Community Hope - Our Organization

Our Organization

FISCAL YEAR 2012 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-Eighth 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.

Community Hope Expands Six-fold
Since 2001, Community Hope’s residential programs have expanded six-fold. Today, more than 340 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. This expansion has been made possible in large part by private contributions and public grants exceeding $2 million last year and nearly $3.5 million this fiscal year.

The 450 Campaign
Community Hope has launched The 450 Campaign to fund the projects in our pipeline which will enable us to serve as many as 450 individuals daily within two years.

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 Veterans at the National Forum on Homelessness Among Veterans in December 2010. The award cited our Hope for Veterans® Transitional Housing Program from among 500 other programs nationwide..

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 in December 2010.

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 62-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
Opened in July 2011, this program is a frontline approach to veterans living on the streets, offering immediate shelter and services to veterans.

The Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program
Launched on Veterans Day 2011, as a homeless prevention initiative, we help veteran families in distress as a result of PTSD and other military-service connected issues or facing hardships due to the economy with temporary financial assistance, case management services and healthcare.

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 over 600 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 creating new supported housing for as many as 24 additional indigent and disabled adults. We have responded to the demand for permanent, affordable housing linked to services by expanding our CHOICE Program, securing more than $1.5 million in capital funding within the past two years to develop six additional residences.

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.