For Immediate Release:
February 1, 2016
NJ Counts 2016 touches many
County staff and volunteers offer goods, services to those in need
FREEHOLD, NJ – Monmouth County’s annual NJ Counts, a one-stop event to provide various health and human services for residents who are homeless, or who are on in danger of becoming homeless, was held last week
in Asbury Park, Freehold, Keansburg and Red Bank.
“We offered a warm coat, personal care items and a range of health services to 477 people,” said Freeholder John P. Curley, liaison to the County’s Department of Human Services. “This event is so important because it provides people with coats, blankets and other physical items they may need and it provides them with access to the many resources that are available to them.”
NJ Counts is the umbrella name for a nationwide effort to bring attention to efforts to end homelessness. People without a permanent residence or who are at risk of being homeless were encouraged to participate.
Attendees at the four community locations completed a very brief survey form before being provided food, clothing, free health screenings, employment resources and other services.
The purpose of NJ Counts, coupled with the Point in Time survey, is to get a better idea as to who is homeless and out there somewhere. Not included in the totals are individuals who are in transitional housing, emergency housing, motels, hotels, boarding homes or other locations.
“The primary goal of NJ Counts is to gain an accurate picture of the number of people who experience homelessness and to work toward providing them with needed services,” said Jeffrey Schwartz, acting director of the Department of Human Services
“It is important for us at the State level to have an understanding of the current number of homeless people in need in order to better serve them,” said New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Charles A. Richman, who visited the Asbury Park location. “I commend Monmouth County for having locations set-up throughout the county where people had direct access to local, county, state and federal services all in one place.”
“Donations of time, space and resources by businesses and not-for profit groups make the NJ Counts event possible in Monmouth County,” Curley said. “We have a very caring community and we appreciate the time, talents and goods that make a positive impact in the lives of people who need these items and seek these services.”
The count is part of an annual point-in-time survey of the homeless population in the New Jersey. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires that such a count of the homeless be done every other year and although 2016 is not a mandated year, it is expected that each county conducted one.
Organizations that donated time and resources for Monmouth County’s 2016 Point in Time Survey and NJ Counts include:
Acelero Learning
Affordable Housing Alliance
Allenwood Elementary School
ARC of Monmouth, Tinton Falls
Asbury Park Social Services
Bethel AME Church, Freehold
Brookdale Community College– Ernestine Austin & Lisa Savage, Site Coordinators for Freehold
Burlington Coat Factory
Catholic Charities-Linkages
CHANT – Annie Hainesworth
Child Care Resources
Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey
Community Affairs & Resource Center – Beatriz
Oesterheld, Site Coordinator for Keansburg
Community Health Law Project – Asbury Park
Covenant House
D Waters and Associates LLC
Division of Child Protection & Permanency
Dunkin Donuts
Easter Seals NJ – Adult Shelter
Family & Children’s Services
Family Promise of Monmouth County
Feed All God’s Children – Jim Benedict
Foodbank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties
Frank’s Deli – Baked Goods
Freehold Area Open Door
HABcore, Inc.
Holiday Express
Holmdel Girl Scout Troop #675
Interfaith Neighbors, Heather Schulze and Maura Comer
Site Coordinators for Asbury Park
Investors Bank
Jacob Palew
JBJ Soul Foundation
Jersey Shore – A Team
Jersey Shore Rescue Mission
Kula Café
LADACIN Network
Lunch Break
Lynanne Rosenthal
Manna House
Marlboro Elementary School
Mental Health Association of Monmouth County
Meridian Health
Monmouth A-Team
Monmouth Cares
Monmouth County Department of Human Services
Divisions of: Aging, Disabilities & Veterans Services; Mental Health & Addiction Services; and Social Services
Monmouth County Workforce Development
Monmouth County Buildings & Grounds – General
Trade Office
Monmouth County Community Development
Monmouth County Health Department
Monmouth County Homeless System Collaborative
Monmouth County Human Services Advisory Council
Navicore Solutions
New Beginnings Agape Christian Center
New Jersey Auto MCO
New Jersey Department of Labor-One Stop Center
New Jersey Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
New Jersey Housing & Mortgage Finance Agency
New Jersey Natural Gas
180, Turning Lives Around
O.C.E.A.N, Inc.
One Warm Coat
Paul David Party Supplies
Pilgrim Baptist Church of Red Bank
Red Bank Resource Network
Red Cross
Salvation Army, Asbury Park
Social Security Administration
Soul Kitchen in Red Bank
South Jersey Legal Services
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Community Center in
Keansburg
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Freehold
St. Rose of Lima Church –Sheila Starosolsky and Dorothy DuBois, Site Coordinator for Freehold
The Center in Asbury Park
The City of Asbury Park
The Community YMCA
Thomas & Geneen Graziano
United Way of Monmouth County
VNA Health Group
Various Ministries
Veterans Affairs
Winifred Canright House