 29th. To review that link click here. To view the Power Point used at the Freeholder meeting click here.

The article noted that “the chairs of a blue-ribbon committee that has been developing strategies to eliminate homelessness asked the freeholders for $50,000 in seed money to help establish Coming Home of Middlesex County Inc. The nonprofit would also rely on support from foundations and the private sector.”

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On July 24, 2008, Robert E. Mulcahy III and Liz Hance, pictured on the right, the co-chairs of the ten year plan steering committee in Middlesex County presented an overview of the Middlesex County 10 Year Plan to End Chronic and Family Homelessness. To view the Power Point click here.

The timing of the presentation was one year after the kickoff of the ten year planning process.

The 10 Year Plan Areas of Focus are:

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Middlesex County saw a large turn out at their Project Homeless Connect event sites on January 29. People attending the events received services, goodie bags and meals throughout the day. The Home News Tribune highlighted the importance of the Point in Time Count and the differences from previous years.

MIDDLESEX COUNTY — After the first wave of people were fed Tuesday at Elijah’s Promise in New Brunswick, the soup kitchen’s Executive Director Lisanne Finston had recorded 128 homeless in the lunch crowd alone. That’s not counting the 50 or 60 homeless persons she estimated were fed across town at the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

A second wave of homeless would arrive several hours later for dinner.

The count was part of Middlesex County’s annual Point in Time Survey which is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, for municipalities applying for funds for homeless housing. The count serves as a kind of snapshot of the number of homeless people living in the county at a given moment in time.

Tuesday, the count was up.

To read the full article click here

In this second year of planning for Project Homeless Connect, counties have come up with new and innovative ways of organizing their events and creating new partnerships to make the day a success. Middlesex County has turned to new tools in helping to organize their up-coming Project Homeless Connect events. The Project Homeless Connect Committee has developed a website to organize, coordinate and spread the word about Project Homeless Connect. Those visiting the site will be able to sign up to volunteer, find out information about the types of donations requested and learn about different ways they can help.

To view Middlesex County’s Project Homeless Connect website please visit

http://middlesexnjcountconnect.org

In addition to utilizing the web for planning and advertising the upcoming Project Homeless Connect event, Middlesex County has developed new and innovative partnerships. DeVry University has held clothing drives to provide hats, gloves, scarfs and coats to the Project Homeless Connect events. In addition, Perth Amboy Vocational School and East Brunswick Vocational School have held drives to collect goods to give out at the Project Homeless Connect event. Moving forward with planning for future Project Homeless Connect events, we encourage counties to look for creative ways of spreading the word and innovative partnerships.

An additional twenty-nine (29) photos from the very successful Middlesex County Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness Kick Off have been added to the photo gallery and to the slide show. To learn more about the Kick Off click here.

view more images from this album 

The photos were taken by Debbie Hehir of the Division of Social Work Services of the Middlesex County Department of Human Services and  Richard Hyjack of United Way of Central New Jersey.

To view the photos click here.  Click on any photo to view full size. Right click to save a copy. You can also rank the photos.

To view the slide show click here.

More than one hundred fifty (150) people attended the July 24, 2007, Middlesex County Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness Kick Off. The event was held at Elijah’s Promise Parking Lot on Abeel Street in New Brunswick, New Jersey. “We want to end homelessness in Middlesex County. It is a goal that is obtainable, but only if we all commit to work together,” said county Freeholder Blanquita Valenti.

Pictured on the left is Freeholder Director David B. Crabiel. Photos and audio from the Kickoff are now online. To view the photos  click here. To view the slide show click here.

To read the Star-Ledger article click here. To read the Home News article click here.

The group expects to have a draft of the plan completed for review in late December 2007. The work behind drafting the planning document will be done by the three Task Forces that have been identified.

The three Task Forces are:

Single Point of Entry: Chaired by Lisanne Finston, Executive Director of Elijah’s Promise
Permanent Housing: Chaired by Sue Peck, Housing and Community Development Edison Township
Point In Time/Project Homeless Connect, Chaired by Jamie Pear, United Way.

 Lissane Finston Opening Remarks [3:58m]: Download
 Freeholder Blanquita Valenti [6:43m]: Download
 Freeholder Director David B. Crabiel [7:25m]: Download
 Cassaundra Cross [4:55m]: Download
 Bishop Bootkoski and John Wooding [3:11m]: Download
 April Aaronson [10:44m]: Download
 Deb DeSantis [4:33m]: Download
 Gloria Aftanski [2:53m]: Download
 Elizabeth Hance [7:08m]: Download
 Susan [7:22m]: Download
 Diane Johnson [4:03m]: Download
 Mayor Jim Cahill [1:53m]: Download
 Kenneth Lambert [3:27m]: Download
 Lissane Finston Closing Remarks [4:14m]: Download

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