CBJ seeks family shelter volunteers
Congregation B’nai Jacob in Jersey City will help shelter families in need by hosting the Family Promise of Hudson County, a nonprofit organization that shelters and aids Hudson County families in need. Groups feed and house families (not larger than 14 people) at night, for a week at a time. In the morning, Family Promise will pick up the families for showers and breakfast, the children will be sent to their schools, and the parents will receive training, counseling, and other resources they need to become self-sustaining.
If the families are not in homes of their own after the initial stay, one of the other congregations involved will shelter them for the next week while more work is done to get them on their feet. In addition to providing emergency sheltering, Family Promise offers case management and connection to resources. The goal is to help families find sustainable and successful housing solutions.
A volunteer training and information session is set for Monday, May 7, at 6 p.m., at the shul, 176 West Side Ave., in Jersey City. A common model is for volunteers to work in two shifts. The first group provides dinner, and the second stays overnight with the families. Even an hour or two of help is valuable.
Reservations are not required, but it would be helpful for the planners to know how many people to expect. For more information, email Jeff at jschrimmer@comcast.net or go to www.familypromisehudson.org.
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