Project Connect, Newark
Bridges’ Project Connect is located at
St. John’s Soup Kitchen in the epicenter
of Newark’s homeless population in the
Penn Station area of Newark.
1,722
1,288
45
219
New Clients
Employed
189
Temporarily Housed
IDs
Registered for Medicaid
50
Permanently Housed
At Project Connect we offer:
• Case Management
• Employment Opportunities and Training
• Housing Connections
sessions, business etiquette and dressing for success.
Financial literacy, housing and training for specific jobs are
also covered. Each session is designed to help the women
move further along the path to independence. The program
resulted in 12 women employed and has been so successful
that, through the generosity of the Hillsdale Fund, we have
expanded it to include men.
Newark ArtStart
Photography Project
Bridges learned about a program in Paris that gave digital
cameras to people experiencing homelessness so that
they could express their world through photography
and others might see their city through their eyes. The
Arts Council of Newark was immediately excited about
this idea and suggested that we partner with Akintola
Hanif, a photojournalist, filmmaker and editor of HYCIDE.
Together, Bridges and Akintola worked to engage homeless
people in the art of photography. For several months the
photographers toured Newark with Akintola and their
cameras, capturing the beauty, the pain and the spirit of
their city and their subjects. The program culminated with an
exhibit at the Aferro Gallery in Newark.
• NJ State IDs
• On-site Resource Center for medical and social
agencies to hold regular office hours.
Project Connect continues to grow and thrive. This year we
served 1,722 new clients, and secured 1,288 IDs. An ID is
the starting point for a new life; without one, a person isn’t
eligible for a job or benefits of any kind, including a shelter
bed. We found permanent housing for 50 people and
shelter for 189. Next year, Project Connect’s focus will be on
expanding the number of people enrolled in job training, and
helping clients secure jobs and housing.
Wise Woman Program
This pilot program, funded by the Reitman Foundation,
consists of five segments designed to help make our female
clients job-ready. Sessions include introductions to email
and resume writing, online job searches, interview practice
This page, clockwise from top: The large and enthusiastic crowd at the photography
gallery opening; a man happy to receive some food and necessities, talking about
goals and how to acheive them at Project Connect.
Opposite page: Above, the Founders’ Award recipients. Below, Hollywood Anderson
performs for the teens, and some of the conference attendees.