Homeless
Solutions, Inc.
Board of Trustees
2010 - 2011
Evangeline W. Tross,
Chair
Lillian Fortunato Geswelli,
Vice Chair
Dr. Elizabeth S. Hall,
President
Sarah Canberg
Arthur B. Corwin
Karen A. Grexa
Elisabeth Hughes MacDonald
Grant V.S. Parr, MD
Kevin R. Wood
Advisory Board
John Duffy,
Chair
Andrew K. Boszhardt, Jr.
Hans Dekker
Anne Delaney
John de Neufville
Gates Helms Hawn
Paige & Nicky L'Hommedieu
Jim Lynch
Nelson Schaenen, Jr.
J. Peter Simon
Robert Vogel
Alumni Board
Candace Weeks,
Chair
Jim Biello
Craig Dodd
John Duffy
Bill Johnston
Virginia Moriarty
Peter Muratore
Phil Van Kirk
Corporate
Advisory Board
Allyson Daly
Bayer Corporation
Victoria Hughes
Morristown Medical Center
Edward Melee
The Louis Berger Group
Amanda Muzzarelli
State Farm Insurance
Ken Nickel
Valley National Bank
Rob Peluso
Capital One Bank
Wanda Sims
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
Patti Smith
Saint Clare's Hospital
Raline Smith-Reid
Morristown Town Council
Lynn Turner
Atlantic Health
Elaine Vincent
FirstEnergy
Michael Whiting
Johnson & Johnson
Mae Williams
UPS
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In
1983, religious and business leaders looked out from their buildings and
saw people who had no home. They decided that in their community all people
should have shelter from the cold and food for the day. In May of 1983
Morris Shelter, Inc. was created as a private, not-for-profit, tax-exempt
organization.
Our
Beginning
In the beginning,
Morris Shelter, Inc. provided beds and meals to men in the Manse of the
Presbyterian Church in Morristown. The Morris County Freeholders’
Homeless Steering Committee had been asked to address the situation of
homeless people in Morris County. The committee's study led to the Freeholders
approving the establishment on county property of an Emergency Shelter.
Morris Shelter, Inc. opened a shelter at the “old" Morris View
Nursing Home facility on West Hanover Avenue in Morris Township in 1985.
At the time, a 10-year lease was signed between Morris Shelter, Inc. and
Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders for the use of the first floor
of Building II.
Morris
Shelter, Inc. had a successful capital campaign to renovate the building,
raising $385,000 from individuals, businesses and foundations. Morris
Shelter opened its doors at the new site in March of 1987, and with
the help of volunteers and staff the shelter was able to provide 45 shelter
beds, meals, clothing and supportive services for men, women, and children.
Expansion
In 1994, the Family Shelter Program was expanded to the
second floor of the shelter after the space was renovated. When the program
began, a Head Start Childcare Program and counseling services were added.
Beginning in 1995, educational services through the GED/Adult Basic course
and a Life Skills Course were offered on site.
The
Safe Haven Program
In 1995, the Safe
Haven Program was started to serve the mentally ill homeless who were
living on the streets. This program continues to be a joint effort with
the Mental Health Association of Morris Country. Referral services to
other agencies in the county are provided through case management.
Family
Transitional Housing Program
In 1996 the Family
Transitional Housing facility was completed and is now serving ten families.
Case management services and referral services are offered to the residents
in the Transitional Housing Program so employment and income goals are
met, life skills are acquired, and savings goals for placement into independent
housing are achieved.
New
Vision and a New Name
As the nineties
progressed, the lack of affordable housing emerged as a critical gap in
service to the working poor. Families ready to leave the Shelter
weren’t able to find low-income apartments, thus prolonging their
stay and limiting access to other families needing shelter. In 1999,
to address the lack of low-income housing, the Shelter expanded our mission
to include the development of affordable housing for working poor families.
This
new vision led to our new name, Homeless Solutions, Inc. Homeless
Solutions has strengthened its commitment to completing the continuum
of care for the homeless from shelter to independent housing. Our
goal, through Headquarters Development, a separate HSI, is to increase
the supply of affordable housing through construction, renovation and
advocacy for low- and moderate-income people.
Jean
Street Apartments
Our first housing development project, the Jean Street
Apartments, 15 units of low-income rentals, were completed in the spring
of 2004. The Apartments are "service enriched," offering social
work support to tenant families.
Click here for more about
the Jean Street Apartments...
2000
and Beyond
Today, Homeless Solutions, Inc. provides shelter for
25 homeless men, 10 homeless women, 19 families and 20 Safe Haven guests.
Our guests receive services including case management, transportation
to work and necessary appointments, money management and employment assistance,
housing search assistance and daily living skills training. Referral services
for counseling, substance abuse intervention, and prevention are also
provided.
Homeless
Solutions, Inc. employs 46 staff, 33 full time and 13 part time. Homeless
Solutions, Inc. is governed by a Board of Trustees and is incorporated
as a non-profit organization in the State of New Jersey. |