Photo by Allison Perrine
RED BANK — The homeless population is growing in Monmouth and Ocean counties, not only for adults but for children as well. That’s why HABcore recently broke ground on a project to support more families in need.
There are over 60 families with a combined 100 children residing in HABcore facilities, according to executive director Steve Heisman. To address it, the Red Bank-based non-profit is building onto a 100-year-old duplex on River Street that it has owned since 1992.
The structure currently includes four units but within the year it will add four more units. The addition will be ADA-accessible and will provide housing for homeless veterans, families and individuals. Residents can stay as long as they need until they get back on their feet.
“We’ve had one resident in a boarding home for 31 years,” said Kathleen Mullarkey, HABcore board president. “Homelessness is a very serious problem in Monmouth and Ocean counties.” Once construction for the addition begins, it will take 245 days or less to be completed, she said.
Not only will the organization provide its tenants with a home, but it will also concentrate on the family unit as a whole. That means working on relationship skills, improving children’s performances in schools and increasing parents’ income levels. “Not just kind of giving a roof over their heads, but giving them the support that they need to flourish as a family,” Heisman said.
The expansion is being funded by community donors New Jersey Natural Gas, the Lydia Collins deForest Charitable Trust, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs’ National Housing Trust and the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation (JBJSF), which donated $100,000 to the project.
Heather Goldfarb, executive director of JBJ Soul Foundation, said she met with Steve Heisman and HABcore director of development Marta Quinn in 2018 to discuss the project. Since the house on River Street is within walking distance of the JBJ Soul Kitchen and the Warming Center that it funds, she said it was a great opportunity to help out in the community. “It really just struck us,” she said of the project proposal. “And it’s a need in the community and we’re more than happy to step in and help in any way we can.”
At a groundbreaking ceremony at the site Nov. 15, Heisman said, “It’s wonderful to have a town that is willing to embrace this sort of project and understands that there’s a wide range of people who live in the town. Some are less fortunate than others, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a home.”
“We work in a lot of different municipalities and Red Bank is, in my opinion, the most progressive and understanding municipality that we’ve dealt with,” he added.
The ceremony was attended by municipal, county and state officials, HABcore representatives and volunteers from Tinton Falls-based Park Church, who cleaned up the yard so the expansion work could be possible. According to volunteer Brian Lootsma, that included trash pickup, power washing, painting, pruning and “just things to really help with the appearance of the property,” he said.
“One of the things that’s most attractive to me about working with HABcore is that it’s not just providing homes, but giving dignity back to people who probably have lost some of it,” said Park Church Rev. Matt Agresti. “As a church, you can’t do everything, but there are organizations like this that are doing great work that we totally believe in. We want to be able to help them do good work.”
“All communities should look at the Red Bank example and not fear addressing the homeless issue,” said Red Bank Mayor Pasquale Menna at the groundbreaking ceremony. “It transitions people into better lives.”
Sen. Vin Gopal presented a proclamation on behalf of the state Senate and General Assembly to HABcore for their efforts. “Since 1988 you’ve provided hope and dignity for the homeless and for the capacity to promote self-sufficiency, and this project here today is just one additional piece to that,” he said.
HABcore residents represent a formerly homeless population of very-low- income families, veterans and individuals with special needs, according to the organization. It was founded in 1988 after three homeless men froze to death in Red Bank during a harsh winter season. It was named in honor of those three men, whose names began with the letters H, A and B. The organization has since helped previously homeless persons in congregate and independent living settings.
