Monmouth County Lunch Break and Family Promise Merge to Fight Homelessness in Our Community

Did you know that on average, in Monmouth County, there are 200 homeless children per day?

RED BANK, NJ – Solving the systemic problem of homelessness in Monmouth County has long been on Lunch Break’s radar. Community members without adequate housing requested help from the resource center for basic necessities, including shelter.

Having partnered in the past with Family Promise of Monmouth County, an Oceanport nonprofit that provides family services, assistance and temporary housing to those struggling with financial insecurity, Lunch Break has seen a opportunity to merge the two complementary organizations as a way to offer families and people in desperate situations a way out of the streets and a temporary place to feel at home.

As a result, the Social Service Resource Center at 121 Drs James Parker Blvd. is proud to welcome Family Promise to its network of programs.

In this collaborative effort, Lunch Break and Family Promise are coordinating resources to help local communities tackle the root causes of family homelessness. Through prevention services before families reach crisis, homeless shelters and case management, and stabilization programs once they have secured housing, Family Promise , under the aegis of Lunch Break, will ensure that families remain independent, enabling them to achieve economic stability.

“We knew it was a good time to bring the two organizations together,” said Lunch Break CEO Gwendolyn Love. “So many people we meet need to escape the heat and the cold; somewhere they can shower and sleep. They are alone and, often, forgotten in the street. It is heartbreaking.

“Lunch Break wants to restore the dignity of the members of our community, protect their well-being, so that they end up taking the next step towards self-sufficiency and building generational equity,” said Philip Antoon, president of the Board of Directors of Lunch Break. “The lunch break and the family promise are very much aligned in this mission.”

Love saw the opportunity to combine organizations as “quite sane”, as the two shared resources and clients, providing them with access to a range of food and clothing services, as well as advice on matters. financial and professional skills.

“Over the past two years, Family Promise has seen a dramatic increase in needs among the most vulnerable families in our community, coupled with a more difficult and complicated model of service. I am delighted to be part of this team of innovators who have identified an opportunity to serve our community more effectively and efficiently by reducing the duplication of services and sharing resources, ”said Jessica Stepanski, Chairman of the Board of administration of Family Promise. “Together we are better and stronger,” she added.

FPMC board member Mark Zill believes alignment with Lunch Break would ultimately provide a better network of resources for community members living at or below the poverty line. “This merger will allow the Family Promise program to focus on its core mission, serving many more families in need and expanding into critical areas of prevention and long-term stabilization.”

Lunch Break, in its 39th year, plans to expand its facilities to accommodate future growth in programs and services. The resource center launched a $ 12 million fundraising campaign in 2020 to increase the size of its footprint, adding 8,236 square feet to the original design of the 5,080-foot building, to accommodate a loading dock, warehouse larger, a community gathering space and a permanent home for its life skills center. The site plan, prepared by architects Kellenyi Johnson Wagner, received unanimous approval from the Red Bank Zoning Board in 2020. The resource center hopes to lead the way this year.

Family Promise was established 20 years ago as a local response to family housing and financial crises in County Monmouth. Today, it has more than 500 volunteers.

The organization has a proven track record of impacting the well-being of thousands of people. Families and those struggling to survive seek help from Family Promise to rebuild their lives through job training and ongoing support. The organization works with community agencies, faith-based services, churches and synagogues to provide support services, financial assistance, shelter and food.

“When you Google Family Promise, two sentences appear:“ A non-profit organization… providing emergency shelter, food and clothing to families with children who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. “But when my son and I lost our home and all our belongings during the pandemic, and were referred to Family Promise, we were given so much more than that. We were not only given shelter, food and clothing. , but also ongoing support and encouragement, “said FPMC client Magdalena.” We have met people who really care about us and go out of their way to help, just like the family does. ”

FPMC Program Director Lenore Gibson also sees the merger as a great victory for the community. “Getting a family stable and getting back on your feet is not easy. This involves networking several agencies to bring the services together. With Family Promise merging with Lunch Break, this will allow us to have more access to meals, clothing, financial literacy programs, food and many other programs.

In addition to the services provided by Family Promise, Lunch Break will continue to provide customers with meal and grocery service, clothing, life skills training, and ESL classes and mentoring sessions for them. adults and school-aged children, free of charge.

Lunch Break is a 501 © 3 registered nonprofit. The resource center provides free food, clothing, social services, companionship and life skills to those struggling with financial insecurity as a way towards well-being and self-sufficiency.

For updates, follow Lunch Break on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. For a virtual tour of Family Promise of Monmouth County

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