The Asbury Park Press printed an editorial Jan. 16 that supports finding ways to resolve the homeless situation in Ocean County and takes the county to task for not moving to remedy the problem in a timely manner.
The editorial can be found at: http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011101160334
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Library offers free, professional classes online
Ocean County Library has subscribed to Universal Class for Libraries, an online educational service that offers more than 500 different classes covering topics that are of interest to everybody.
Classes range from fundraising, accounting, budgeting, Excel spreadsheets, Quicken, credit report and repair, nutrition, wellness, computer skills, writing, photography, painting, career coaching and training, conflict resolution, contract law, PowerPoint, job search skills, cooking, crafts and hobbies, social work and so many more.
The classes are free if you have an Ocean County Library card. (The library also has agreements with the Monmouth County Library and Burlington County Library. Contact OCL for information to enable you to access the classes.)
Access to Universal Class is available 24/7.
To explore Universal Class go to OCL’s Web page (www.theoceancountylibrary.org) and click on the Universal Class’s icon along the right hand side of the page. You will be able to examine the 500 classes that are offered and can register for any of them.
A person can register for up to five classes at a time and can add others once classes are completed.
Classes can be as few as six lessons long to more than 30 lessons and are taught by a real, live person who you may contact via E-mail. Lessons include required reading assignments and a test before one can move on to the next lesson. Class completion can stretch to as long as six months.
These are non-credit courses and are provided for your personal enrichment. These courses are not intended to be a substitute for any state, government, licensing, or educational requirements.
Any more questions? Contact the library at question@theoceancountylibrary.org or telephone the library reference department at (732) 349-6200 or (609) 971-0514.
(Hey, for a limited time only you can go directly to Universal Class by clicking on http://oceancountynj.universalclass.com/barcode-login.htm?enter+code )
OC Freeholder press release re. senior services
Jan. 13, 2011
SENIOR PROGRAMS READY FOR 2011
PROGRAMS RANGING from meals-on-wheels to caregivers services will continue to be provided by the Ocean County Department of Senior Services in 2011.
"Our seniors deserve these comprehensive and diverse services to ensure that they can enjoy the best possible quality of life," said Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari.
Services including outreach to the homebound elderly, volunteer friendly visitors, telephone reassurances, health screening and education are all included in the contracts scheduled to be approved by the Board during its January 19 meeting.
The 36 competitive contracts total more than $2.3 million.
The Meals-on-Wheels and Congregate meal programs are expected to deliver more than 317,600 meals to senior citizens in the New Year, Vicari said.
The nutrition program awards to Community Services, Inc. were approved earlier and the Kosher Home Delivered Meals are among the contracts up for approval on January 19.
"These meals are often a lifeline for the frail and disabled, bringing not only nutritional value but also social contact," Vicari said. "About 60% of home delivered meals clients are at high nutritional risk."
Other contracts include transportation, legal services, caregiver services, care management, benefits screening, chore services and a host of others.
"More than a quarter of Ocean County's population is over the age of 60, including more than 75,000 people aged 75 and older," Vicari said. "Providing beneficial programs and services for the older adult population continues to be a priority for the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders."
The Office of Senior Services serves as a clearinghouse, teaming up seniors with programs that can help make a difference in their daily lives, Vicari said.
The office will oversee a total of 52 contracts with 22 governmental and non-profit agencies in 2011 totaling over $5.3 million.
This year, 536,411 units of service will be provided to 35,379 persons.
Access to information and assistance is a major focus for the Office of Senior Services, said D. Jane Maloney, director of the Ocean County Office of Senior Services.
"Our seniors need to know they can come to us and we can match them up with the appropriate services," Maloney said. "Over 12,000 individuals called or visited us in 2010 and our Outreach sites plan to provide this assistance to over 18,000 individuals in 2011."
For further information regarding services call Office of Senior Services at 732-929-2091 or 1-800-668-4899.
PROGRAMS RANGING from meals-on-wheels to caregivers services will continue to be provided by the Ocean County Department of Senior Services in 2011.
"Our seniors deserve these comprehensive and diverse services to ensure that they can enjoy the best possible quality of life," said Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari.
Services including outreach to the homebound elderly, volunteer friendly visitors, telephone reassurances, health screening and education are all included in the contracts scheduled to be approved by the Board during its January 19 meeting.
The 36 competitive contracts total more than $2.3 million.
The Meals-on-Wheels and Congregate meal programs are expected to deliver more than 317,600 meals to senior citizens in the New Year, Vicari said.
The nutrition program awards to Community Services, Inc. were approved earlier and the Kosher Home Delivered Meals are among the contracts up for approval on January 19.
"These meals are often a lifeline for the frail and disabled, bringing not only nutritional value but also social contact," Vicari said. "About 60% of home delivered meals clients are at high nutritional risk."
Other contracts include transportation, legal services, caregiver services, care management, benefits screening, chore services and a host of others.
"More than a quarter of Ocean County's population is over the age of 60, including more than 75,000 people aged 75 and older," Vicari said. "Providing beneficial programs and services for the older adult population continues to be a priority for the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders."
The Office of Senior Services serves as a clearinghouse, teaming up seniors with programs that can help make a difference in their daily lives, Vicari said.
The office will oversee a total of 52 contracts with 22 governmental and non-profit agencies in 2011 totaling over $5.3 million.
This year, 536,411 units of service will be provided to 35,379 persons.
Access to information and assistance is a major focus for the Office of Senior Services, said D. Jane Maloney, director of the Ocean County Office of Senior Services.
"Our seniors need to know they can come to us and we can match them up with the appropriate services," Maloney said. "Over 12,000 individuals called or visited us in 2010 and our Outreach sites plan to provide this assistance to over 18,000 individuals in 2011."
For further information regarding services call Office of Senior Services at 732-929-2091 or 1-800-668-4899.
NAEH releases "The State of the Homeless in America"
The National Alliance to End Homelessness has published "The State of Homelessness in America," a comprehensive examination that not only reveals national and state level homeless counts, but also delves into economic indicators and demographic drivers – taking an in-depth look at risk factors for homelessness. These findings project a disquieting picture of what the lagging pace of the economic recovery could bring about: increases in homelessness and heightened risk of homelessness for more and more Americans.
As the new Congress and the Administration consider steps to revitalize the American economy with jobs, extension of benefits, and access to health care, it would be prudent to take note of these increased risk factors and incorporate homeless interventions into their recovery strategy.
To read more and to access the full report use this link:
Please share this report with all interested parties.
Richard W. Brown, Chief Executive Officer
Monarch Housing Associates
29 Alden Street, Suite 1B
Cranford, NJ 07016-2156
908-272-5363 ext. 225
908-382-6309 (Fax)
mailto:rbrown@monarchhousing.org
Monday, January 10, 2011
Service groups to host forum on the homeless
Kiwanis, Rotary clubs and others to host forum on the homeless
JACKSON - The Kiwanis Club of Jackson, along with the Central Ocean Rotary Club, the Shore Community Land Trust and several local church groups, will host a forum about Ocean County’s homeless Monday Jan. 31 at 6:30 p.m. at the Toms River branch of the Ocean County Library, 101 Washington St.
The forum will address the problem of the county’s homeless, discuss solutions, offer action plans and establish a network for future discussion and action.
The two-hour forum will provide an overview of homelessness in Ocean County. It will include presentations by people who currently are or have recently been homeless.
The forum will also examine successful strategies that have been implemented in other areas of the country and have achieved long-term solutions to individual and family homelessness. An interactive discussion will follow.
Building upon that discussion the forum will conclude with a presentation of action plans and the formation of a network of organizations and individuals to support actions that alleviate the needs of the homeless. Its goal is to involve community service organizations, churches, non-profit groups, local legislators, student groups, business leaders and others to achieve a lasting resolution to the problem of homelessness.
Prior to the forum several groups that work with the homeless will host tables to distribute information about their organizations, answer questions and present to the public opportunities to volunteer their assistance.
The forum is free and open to the public. For more information please contact Larry Meegan at larrym52@aol.com.
Bergen Record supports Homelessness Trust Fund
The Bergen Record, Jan. 6, 2011
FEES have a bad reputation, and deservedly so. From user fees on gift cards to "convenience" fees for movie tickets, forking over money for no apparent reason is exasperating.
One fee, however, is worth every penny, and we urge all New Jersey counties to adopt it.
The County Homelessness Trust Fund Act, which went into effect in 2009, allows participating counties to put a $3 surcharge on basic transactions like recording mortgages, deeds and other documents with the county clerk. The money is used for homeless services the county has deemed necessary, including rental assistance vouchers, mental health counseling and rehabbing affordable housing.
Counties do not have to participate, but they should. Eight are already, including Bergen, Passaic, Hudson and Union. Bergen County has raised $255,556 since Feb. 1, 2010, when it started the program. Passaic County has raised $121,110 since Jan. 1, 2010. All from a fee that costs less than a grande latte or a roast beef sandwich.
Before counties can charge the $3, they must develop a plan for how the money can reduce homelessness and the need for emergency care, hospitalization, foster care and other social services within their borders. It encourages officials to take a comprehensive look at county services and figure out the problems that need fixing. A good exercise.
It is astonishing that some counties are opting not to take part. The county administrator in Essex said the fee "could have a chilling effect on the housing market, which, for us, is very critical." The director of Morris County's Department of Human Services said, "The freeholders are concerned about adding additional charges, particularly to real estate transactions." A Sussex County freeholder said, "People want to give on their own … they don't want the government to force them to do it. Taxpayers have had it with all these fees."
These are flimsy excuses. We can imagine no scenario in which a couple decide not to buy the $400,000 home of their dreams because they will have to pay an additional $3 to register the deed. Compared with all the other closing costs, it isn't even a blip. Nor do we hold much truck with the thought that taxpayers will see an extra three bucks as big government digging into their pockets.
Homelessness costs society. We pay for it one way or another, whether through higher health insurance rates to cover emergency room visits or higher taxes to cover jail costs. And it isn't just financial. We pay for it through the lost potential of homeless children with uneven schooling, the lost production of homeless workers who have to skip work and the lost security of a once-healthy neighborhood whose residents have been kicked out by the banks.
In the face of all that, skip the latte and pay the fee.
FEES have a bad reputation, and deservedly so. From user fees on gift cards to "convenience" fees for movie tickets, forking over money for no apparent reason is exasperating.
One fee, however, is worth every penny, and we urge all New Jersey counties to adopt it.
The County Homelessness Trust Fund Act, which went into effect in 2009, allows participating counties to put a $3 surcharge on basic transactions like recording mortgages, deeds and other documents with the county clerk. The money is used for homeless services the county has deemed necessary, including rental assistance vouchers, mental health counseling and rehabbing affordable housing.
Counties do not have to participate, but they should. Eight are already, including Bergen, Passaic, Hudson and Union. Bergen County has raised $255,556 since Feb. 1, 2010, when it started the program. Passaic County has raised $121,110 since Jan. 1, 2010. All from a fee that costs less than a grande latte or a roast beef sandwich.
Before counties can charge the $3, they must develop a plan for how the money can reduce homelessness and the need for emergency care, hospitalization, foster care and other social services within their borders. It encourages officials to take a comprehensive look at county services and figure out the problems that need fixing. A good exercise.
It is astonishing that some counties are opting not to take part. The county administrator in Essex said the fee "could have a chilling effect on the housing market, which, for us, is very critical." The director of Morris County's Department of Human Services said, "The freeholders are concerned about adding additional charges, particularly to real estate transactions." A Sussex County freeholder said, "People want to give on their own … they don't want the government to force them to do it. Taxpayers have had it with all these fees."
These are flimsy excuses. We can imagine no scenario in which a couple decide not to buy the $400,000 home of their dreams because they will have to pay an additional $3 to register the deed. Compared with all the other closing costs, it isn't even a blip. Nor do we hold much truck with the thought that taxpayers will see an extra three bucks as big government digging into their pockets.
Homelessness costs society. We pay for it one way or another, whether through higher health insurance rates to cover emergency room visits or higher taxes to cover jail costs. And it isn't just financial. We pay for it through the lost potential of homeless children with uneven schooling, the lost production of homeless workers who have to skip work and the lost security of a once-healthy neighborhood whose residents have been kicked out by the banks.
In the face of all that, skip the latte and pay the fee.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Service groups to host forum on the homeless
JACKSON - The Kiwanis Club of Jackson, along with the Central Ocean Rotary Club, the Shore Community Land Trust and several local church groups, will host a forum about Ocean County’s homeless Monday Jan. 31 at 6:30 p.m. at the Toms River branch of the Ocean County Library, 101 Washington St.
The forum will address the problem of the county’s homeless, discuss solutions, offer action plans and establish a network for future discussion and action.
The two-hour forum will provide an overview of homelessness in Ocean County. It will include presentations by people who currently are or have recently been homeless.
The forum will also examine successful strategies that have been implemented in other areas of the country and have achieved long-term solutions to individual and family homelessness. An interactive discussion will follow.
Building upon that discussion the forum will conclude with a presentation of action plans and the formation of a network of organizations and individuals to support actions that alleviate the needs of the homeless. Its goal is to involve community service organizations, churches, non-profit groups, local legislators, student groups, business leaders and others to achieve a lasting resolution to the problem of homelessness.
Prior to the forum several groups that work with the homeless will host tables to distribute information about their organizations, answer questions and present to the public opportunities to volunteer their assistance.
The forum is free and open to the public. For more information please contact Larry Meegan at larrym52@aol.com.
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