The Connections Bridgewater Somerville Edition June 2025

SHOPPING, BEAUTY & EVENTS

PAGE 34

Sports card store offering baseball, basketball, football, hockey, soccer, pokemon cards, memorabilia, hobby wax, single cards, retail and supplies.

257 N. Main Street, Manville, NJ 08835 908-842-2400 Open Monday-Saturday (11am-6pm) Receive 10% off when you spend $50 Visit Our NEW Location:

COMMUNITY NEWS... Making a Meaningful Impact, One Family at a Time By Alyssa Martini, Executive Director H OME of Somerset County

ness through our Emergency Shelter Program. Our shelter program is supported by in terfaith congregations throughout Somerset County who provide the physical overnight

that we were able to meet the most basic needs for our families. Congregational support was unwavering. Liquid Church, for example, re vamped our welcome center with thoughtful and impeccable detail.

shelter and meals through a unique rotational shelter model. Our support pro grams include our Transi tional Living Facility (Sun rise House), Transitional Support Program (Phase 2), Housing Stabilization Com munity Outreach Services (Neighbors in Need), and bilingual case management services (Bound Brook Fam ilies for Success). We also offer direct mental health

With a strong focus on our fu ture, HOME’s capital campaign, Project HOMEBase, aims to purchase a more adequate of fice space and welcome center for our expanding services. Our mission continues to bring out the best in our community as we cruise through 2025. How can you help? There are so many ways! Volunteering for HOME is empowering, as di rect actions make large impacts.

OME of Somerset County (former ly Interfaith Hospitality Network of Somerset County) is a private, non-profit agency serv ing at-risk families who are homeless or hous ing-unstable. Through a large network of inter faith congregations and community volunteers,

to be innovative. Using the foundation of our emergency shelter, our network has grown in community engagement to ensure we meet the individual needs of those we serve. We are not a one-size-fits-all approach; our families heal, cope, and grow at a pace that is sustainable for them.

support for both children and adults through our Sound Minds Program. All our programs are based on client empowerment through an individual approach, while highlighting the importance of human dignity and involving community action. Our services are impactful, with 90% of fam ilies maintaining housing over the past 5 years. In 2024, HOME served 58 families throughout all our initiatives. Thirty-seven congregations participated in our network, with over 1,000 volunteers contributing time and talents. We provided 1,152 nights of shelter and supplied over 10,400 meals. Our community partner ships with agencies such as Share My Meals and the Somerset County Food Bank ensured

Whether it is providing a home-cooked meal, volunteering for a shift at a host congregation, or encouraging your own congregation or community group to become involved, no ef fort is too small. To learn more about how to become involved, we invite you to contact us (908) 704-1920 or visit our website www.homescnj.org.

HOME provides a holistic approach to homelessness through program initiatives aimed at housing stabiliza tion. Founded in 1992, HOME’s approach centers around com munity action to address the crisis of homelessness. Volun teers have remained the back bone of the agency, providing

Our programs are focused on providing intensive case man agement, financial case man agement, mental health sup port, food security, and basic needs assistance. Recognizing that households require addi tional services for lasting hous ing independence, HOME’s expanding continuum of care ensures that families can build

shelter, meals, financial support, and resources. One of HOME’s greatest strengths is our ability

healthier foundations to support sustainability. We address the immediate crisis of homeless

theconnectionsnj.com