IN OUR COMMUNITY
“Homelessness has a terrible effect on the mental and even physical health of
children. They withdraw socially and emotionally; their schoolwork suffers.”
EMMA JUSTICE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, IHN
such a word can be used in connection
with homelessness. They have successfully completed a seven-page application and gone through an intensive
screening process to make sure that
they have no abuse or addiction issues.
Even if a family meets all of the
IHN requirements, Stine says, “We
get more applicants than we can
house, so sadly, we have to turn a
lot of people away. In an economic
downturn, more people lose their
jobs. If they fall behind on their rent,
they will then lose their apartment,
and affordable housing is a huge
problem in Essex County.”
The problem is compounded by a
steady reduction in government funding for comprehensive programs like
IHN’s. Glassman notes, “There has
been a shift in government funding to
rapid re-housing, which means that a
homeless family will be moved into
an apartment right away and given
money to cover the rent for a month
or two. This is not necessarily a bad
thing; in fact, it is a part of what we
do. Without a new job, though, the
family is at risk of becoming homeless again. That’s why we focus on
education and job training.”
As daunting as the issue of homelessness is, there are also a number of
success stories. Glassman recalls a
client family that spoke at the annual
IHN fundraising breakfast last year:
“Both parents had lost their jobs and
were literally considering getting
divorced to have access to more government services. We worked with
them, and they ultimately got jobs
and an apartment without breaking
up their family. And that is what
IHN is all about.” ■
The Interfaith Hospitality Network
welcomes additional volunteers; for
information on becoming involved,
visit www.ihnessexnj.org or call
973-746-1400.
HOLIDAY 2016
MILLBURN • SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE
17