REGINA
Moving Forward

So often in ICHF our volunteers find themselves giving selflessly of their time, money and talents without ever seeing the final outcome.  This can occasionally make them ask them selves why they continue to give.  Here is why; On Halloween weekend of 2000 ICHF received a call about a 46 year old mother of two girls ages 12 and 10.  She had been evicted, her belongings were thrown out on the street and she had nowhere to go.  She had lost her job, was deeply in debt and did not even have a way to get to shelter.

Needless to say, she found her way to us that night. For 6 months that mother worked on improving her life and the life she was trying to create for her children. She found first part time then full time employment, sought counseling, attended parenting, found a mentor, worked with consumer credit counseling, paid down her debt, received a car, and paid for insurance. 

Add to this the nurturing and guidance she provided her children as they went through one of life’s most difficult situations. By the end of the six months, her daughters had gone from crisis to honor role. She had found an apartment and moved into our Permanent Supportive Housing Program.

As you read this and smile, recognize your part in this success story. Without your donations, volunteer hours, host sites, prayers, and financial assistance, we would not have the social worker that helped this family. We would not have the beds they slept on, the roof over their heads, the food in their mouths, the van or the man who drives it. With out each of you they would not have found the tools they needed to fix their lives. Without you, Halloween 2000 would have truly been scary.

TAKI

On August 30, 2001 a husband and his wife were brought to ICHF seeking shelter.  They were 59 & 54 years old, Hungarian, and spoke no English.  They had been living in their car and when a co-worker found out she brought them to us.  As they went through the intake they openly wept and said that they could not believe there was such a place as ICHF and how blessed they were to find us.  Although we could only communicate with them through their co-worker we were able to provide them case management, advocacy, shelter and food.  With the financial assistance of co-workers, they were able to move into there own apartment on September 15, 2001. Your donations of time, money and supplies make these success stories possible.  Thank you for all you do.

CHARLES

On July 6, 2001 ICHF received a call about a family, a mother who was 39, a father who was 40, their son 10 and their daughter 8. Both parents were employed. The father worked nights so he could watch the children during the day; and the mother worked days, so she could watch the children at night. The family was renting a house and the house was foreclosed upon. The clients came home from work and were locked out. The bank that foreclosed on the property was not aware that there were tenants; they moved all the clients' belongings into storage. ICHF interceded with the storage company and was able get the storage fee waived and their belongings returned. The father had a dream. He had been studying for two years to take the test to become a truck driver but realized he would probably never be able to pay for truck driving school. ICHF was able to send the father to truck driving school for three weeks. The father graduated school and obtained his license to drive tractor-trailers and buses. It was wonderful to see his dream come true. ICHF also helped the family obtain before and after school care, receive Consumer Credit Counseling, find a mentor, receive help with car repairs, and lastly a home. The family relocated to transitional housing on 10/15/01. Without your donations of time and money, we would not have been able to help this family. Without your support there would be no ICHF .

JACKIE

She struggled with entering a shelter. Here she was a 37-year-old mother of 4 children ranging in ages from 15 to 6. She had already survived an apartment fire in Alabama. After the fire, she found the strength to move her family to Morristown, N.J., where she had family that could help. Once here, she found a waitress job but could not find a place she could afford and her family couldn’t let her stay any longer with them. So she arrived at ICHF ’s door, scared, confused and heartbroken. ICHF provided shelter, food, Halloween costumes, school supplies, parenting and case management. Then just 4 weeks later, she was able to move into transitional housing. Still, this is not the end of ICHF involvement. Thirteen months later, Transitional Housing called us and asked if we would be willing to again help this family. It seems that they had been unable to help the family find housing and she had lost her Section 8 housing certificate. Committed to long term self sufficiency, we of course, agreed. Within 3 months, we found an apartment, had her Section 8 certificate reinstated, and had the lease signed. As of Easter weekend, she and her family were HOME. It was a collaborative effort that used volunteers, community agencies and staff. We can make a profound difference when we work together.

ALICIA

September 1, of 2001 brought to ICHF a mom and her three children ages 11, 8 and 7.  This college graduate with a degree in communications she expected to be out of the shelter in a matter of weeks, but then the unthinkable happened, 9-11, and the economic climate changed.  Through hard work and determination she managed to find employment, enroll her children in school, help them make the honor  roll, and begin to save. She also sought counseling, attended parenting classes and met with a mentor weekly, all to improve the future of her family. ICHF staff and volunteers were able to help by providing shelter, food, parenting classes, a car, help with the first insurance payment, clothing, and case management.  Seven months after this college grad entered shelter, she began looking for housing. It was a difficult search to say the least, but in April of 2002, we were able to help her find a place to live. By May of 2002 she successfully moved into our Permanent Supportive Housing Program. Over the months many of you came to care for this family and gave them an abundance of support and comfort.  This continued when the time came for them to actually move out of the shelter.  With your help we were able to completely furnish their apartment and provide them with food. We would like to offer a special thanks to the volunteer Peter (from Church of the Redeemer) who drove the moving van.  Once again you made a difference.

JOY

June of 2001 provided the volunteers and staff of ICHF the opportunity to meet a mother [37] and father [44] and their two boys ages 11 and 10.  This family needed shelter, but was concerned about their children since both were borderline autistic and did not do well with change.  Even though Dad worked 6 days a week, it was not enough to lift them out of poverty. Through hard work and determination, this family quickly overcame every obstacle in their path.  They gained full-time employment, attended parenting classes, cleared her driver’s license, received NJ Family Care, had physicals, and saved.  ICHF staff and volunteers were able to provide a safe environment and loving atmosphere that allowed the children to flourish.  Along with food, case management, clothing and day camp, ICHF provided assistance that led to Transitional Housing. Now one year later, this family has asked to enter our Permanent Supportive Housing Program and we have been able to find them a PERMANENT place to live.  With your help, ICHF was able to furnish their new home and help with the initial set up.  If you ever doubt that the work you do is not enough or some how doesn’t have enough impact, just ask yourself whether or not this one family was important enough.  Thank you.

TERRY

In early September 2002, a single mother and her two year old son moved to the Morris County area from the “lone star state”, Texas. This single mother moved her family to Morris County hoping to stay with her parents until she could get herself settled and afford a place of  her own. Unfortunately, not long after moving in with family, it was obvious that the situation was not going to work out for either party. Now, the woman found her self in a position where she had moved to a new state where she did not know many people, and she had nowhere for her and her son to live. That is when this family came to ICHF for help.

On September 23, 2002, this family of two entered the ICHF program and started their journey toward a better life. This determined woman did not take long to begin working toward her goal of moving into permanent housing. She quickly found a part-time job once she entered the ICHF program. When she was not working at her part-time job she continued to search for a full-time job. After a lot of hard work, persistence, and patience, the client did find a full time position that would pay her enough money to allow her to move out of shelter. After careful planning and diligent saving, the family was ready to move to their own apartment. They found a cozy cottage apartment in northern Morris County that was close to her family and was a short commute to her new job.

This client’s story shows the success that an individual can achieve through the ICHF program when he or she stays focused on their goals. It is thanks to all of ICHF ’s staff, volunteers, and supporters that these types of success stories are possible.

CARMEN

In mid December of 2002, a single mother and her three sons came to ICHF in need of help. The family had been evicted from their home that they were sharing with the client’s brother. Upon being evicted from their home, the family found themselves in a desperate situation. This single mother, now with no roof over her and her children’s heads, needed to find a place to stay with her three children. As if finding affordable housing in the Morris County area wasn’t hard enough, this single mother had another disadvantage in finding a new home for her family; she did not speak English. The women, born in Puerto Rico, only spoke Spanish.

After realizing that she would not be able to find housing in the short period of time that this unfortunate circumstance had allotted her, the woman turned to ICHF for help. This mother of three entered the ICHF Program speaking absolutely no English; having her 13-year-old son translating for her. She was working part-time at a fast-food restaurant where she did not make enough money to support her three sons. While with ICHF , she decided to make a change in her life so that she could provide a brighter future for her children.

Knowing that she needed to make a change in her life in order to provide for her family, this determined client began taking English as a Second Language classes and devoting all her spare time to learning to speak English. While taking these classes, she continued to work part-time, as well as, searching for full-time employment. After a little more than four months, this client had obtained full-time employment; and through her English as a Second Language classes, she had made incredible advances in her ability to speak and understand English. Now instead of having her son translate for her, she was able to communicate on her own, which helped to get her family accepted into the Homeless Solutions Transitional Housing Program. The family moved into their Transitional Housing apartment in mid-April and they are doing great. This family worked hard to get where they are today and they are a prime example of the success that can be achieved through the ICHF program. It is important to recognize all the people that contribute to ICHF , and invest their time to helping get families like this one back on their feet. All of ICHF ’s volunteers play a crucial role in the ICHF program, and all their help and generosity is greatly appreciated by all of ICHF ’s clients and staff. 

BETTY

At the start of the 2003-year, a single mother and her 14-year-old son found themselves homeless after a devastating fire destroyed all they owned.  Her congregation, a member of the ICHF network referred her to our shelter where she began the process of rebuilding her life.  The mother searched diligently for work for a number of weeks and eventually found full-time employment in Morristown.  ICHF and its volunteers helped her with clothing, after school care and transportation while she immediately began to save her money and search for safe affordable housing. As if this wasn’t enough, she struggled to help her son fit in to his new school and the shelter.  With the concern of many volunteers her son eventually began to feel like he was safe, and accepted.  Yet he wanted a home of his own and couldn’t wait for his mom to make that happen. His wish came true soon enough; one of the transitional housing apartments the woman had applied for opened up and called to schedule an intake. Approximately one week after the call the family was moving into their own apartment, where the woman’s son could have his own room and there were plenty of other children his age.  Still, ICHF saw one more opportunity to help this family reach self-sufficiency.  The mom had terrible arthritis and walking to and from her job every day was not only exhausting but painful.  ICHF got this family a car and paid the fines to allow her to reinstate her license. This family’s story is just one of many that fill the chapters of ICHF ’s life. One mother out of many that did not give up when she was having a hard time finding work, when there seemed not to be any safe affordable housing, or when her son was having a hard time adjusting. One mother out of many that saw ICHF for what it is…  “A community response to a community need” You are that community and the families that come through the ICHF shelter program are able to rebuild their lives with dignity and self respect because you afford them that opportunity.

NILSA

On October 30, 2002, a family comprised of a mother, a father, and two young boys came to ICHF seeking help. The family was evicted from their apartment after the father sustained an injury that prevented him from working while in recovery. Prior to admission into the ICHF program, this family of four had been living out of their 1993 Chrysler Concord. The mother maintained two jobs in order to support the family due to the father's injuries. Despite this family's trying situation, the two boys continued to do well in school and the whole family kept a positive focus on their future. Then, after only one month of being in the ICHF program, the father decided to leave the program and simply disappeared from the shelter. This left just the mother to support the two young boys. This unfortunate incident was not going to get in the way of this determined mother to provide the very best for her children. She continued working at her two jobs, stuck to her weekly savings plan, and after only two months of receiving ICHF 's services and support, she and her two boys were able to find permanent housing in a 2-family house shared with her sister. This client's story is one of true hard work and success. It is important to recognize the hard work and dedication displayed by ICHF clients who overcome these types of hardships. However, it is also important that we recognize the countless hours of time volunteered, money donated, and effort invested that have helped make ICHF Council for Homeless Families a success story in itself. Without the help of the congregations who so willingly provide shelter to those in need; and the volunteers who dedicate their time to helping ICHF ’s clients, none of this would be possible.

Why people become homeless

Morris County is the third most expensive place to live in the United States  With rents so high and the cost of childcare, many people who never   thought they would be homeless are now experiencing homelessness for the first time. These are often families and children who move from friend to friend and back and forth. These families are the “hidden homeless”. We do not see them; they are not in the streets, the jails, or even in the “system”. Many of our families come from this environment after they have exhausted their welcome with family and friends. We work with these families to assist them in becoming who they were meant to be. They often have resources within themselves that come springing forth when given a chance.

Other families come from generations of poverty. These families have been in 2 or more generations of living in poverty without resources. The definition of poverty we work with is the "extent to which an individual does without resources” including financial, emotional, mental, physical, support systems and role models.

Interfaith works with many varied populations, including those from generations of poverty. We focus interventions innovatively and base them on where the family comes from and where they are, now. Many programs try to fit people into a mold; we throw out the mold and work creatively to solve problems. We use a real, concrete, easy to understand approach when working with our families. We work to re-shape thinking and arm families with knowledge of the hidden rules, so they can navigate the system and the middle class world. This is critical in making a difference, and helps stop the cycle of homelessness that so many families face.