Community Hope - Our Organization

Our Organization

2010 ANNUAL REPORT OF HIGHLIGHTS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Community Hope constructed this four-bedroom residence with grant funding in June 2006 to expand our CHOICE Supported Housing Program.

In our Twenty-Fifth Year, Community Hope is today among the largest providers of transitional and supportive housing for individuals in recovery from mental illness and substance abuse in New Jersey.

Our nonprofit organization was founded in 1985, under the name Project Hope by mental health professionals and family members in response to the lack of therapeutic community settings for young adults recovering from serious mental illness.

Our mission is to create a brighter future for individuals recovering from mental illness and substance abuse by providing housing and services in a dignified, respectful, and person-centered way. In 2009, Community Hope was selected as the “Outstanding Provider” by the New Jersey Association of Mental Health Agencies (NJAMHA).

In 2009, Community Hope was selected as the “Outstanding Provider” by the New Jersey Association of Mental Health Agencies (NJAMHA).

Community Hope Expands Six-fold
Since 2001, Community Hope’s residential programs have expanded six-fold. Today, more than 300 individuals a day are benefiting from supported housing where our counselors empower individuals to continue their recovery from mental illness and rejoin the workforce, family and community life. With the “projects in our pipeline”, Community Hope could be serving as many as 450 individuals daily within two years. This expansion has been made possible in large part by private contributions and public grants exceeding $2 million in FY 2010.

Awarded Prestigious VA Secretary Honor for Serving Homeless Veterans
U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki presents Community Hope with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Service to Homeless Veteransat the 2010 National Forum on Homelessness Among Veterans in Washington, D.C.. The award was in recognition of our Hope for Veterans Transitional Housing Program.

Community Hope Named Outstanding Agency at 2010 Supportive Housing Conference
The Corporation for Supportive Housing of New Jersey and the Supportive Housing Association of New Jersey recognize Community Hope with the "Outstanding Agency Award".

Development of Valley Brook Village, the first Permanent Supportive Housing for Homeless Veterans in Northern New Jersey
In partnership with a private developer, we have been awarded conditional approval by the US Department of Veterans Affairs to develop permanent supportive housing for homeless veterans. Valley Brook Village will be built on vacant land on the Lyons VA campus near our Hope for Veterans Transitional Housing Program. The 90-unit veterans village will provide homeless veterans, those at-risk of homelessness as a result of post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury and physical disabilities incurred in combat with their own apartments plus on-campus services.

Development of Housing First Model for Homeless Veterans in Newark
We are in the process of furthering the continuum of housing for homeless veterans with the development of Veterans Early Transition Services (VETS) by developing a frontline approach offering immediate shelter and services to veterans living on the streets.

Services for Homeless Veterans Enhanced at Hope for Veterans Program
In response to the needs of veterans with more complex medical and behavioral healthcare issues, Community Hope began implementing enhanced case management services for veterans requiring medication monitoring and assistance with coordination of medical services. Now in its sixth year, the Hope for Veterans Program has served more than 430 homeless veterans.

New Supported Housing Residence Opens, Further Expansion Underway
Community Hope secured $550,000 in capital grants to develop a two-unit residence that opened this year. It is home to four individuals with mental illness, including those at-risk of hospitalization due to aging parents who can no longer care for them and individuals leaving the hospital. We are in the process of developing two more supported housing residences in Morris and Somerset Counties in 2011 with the help of $440,000 in capital funding awards. Grant support will help subsidize housing and provide such essentials as support services, furnishings and household items for the indigent residents.

Medically-Enhanced Supported Housing Model Planned
Community Hope is working on a medically-enhanced model for mental health consumers with complex medical issues such as diabetes, COPD and heart disease, which have precluded them from leaving the hospital. This innovative model will entail the renovation of a historic stone residence offered by a Morris County township to create 12 independent-living units with staff offices and common areas for residents to socialize.

Tenth Anniversary of CHAMP Program and Dedication of Partnership Program
Community Hope and our partner, CBH Care, celebrate the tenth anniversary of the CHAMP Program and the completion of the Partnership Program adjacent to Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital. In 2000, our agencies partnered to develop CHAMP as a pilot program aimed at helping Greystone patients who were ready for discharge but reluctant to leave the safety net of the hospital, where they had resided for many months – often many years. The pilot was successful in helping individuals take their first step back to community and family life and has expanded significantly with the development of three additional CHAMP residences and ten villas comprising the Partnership Program. The development of three additional CHAMP residences is slated to commence in 2011

Successful Gala Helps Sustain Quality Programs and Supports Continued Expansion
In October 2010, more than 400 supporters turned out for Community Hope’s fourteenth Annual Sparkle of Hope Dinner Auction. The agency’s largest event raised nearly $400,000, with 92 cents of every $1 supporting our residential recovery programs and projects under development to reach more individuals in need of transitional and supportive housing.

Health and Wellness Fair Draws Nearly 150; Opens to Public
Community Hope hosted its Fourth Annual Balance Your Wellness Health Fair, which was open to the general public for the first time, with 40 healthcare and wellness providers offering health screenings and information on a variety of topics, including nutrition and physical disabilities.