coming home of middlesex county toolkit

8/13/2019 Coming Home of Middlesex County Toolkit

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www.cominghomemiddlesex.org 4home

Homeless means people who

are living in a place not meant for

human habitation, in emergency

shelter, in transitional housing,

or who are exiting an institution

where they temporarily reside.

It also means people who are

losing their primary nighttime

residence, which may include a

motel or hotel or a doubled-up

situation, within 14 days and lack

resources or support networks to

remain in housing. Homeless

means families with children or

unaccompanied youth who are

unstably housed and likely to

continue in that state or peoplewho are fleeing or attempting

to flee domestic violence, have

no other residence, and lack the

resources or support networks to

obtain other permanent housing.

Homelessness is a Reality in Middlesex County

Homelessness affects all of the 25

municipalities of Middlesex County.

roughout the year, it is estimated

that there are at least 3,500 people who

are homeless or precariously housed

within the county. More important,

the numbers are increasing. Between

2011 and 2012, an additional 200

people in Middlesex County became

homeless. Currently, Middlesex County

has the third highest percentage of

homeless individuals in the state of

New Jersey.

One of the contributing factors to

homelessness in Middlesex County is

limited access to affordable housing.A commonly accepted guideline for

housing affordability is a housing

cost that does not exceed 30% of a

households gross income, yet many

county residents pay in excess of

this amount. In Middlesex County,

fair market rent requires an annual

income of $45,000 for an individual

to comfortably afford a one-bedroom

apartment. Putting this into

perspective, an adult making minimum

wage in New Jersey earns $13,920

a year if he works a full 40-hour

workweek. For a family, a minimum

wage worker would have to work 138

hours or 3.5 full time jobs per week,

52 weeks per year, to afford a modest

two-bedroom apartment. If they

work less for various reasons, such as

the high cost of child care or health

problems, they will earn less. Residents

who make less than $35,000 per year

find it extremely difficult to afford thecost of housing.e majority of those

experiencing homelessness have an

annual income of less than $5,000.

Twenty-three percent of residents in

Middlesex County are not able to find

affordable housing.

Middlesex County has identified that

an additional 520 units of permanent,

affordable housing are currently needed

in Middlesex County to address the

homelessness issue.

e top 6 factors contributing to

Homelessness:

1. High Cost of Housing

2. Loss of Job/No Work

3. Relationship/Family Breakup

4. Mental Illness

5. Medical Problems, Physical/Mental

Disabilities

6. Substance Abuse

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http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/changes-in-the-hud-definition-of-homelesshttp://nlihc.org/oor/2012http://www.cominghomemiddlesex.org/wp-content/files_mf/middlesextenyearplan.pdfhttp://www.csh.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/2012MiddlesexCountyFINAL5_2012.pdfhttp://www.cominghomemiddlesex.org/wp-content/files_mf/pitanalysis.pdfhttp://www.cominghomemiddlesex.org/


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Middlesex County is home to a diverse

population of people with different

socioeconomic statuses and varying

racial/ethnic backgrounds.e county

is aware that there are many citizens in

this area who continue to struggle to

make ends meet, have fallen throughthe cracks of social service systems,

and are currently homeless with little

or no resources. In an effort to help

these struggling residents, Middlesex

County developed and is pursuing

Middlesex Countys Ten Year Plan to

End Homelessness.

Coming Home is the nonprofit

organization created by Middlesex

County and United Way of Central Jersey

to coordinate the implementation and

evolution of the Ten Year Plan to

End Homelessness.

e objectives of this plan are:

To streamline programs for the

homeless so they are more efficient

and more effective by reducing

barriers between agencies assisting

the homeless

To prevent homelessness by earlyintervention and case management

To create and sustain permanent,

supportive housing throughout

the county

All initiatives for ending homelessness

in Middlesex County are driven by

these core objectives.

Middlesex County supports the plan

and has established the Middlesex

County Homeless Trust Fund and

Middlesex County Housing Capital

Fund to fund certain projects in

furtherance of its mission.

e Middlesex County Housing Capital

Fund is intended for developers of

permanent, supportive housing for

the homeless.

e Middlesex County Homelessness

Trust Fund supports innovative andreplicable projects to end homelessness.

Applications for organizations seeking

funding from the Capital Fund and/or

the Homelessness Trust Fund can be

found atwww.cominghomemiddlesex.

org/resources.

e Middlesex County Ten Year Plan

to End Homelessness

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e long-term goal of Coming

Home is to institutionalize (i) the

collaboration among service

providers and between private

and public entities, and (ii) the

measurement tools and processes

needed to implement theMiddlesex County Ten Year

Plan to End Homelessness.
http://www.cominghomemiddlesex.org/http://www.cominghomemiddlesex.org/resources%20http://www.cominghomemiddlesex.org/resources%20http://www.cominghomemiddlesex.org/resources%20http://www.cominghomemiddlesex.org/resources%20http://www.cominghomemiddlesex.org/


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http://www.cominghomemiddlesex.org/wp-content/files_mf/middlesexcontinuumcare.pdfhttp://www.cominghomemiddlesex.org/


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NJ 211 Partnership

Dial 211 or 877-652-1148

from any phone.

Website:www.nj211.org

Accessible 24 hours a day,

7 days a week

Middlesex County Board of

Social Services

Phone Number: 732-745-3500

or 1-800-SOCIAL2 (toll-free)

Website: middlesexcwa.newark.

rutgers.edu

Location: 181 How Lane,

New Brunswick, NJ

Office Hours: Monday to Friday,

8:30am to 4:15pm

Public Libraries and Engagement with Middlesex

County Homeless Services Directory

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Within Middlesex County, several

processes exist to provide assistance

to homeless individuals or families.

Coming Home is partnering with

public libraries to make sure that

homeless patrons are aware of, and

able to engage, these resources. Weknow that library staffhave many other

concerns and are not always able to

devote time to doing research to help

link patrons to these resources.

NJ 211 Partnership An information

and referral line for social services that

also serves as the Homeless Hotline.

Dial 211 or 877-652-1148

from any phone.

Website:www.nj211.org

Accessible 24 hours a day,

7 days a week

Need help? For information and

referrals, start here.is is a free and

confidential service that provides

information about all available

social services in New Jersey to all

individuals. It is a great resource for

connecting people to the appropriateplace to meet their needs. If someone

is homeless or at risk of homelessness,

calling this number will ensure that the

individual receives information about

homelessness prevention, domestic

violence protection, counseling,

shelters, and the like.

Middlesex County Board of Social

Services Intended for patrons who

are looking for mainstream financial

support services.

Phone Number: 732-745-3500 or

1-800-SOCIAL2 (toll-free)

Website: middlesexcwa.newark.

rutgers.edu

Location: 181 How Lane,

New Brunswick, NJ

Office Hours: Monday to Friday,

8:30am to 4:15pm

e Board of Social Services is

responsible for administering federal

and state public assistance programs.

is includes providing medical

coverage, support services, and cash

benefits to those with no income.ey

also provide shelter and shelter-related

services for qualifying homeless clients.

Some of their programs include:

Temporary Assistance for Needy

Families (TANF)

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance

Program (SNAP)

General Assistance (GA)

for individuals
http://www.cominghomemiddlesex.org/http://www.nj211.org/http://middlesexcwa.newark.rutgers.edu/http://middlesexcwa.newark.rutgers.edu/http://www.nj211.org/http://middlesexcwa.newark.rutgers.edu/http://middlesexcwa.newark.rutgers.edu/http://middlesexcwa.newark.rutgers.edu/http://middlesexcwa.newark.rutgers.edu/http://www.nj211.org/http://middlesexcwa.newark.rutgers.edu/http://middlesexcwa.newark.rutgers.edu/http://www.nj211.org/http://www.cominghomemiddlesex.org/


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Middlesex County One Stop Career

Centers Intended for patrons who

are interested in seeking employment

to end their cycle of homelessness.

Locations and Contact Information:

550 Jersey Avenue

New Brunswick, NJ

732-745-3955

161 New Brunswick Avenue

Perth Amboy, NJ

732-826-3200

Both are open 8:30am to 4:30pm,

Monday to Friday

Services are provided free to allresidents legally eligible to work in

the United States. Career counselors

assist with all job search needs to help

secure long-term employment.is

is a federally funded program that

combines local employment, training

assistance, and other employment-

related services into an easily accessible

center. Counselors also help consumers

connect to additional community

services to assist them during their

time of unemployment, so that they are

better able to focus on finding work.

M.C.F.O.O.D.S. Directory

Intended for patrons who lack access

to nutritious food.


Website:www.mciauth.com/mcfoods.

htm

M.C.F.O.O.D.S.helps ensure that an

adequate supply of nutritious foods

and necessities are readily available

to Middlesex County residents in

need. M.C.F.O.O.D.S. collects and

distributes nonperishable items at no

cost to over 80 local food pantries and

soup kitchens throughout the county.

It is a resource used to direct people to

an agency in their community that

can provide them with emergency

food assistance.

Middlesex County Office of Human

Services: Telephone Crisis Response

Lines Intended for patrons who are

looking for support and resources in

their community.

Mental Health Helpline:

877-294-4357. General mental

health information, referrals,

and support

NCADD of Middlesex (Addiction

Referral Services):732-254-3344.

Information on addiction servicesin Middlesex County and referrals

to addiction services

Addiction Hotline of NJ:

800-238-2333. Information and

referrals for addiction-related

services and programs statewide

Public Libraries and Engagement with Middlesex

County Homeless Services Directory

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Middlesex County One Stop

Career Centers

Locations and Contact

Information:

550 Jersey Avenue

New Brunswick, NJ

732-745-3955

161 New Brunswick Avenue

Perth Amboy, NJ

732-826-3200

Both are open 8:30am to

4:30pm, Monday to Friday

M.C.F.O.O.D.S. Directory


Website:www.mciauth.com/

mcfoods.htm
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Middlesex County Office of

Human Services: Telephone Crisis

Response Lines

Mental Health Helpline:

877-294-4357

NCADD of Middlesex

(Addiction Referral Services):732-254-3344

Addiction Hotline of NJ:

800-238-2333

Domestic Violence:

800-572-7233

Psychiatric Emergency/Suicide

(available 24/7): 732-235-5700

S 3Public Libraries and Engagement with Middlesex

County Homeless Services Directory Domestic Violence: 800-572-7233.

Information and referrals for

individuals and families experiencing

domestic violence

Psychiatric Emergency/Suicide

(available 24/7):732-235-5700.

For those in an extreme psychiatric

crisis or who are thinking of harming

themselves either they can call or

someone can call on their behalf

Working Together: Possibilities for

Effective Partnerships Coming

Home is interested in working together

with Public Library Directors to:

Clarify opportunities for stakeholder

engagement

Coordinate with HEART to connect

patrons to case management and

mainstream services

Provide training to library staffabout

the resources available and/or best

practices for engaging hard-to-serve

populations
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S 5National Success Stories of Support for Public

Libraries Assisting Homeless PatronsMany libraries are realizing the

benefits of partnering with community

organizations. Homelessness in

libraries was such an issue that in 1996,

members of the Social Responsibilities

Round Table (SRRT) of the American

Library Association formed theHunger, Homelessness & Poverty

Task Force to promote and implement

Policy 61 of the ALA Policy Manual,

which raises awareness of poverty issues

and maps out objectives of Library

Services to the poor.e Task Force

website highlights several examples of

effective partnerships between public

libraries and community organizations

in combating homelessness.

Salt Lake City

e Salt Lake City Public Library

System began a program in April 2012

that worked with Salt Lake County

Human Services, the Utah Department

of Workforce Services, and the Salt

Lake City Police Department.e

purpose was to direct appropriate

library patrons to social services,

such as homeless shelters, mental

health counseling or substance abuse

prevention programs. A core principleof this program was to make the services

available, but not force any patron to

take advantage of them.ree full-

time outreach workers from Volunteers

of America (VOA) came to the main

library and provided information,

counseling and transportation to service

providers for patrons in need. VOA

outreach workers also trained library

staffin de-escalation skills to minimize

conflicts with patrons.is program

was a way to help bring stability and

safety to a library system that was

overwhelmed with a large population

of homeless patrons.

San Francisco

In 2010, the San Francisco Public

Library hired a social worker in

response to the needs of their homeless

patrons.ey were the first library in

the nation to hire a full-time social

worker.

is individual provides referralsto social services for the chronically

homeless, mentally ill, and those

struggling with substance abuse who

frequent the library. More important, the

social worker is a resource for librarians

to consult when library patrons are

in need. Having a professional on

hand to assist with these issues allows

library staffto more effectively maintain

a safe and functional library, while

simultaneously meeting the challenges

of homeless patrons.

Any issue out there in society

always spills into public libraries

due to their nature as institutions.

Libraries by their nature are

welcoming and open to everyone,

as long as you behave.

Molly RaphaelPresident, American Library

Association

ALA tips and tools for library

services to the homeless:

CLICK HERE
http://www.ala.org/offices/sites/ala.org.offices/files/content/olos/toolkits/poorhomeless_FINAL.pdfhttp://www.ala.org/offices/sites/ala.org.offices/files/content/olos/toolkits/poorhomeless_FINAL.pdfhttp://www.ala.org/offices/sites/ala.org.offices/files/content/olos/toolkits/poorhomeless_FINAL.pdfhttp://www.ala.org/offices/sites/ala.org.offices/files/content/olos/toolkits/poorhomeless_FINAL.pdfhttp://www.ala.org/offices/sites/ala.org.offices/files/content/olos/toolkits/poorhomeless_FINAL.pdf


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coming home of middlesex county toolkit

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