Among the supporters recognized at the gathering were 180’s closest community partners including: Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, Faith and James Knight Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. William Luby, Mr. & Mrs. Philip D. Murphy, New Jersey Natural Gas, Dr. Robert and Joan Rechnitz and Verizon. With gratitude to these lead supporters and many others, 180 expressed appreciation to the donors whose generosity made possible the facility which is set to accept its first families later this month.

Pictured at the donor recognition event for the new 180 safe house are (from left to right) 180 Executive Director Anna Diaz-White with Lead Donors Cheryl Bliss, Fran Lobl, and Lisa Knight with the Faith & James Knight Foundation; Martha Delehanty and Andrew Testa from Verizon; Dorothea Bongiovi from the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation; and Kathy Ellis from New Jersey Natural Gas.

The new safe house will accommodate twice as many families as the current facility so that more individuals and families from Monmouth County can be served. More than 400 families were turned away over the past five years because the capacity of the existing shelter couldn’t meet the community’s needs. Monmouth County continues to rank among the highest county in the state for police-reported domestic violence incidents. In New Jersey, an act of domestic violence happens every 7.29 minutes, and it is the largest cause of homelessness in the United States. The new shelter will be able to house 45 clients and children at one time, up from 25 at its current location.

180 Executive Director Anna Diaz-White lauded the work of Capital Campaign Chair Eileen O’Hern Luby, who passed the compliments to her entire committee. “This committee was instrumental in raising the money for this safe house” said Luby. “Our current shelter is safe and clean, but our new one is a real home. Ten years ago, (former Board of Trustee President) Phil Murphy said, ‘We can do better.’ And we have done better. We have done our job.”

“These families who will stay here deserve this new place to call home. They have gone through something horrific,” said 180 Board of Trustee President, Danielle Sherwood. “I am proud to be part of this agency that helps people during a really difficult time.”

“My staff and I do our jobs, but all of you at 180 motivated us to go above and beyond,” said Senator Joseph Kyrillos. “Congratulations to the 180 board and staff, and the greater community for coming together to create a great model for the rest of the state. You have done a tremendous community service.”

The reception honored the generosity of donors, the hard work of the architects and builders, and the dedication of the 180 Board of Trustees, employees and volunteers whose vision and determination brought this project to fruition. Ground was broken and construction of a new safe house began in November of 2014. The house features 12 individual family bedroom suites with private baths, communal kitchen, dining and living areas, laundry facilities, a teen “rec” room, two creative arts therapy studios, counseling rooms, a computer/library resource room, individual storage units for each family, outdoor playground and garden.

Late last year, two major fundraisers also helped contribute to the success of the safe house construction. The October premier classic motorcar show, Concours d’Elegance, led by Jeff Cruz of Rumson; followed by December’s “Hope 8 Concert” at the Count Basie Theater, hosted by Bobby Bandiera, both provided significant funding for the organization. While the safe house construction is now complete, additional funds are needed to finish furnishing the building, as well as to provide needed counseling, therapy, transportation, court assistance and other vital services that survivor families need to begin anew. 180’s upcoming 40th Anniversary Celebration, set for April 15, will help to raise funds to supplement the operational costs of the safe house and other vital 180 programs. For more information about making a tax-deductible contribution to 180 or to attend the fundraising event in April, contact Lynn Lucarelli, Director of Development, at lynnl@180nj.org.

Story was written by 180 Turning Lives Around

NJ State statutes state that “Information which may identify the location of a shelter for victims of domestic violence shall not be deemed to be a public record.”

Story by Sandra Brands, Rockdale News

Transitional housing for homeless women and children to add 8 apartments

The grant from the New Jersey-based charity will be used, in part, to help the Rockdale County transitional housing project garner more community support. Phoenix Pass will need to raise an additional $40,000 from the community to partially match the Foundation’s grant and complete its capital campaign.

“Jon Bon Jovi Foundation really tries to help families in economic stress,” said Marcie Howington, Executive Director of the transitional housing program. “They have been overwhelming with their support and they’ve been very happy with the program we’ve had with our first set of apartments.

Located on the Light House Village campus at 541 Sigman Road, Phoenix Pass is a partnership between First Baptist Church of Conyers and Rockdale Emergency Relief, a non-profit organization supported by United Way in Rockdale. During construction, HomeAid Atlanta, will partner with Phoenix Pass by providing donations of providing donations of professional construction services.

The apartments provide transitional housing for families in crisis, offering independent living and preparing them to be self-sufficient. In addition to providing stable housing, the program provides services and resources to help families rebuild their lives. The families are then expected to transition back into the community as productive and self-sufficient citizens.

“We’re trying to break the cycle of homelessness,” Howington said. “Some of these families may have been homeless most of their lives. Other families may have [experienced] traumatic events. They may have been homeowners, are educated and used to living on their own. To put them in a dorm-like room would be even more traumatic.”

The apartments, she said, gives them something to be proud of, and it gives them hope for the future.

It’s not the first time the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation has given to Phoenix Pass, which is the only project in Georgia it funds. In 2010, during the first phase of construction, the foundation donated $60,000 to the project. Since then, the Conyers-based project has kept in contact with the foundation, sharing success stories about the families that have graduated from the program and sending Christmas cards, said Howington.

Mimi Box, Executive Director of the Philadelphia based nonprofit, said Conyers stood out for several reasons, including the strong partnership between the Phoenix Pass project and Rockdale Emergency Relief that would “enable the program to focus on the needs of the families who would be in residence. Support that empowers individuals to rebuild a productive, self-sufficient lifestyle is an important component of any build we do.

“The need to address the issues of the chronically homelessness as identified by the county school system was so compelling, we had to act,” she said. “So when they were ready with Phase II of this project, we, too, were ready to respond – again with the ‘gap’ funding that would be needed to move the project forward.” Box said.

Originally, the second phase of the Phoenix Pass project was to break ground in January of this year, but “we wanted to wait until the weather was more temperate [to begin construction],” Howington said.

They also wanted to have at least 75 percent of the $600,000 capital campaign raised before breaking ground, she said. “Getting the $60,000 puts us so close to our goal. Once we raise the $40,000 [from the community], we will be able to move forward debt free. We hope to have the construction completed this fall, with families moved in by the end of the year.”

The non-profit has raised more than $500,000 since July. “We’ve been really blessed with support from individuals to corporations and businesses,” said Howington.

The new units will double the size of the existing program, making it possible to serve eight additional families of single women and their children. The $600,000 construction project will add six two bedroom and two three bedroom apartments, as well as a classroom, a bigger laundry facility and office space. Two of the apartments will be made available to women veterans with children. Referrals will be done through United Way of Greater Atlanta.

The expansion of the transitional housing program is needed, she said. Recently, an apartment became available and there were 85 applicants. “It was overwhelming for us, and disheartening to applicants,” she said. “People are shocked to learn there are over 400 kids who are identified as homeless. There are [others] who sleep in cars or who couch surf week-to-week, and they may not be included in that number.”

Once the buildings are completed, Howington said, Phoenix Pass will need volunteer help to prepare and furnish the apartments.

For more information or to donate online, go to phoenixpass.org.

To read the original story on Rockdale News, visit rockdalenews.com.