Homeless Solutions Inc

FOUNDED IN 1983, HOMELESS SOLUTIONS IS UNIQUE IN NEW JERSEY. WE ARE THE ONLY NON-PROFIT THAT OPERATES SHELTER PROGRAMS FOR FIVE DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT POPULATIONS - FAMILIES, SINGLE WOMEN, SINGLE MEN, PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS, AND PREGNANT AND PARENTING YOUTH, AGES 16 TO 24; OPERATES A 200-YEAR-OLD AFFORDABLE HOUSING FACILITY FOR LOW-INCOME, SINGLE WOMEN, AGE 62+; OPERATES A WINTER SHELTER PROGRAM FOR STREET HOMELESS; PROVIDES COMMUNITY-BASED OUTREACH SERVICES; AND BUILDS AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES ACROSS MORRIS COUNTY, NJ.

FAMILY AND SINGLE WOMEN'S PROGRAM: THE FAMILY SHELTER PROGRAM CAN ACCOMMODATE UP TO 11 FAMILIES AND THE SINGLE WOMEN'S PROGRAM CAN ACCOMMODATE UP TO 10 SINGLE WOMEN. OVER 50% OF THOSE ENTERING THE SHELTER ARE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SURVIVORS. ALL GUESTS RECEIVE CASE MANAGEMENT, INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS TRAINING, PARENTING EDUCATION, COUNSELING, LINKAGES TO MEDICAL CARE, CHILDCARE & TRANSPORTATION. IN 2022, THE CAPACITY WAS SLIGHTLY REDUCED DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC TO PROVIDE QUARANTINE SPACE FOR THE GUESTS. IN 2022, 16 FAMILIES (33 CHILDREN AND 21 PARENTS) AND 22 SINGLE WOMEN WERE SERVED BY THE EMERGENCY SHELTER. SINGLE MEN'S PROGRAM:THE EMERGENCY SHELTER CAN ACCOMMODATE UP TO 25 MEN. THE MEN'S SHELTER PROGRAM PROVIDES CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES, MONEY MANAGEMENT TRAINING & ASSISTS WITH BENEFITS ENROLLMENT AND PLACEMENT IN PERMANENT HOUSING. IN 2022, THE CAPACITY WAS STILL SLIGHTLY REDUCED DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC IN ORDER TO PROVIDE QUARANTINE SPACE FOR THE GUESTS. IN 2021, THE PROGRAM SERVED 57 MEN, INCLUDING 20 (37%) WHO HAD BEEN CHRONICALLY HOMELESS, 46 (81%) WERE IDENTIFIED AS HAVING A DISABILITY. SAFE HAVEN PROGRAM:LAUNCHED IN 1995, OUR SAFE HAVEN PROGRAM FOR PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS IS UNIQUE IN NEW JERSEY. CO-MANAGED WITH THE MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION OF ESSEX & MORRIS, THE PROGRAM CAN SHELTER UP TO 10 WOMEN AND MEN. IN 2022, THE PROGRAM SERVED 23 PEOPLE, INCLUDING 7 WOMEN AND 15 MEN, INCLUDING 8 (33%) WHO HAD BEEN CHRONICALLY HOMELESS. 50% OF THE PARTICIPANTS WHO EXITED THE PROGRAM LEFT WITH PERMANENT HOUSING.

HOUSING DEVELOPMENT (HD):THE BEST, PERMANENT SOLUTION TO HOMELESSNESS IS AFFORDABLE HOUSING. IN 2004, WE LAUNCHED A MULTI-YEAR HOUSING DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM TO CREATE ATTRACTIVE, WELL-CONSTRUCTED RESIDENCES ACROSS MORRIS COUNTY, NJ. TO DATE, WE HAVE CONSTRUCTED/RENOVATED 74 ATTRACTIVE, ENERGY-EFFICIENT APARTMENTS. TOTAL INVESTMENT = $20+ MILLION.OUR INVESTMENT IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS TRANSFORMING THE RESIDENTIAL LANDSCAPE OF MORRIS COUNTY. THE RESULT IS 1) REVITALIZED NEIGHBORHOODS WITH ATTRACTIVE, WELL-MAINTAINED, MARKET-RATABLE HOUSES AND LANDSCAPED LAWNS; 2) STABILIZED NEIGHBORHOODS WITH APPRECIATING PROPERTY VALUES, DECREASING RESIDENTIAL TURNOVER, AND REDUCED CRIME; 3) STRENGTHENED NEIGHBORHOODS BOASTING VIBRANT TAPESTRIES OF ETHNICITIES, CULTURES, LANGUAGES, FAITHS, AGES, AND PROFESSIONS IN TOWNS THROUGHOUT THE REGION. IN ADDITION, OUR EFFORTS HAVE HAD A POWERFUL ECONOMIC IMPACT. IN THE IMMEDIATE SENSE, WE ARE SUPPORTING THE LIVELIHOODS OF LOCAL ARCHITECTS, CONSULTANTS, CIVIL ENGINEERS, CONTRACTORS, SUPPLIERS, AND TRADES WOMEN AND MEN.BUT THE LONG-TERM ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN OUR APARTMENTS IS EVEN MORE PROFOUND. THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO WORK IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND MAKE OUR COMMUNITIES WORK - GOING TO THEIR JOBS, ATTENDING SCHOOLS, SHOPPING, DINING, ENJOYING CULTURAL EVENTS, ATTENDING THEIR HOUSES OF WORSHIP, VOLUNTEERING.BUT THE BEST WAY OF UNDERSTANDING OUR HOUSING DEVELOPMENT'S IMPACT ON HOMELESSNESS IS HOW IT CREATES INTERGENERATIONAL CHANGE. BECAUSE HELPING FAMILIES OUT OF HOMELESSNESS AND POVERTY TO A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN DREAM BIG AND ACHIEVE EVEN BIGGER MEANS THEIR CHILDREN WILL SEE A BETTER, BRIGHTER FUTURE, AND THEN THEIR CHILDREN, AND THEN THEIR CHILDREN.AND THAT KIND OF TRANSFORMATION MAKES NEW JERSEY A BETTER PLACE FOR EVERYONE TO LIVE, WORK AND RAISE THEIR FAMILIES.

TRANSITIONAL HOUSING:BUILT IN 1996, THE 10 FULLY FURNISHED, TWO-BEDROOM APARTMENTS ARE LOCATED ON A CUL-DE-SAC IN SUBURBAN MORRIS TOWNSHIP, NJ. THE TRANQUIL, SEMI-WOODED CAMPUS GIVES HOMELESS FAMILIES (USUALLY A YOUNG MOTHER WITH SEVERAL CHILDREN ESCAPING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE) UP TO 18 MONTHS TO REBUILD THEIR LIVES. (THE 18-MONTH DEADLINE IS SET BY COUNTY GUIDELINES. BUT NO ONE STAYS THAT LONG. IN 2022, THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY WAS 8.5 MONTHS!)THE PARENTS MUST HAVE FULL-TIME JOBS. THE CHILDREN ATTEND SCHOOL OR CHILDCARE. DURING THEIR STAY AT THP, THE PARENTS COMPLETE A HIGHLY STRUCTURED REGIMEN THAT GIVES THEM THE EDUCATION AND SKILLS THEY NEED TO STABILIZE THEIR LIVES, GET BETTER PAYING JOBS, IMPROVE THEIR CREDIT SCORES, BUILD SAVINGS, AND ULTIMATELY MOVE INTO THEIR OWN APARTMENTS. IN 2022, 56 CHILDREN AND PARENTS LIVED AT THP.THE MT KEMBLE HOME:WE ARE PARTICULARLY PROUD OF OUR 2-YEAR, $1.5 MILLION RENOVATION OF THE MT. KEMBLE HOME, THE 200-YEAR-OLD AFFORDABLE LIVING FACILITY FOR LOW-INCOME, SINGLE WOMEN IN MORRISTOWN, NJ. WE TOOK OVER THE STRUGGLING NON-PROFIT MT. KEMBLE HOME IN MORRISTOWN IN 2013. COMPLETED IN 2017, THE REVITALIZED BUILDING NOW ACCOMMODATES MORE RESIDENTS (FROM 19 TO 22), HAS IMPROVED ENERGY EFFICIENCY, REDUCED ANNUAL OPERATING COSTS, AND IS COMPLIANT WITH ADA AND MODERN BUILDING CODES.PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSINGPSH FOR SAFE HAVENHSI'S PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROGRAM PROVIDES RENTAL VOUCHERS FOR SAFE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR CHRONICALLY HOMELESS PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS. IN 2022 THERE WERE 12 TENANTS SERVED BY THE PROGRAM.PROMISING SOLUTIONS:HSI'S PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROGRAM PROVIDES SAFE, AFFORDABLE, SHARED HOUSING FOR LOW-INCOME, SINGLE WOMEN EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN MORRIS COUNTY. IN 2022 THERE WERE 18 TENANTS ON THE CAMPUS.