Community Hope, Homeless Solutions and Family Promise Receive Innovation Award for New Women Veterans Housing Program

On Thursday, April 28, Community Hope, Homeless Solutions, and Family Promise were presented with the Innovation Award from the Morris County Chamber of Commerce for the development of the Women Veterans Housing Program. This special program is designed to address the unique needs of women veterans transitioning to civilian life.

The Promising Solutions community, created for homeless and at-risk women by Homeless Solutions and Family Promise worked with Community Hope to identify how the specific needs of homeless veterans could be incorporated into the neighborhood located in Morris County. The result is a home dedicated exclusively to homeless women veterans that will provide permanent housing and specialized supportive services, understand the root-cause of the homeless of each individual veteran, and build the skills necessary to honorably rebuild their lives. There are several important, although sometimes subtle, differences between returning male and female veterans. The challenges include the type of counseling they require, understanding their responsibilities (such as taking care of a family), recognizing the difficulties many females endure during active duty such as harassment and military sexual trauma and facing the challenges or conflicts that may occur from living in bi-gender facilities during service.

This exciting program was launched in a four-bedroom home. The four women who will each occupy one of the bedrooms, are expected to begin moving in this month, and will now have the opportunity to live independently, honorably rebuilding and recasting their lives as civilians following their dedicated military service. This pilot program will become the benchmark for future permanent housing programs that focus on providing the support needed by women veterans and their families.

About Community Hope
Community Hope, a NJ non-profit organization, provides housing and support services to hundreds of veterans, veteran families, and people living with mental illness each year. Since 1985, our team of over 150 employees has provided clinical case management, housing (emergency, transitional, and affordable), and homeless prevention services enabling thousands to recover from mental illness, homelessness, substance use, and poverty.

About Homeless Solutions, Inc.:

Homeless Solutions’ philosophy is “A Hand Up, not a Handout” and they’ve been fulfilling their mission to provide shelter, housing and support services to homeless and working poor people since 1983. Their goal is to give those they serve the tools and surroundings needed to rebuild their lives and become self-sufficient. What differentiates HSI is the continuum of housing provided through their Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing Program (THP), Mt. Kemble Home, and Affordable Housing options. To learn more visit www.HomelessSolutions.org

About Family Promise:

With over 30 years of experience, Family Promise of Morris County continues to mobilize community resources and people to end the crisis of homelessness faced by Morris County families and individuals by providing a continuum of services leading to self-sufficiency. FP’s vision is to strengthen our community by transforming lives impacted by homelessness through hope, dignity and respect. FP provides programs to best meet the needs of our community and are categorized under three umbrellas: Shelter, Housing, and Outreach. To learn more visit www.familypromisemorris.org