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Freeholder
Liaison: Blanquita
B. Valenti
Executive Director: Thomas
M. Seilheimer
CONTINUUM OF CARE COMMITTEE SEEKS APPPLICANTS FOR 2010 HUD FUNDING FOR HOMELESS PROGRAMS
The Middlesex County Housing Continuum of Care Committee is seeking applicants for 2010 Continuum of Care funds for homeless programs through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
All renewal programs and new applicants interested in this funding are invited to attend a meeting on April 8, 2010, at 9:30 a.m., at the Middlesex County Board of Social Services, 3rd floor conference room, 181 How Lane, in New Brunswick.
Applicants must submit their agency information at the meeting, including a program description, budget, and a description of how the program complements the Middlesex County Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness.
To be eligible for the grant funds, applicants are required to have attended 80% of the Continuum of Care Committee meetings in the past year. Meetings are held at the Board of Social Services on the first Thursday of every month.
To help local programs meet the needs of homeless people, HUD offers these funds annually through a competitive process. Examples of program descriptions, ranging from permanent and transitional housing for individuals and families to street outreach, are available at: http://www.hudhre.info.
For a copy of the Middlesex County Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness, and for additional information, contact Harriet Slonim, Middlesex County Human Services Planner, at: harriet.slonim@co.middlesex.nj.us or 732-745-4041.
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URGENT REQUEST FOR ITEMS FOR
UNITED STATES MILITARY PERSONNEL
When wounded service personnel arrive from the field for medical procedures, often times their uniforms are stripped away or destroyed by invasive procedures, i.e., insertion of tubes, cleaning of burns, wounds, etc. |
Consequently, personal hygiene items are in short supply. As part of our ongoing personal items drive for deployed troops, the Middlesex County Veterans Advisory Council is requesting donations, which can be dropped off at the receptacle located in the Department of Human Services on the fifth floor in the Middlesex County Administration building. All items will be delivered to McGuire Airforce Base where they will be issued to troops operating in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The PROJECT WOUNDED WARRIOR Donations Coordinator at McGuire Airforce Base has issued an urgent request for the following items:
Men’s underwear & tee-shirts, all sizes
Women’s undergarments & sports bras, all sizes
Bath Towels
Toothbrushes
Toothpaste, Sensitive Toothpaste
Bars of Soap
Sani-wipes
Hand Sanitizer – for Active Duty operations in Haiti
Bug Spray - for Active Duty operations in Haiti
Hard Candy - for Active Duty operations in Haiti
For more information, please contact
Doug Breen, Veterans Services Coordinator, at 732-745-4051.
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DRIVING FORCES BEHIND ADULT SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROGRAM HONORED BY NEW JERSEY SENATE
On December 10, 2009, Judge Barnett Hoffman, and Ed Mann, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), were honored and awarded a proclamation on the floor of the New Jersey Senate for their efforts in developing the Adult Substance Abuse Program (ASAP) for addicted incarcerated individuals in Middlesex County.
Pictured are the honorees, along with friends, board members, and staff representing UMDNJ and the Middlesex County Department of Human Services, Division of Addiction Services, including Addictions Services Planner, Roger Keaton. Freeholder Millie Scott, liaison to the Department of Law & Public Safety, also attended.
In the audience, and a strong backer of ASAP was Senator Raymond Lesniak, Union County, as well as Senators Barbara Buono and Joseph Vitale of Middlesex County.
Freeholder Blanquita B. Valenti, liaison to the Middlesex County Department of Human Services, also has been a committed advocate for ASAP. “The Adult Substance Abuse Program is a critical piece in the tapestry of services that helps incarcerated individuals to become productive members of our community,” she stated. “I fully support and applaud this initiative.”
The Middlesex County Department of Law & Public Safety and the Middlesex County Department of Human Services co-sponsor ASAP at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center. |
NATIONAL RECOVERY MONTH CELEBRATED AT BOARD OF CHOSEN FREEHOLDERS MEETING
The Middlesex County Local Advisory Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (LACADA) made its second Annual Presentation to commemorate National Recovery Month, on November 23, 2009, at The Board of Chosen Freeholders meeting in New Brunswick. The Board recognizes National Recovery Month every year with a public ceremony awarding plaques to the agency and individuals who have shown exemplary work in the field of addictions recovery. These presentations are made to remind us of the importance of recovery to society, in general, but in particular to the people completing their programs and their families. This program also recognizes the agencies that work with our clients to aid them in becoming productive citizens once again.
Jim Foy, of the New Hope Foundation’s “Open Door,” is shown accepting his individual honor. The other individual award recipient was George Berry of New Brunswick. The agency award recipient was the New Hope Foundation of Marlboro, New Jersey.
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DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES HOLDS VETERANS FORUM IN SOUTH BRUNSWICK
 
On October 3, 2009, the Middlesex County Veterans Advisory Council (MCVAC), a component program of the Middlesex County Department of Human Services, co-sponsored with the South Brunswick chapter of Aging in Place, a two-hour Veterans Health Forum, at the South Brunswick Senior Center. More than 120 participants attended, along with 10 speakers and over 40 vendors and agencies. The agencies included the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration, the Middlesex County Office on Aging, the Middlesex County Office for the Disabled, the Middlesex County Clerk’s Office, the Disabled American Veterans, the Loving Care Agency, and Buckingham Place.
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HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT STAFF REACHES OUT
On the morning of Wednesday, October 28th, a band of stalwart Department of Human Services staffers braved the pouring rain to volunteer at Elijah’s Promise, the New Brunswick soup kitchen; M.C.F.O.O.D.S., the Middlesex County food pantry; The Clothesline, housed at the Puerto Rican Action Board, where donated clothes are stored for homeless individuals and other people in need; and the Better World Café, an innovative venture at the Reformed Church in Highland Park, which serves meals, and charges according to a customer’s ability to pay.
The DHS staff started the day with breakfast and an orientation at Elijah’s Promise and then divided into teams to work at the four sites. Approximately 15 stayed at Elijah’s Promise to assist in re-stocking shelves, setting up the dining room and preparing lunch for nearly 200 consumers. A half dozen staff members relocated to each of the three other sites, respectively, where they sorted, sized and organized donated clothing on racks; sorted copious amounts of canned provisions that had been delivered that day from a food collection drive in Monroe; and prepared table settings, accomplished food preparation, and served clients. After the completion of the day’s events, the DHS staff reconvened at Elijah’s Promise where Freeholder Blanquita B. Valenti joined everyone for a late afternoon lunch, and a review of the group activities.
This cooperative Day of Service brought the staff together in alternative workday settings, where they engaged with co-workers from different divisions, providing an opportunity for bonding. Equally important, the staff was able to observe first-hand the delivery of human services to consumers. In essence, they were able to observe the fruits of their daily work to facilitate social services that contribute to improving the lives of County residents in need. Special thanks to Jennifer Apostle of M.C.F.O.O.D.S. and Rev. Lisanne Finston, Executive Director of Elijah’s Promise, who assisted in arranging this very worthwhile day of service.
  
 
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TREATING TOBACCO DEPENDENCE IN MENTAL HEALTH SETTINGS: A CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION TRAINING
Training on March 12 & 13, 2010: the UMDNJ Department of Psychiatry presents a two-day Continuing Medical Education training conference for psychiatrists, psychiatric advanced practice nurses and other mental health professionals on Treating Tobacco Dependence in Mental Health Settings.
In mental health services, tobacco dependence is still frequently overlooked or minimized, and continues to contribute to unacceptable morbidity and mortality rates. In the United States, almost half (44.3%) of all tobacco consumed is by people who have a current mental illness.
The Middlesex County Division of Behavioral Health & Children’s Services has partnered tobacco cessation programs with the UMDNJ Department of Psychiatry through the Professional Advisory Committee, to bring this vital information to our mental health community.
GOALS
- Define the knowledge and skills necessary for assessment and treatment of smokers with mental illness Identify the behavioral and pharmacologic treatments for smokers with mental illness, including medication interactions associated with smoking Discuss motivational techniques for working with lower motivated smokers
- Recognize broader clinical and systems issues for addressing tobacco dependence in mental health settings
The Division of Behavioral Health & Children’s Services fully supports the conference agenda, which we believe may further wellness and recovery opportunities for consumers who still smoke.
For additional information please contact Nancy Szkodny at szkodnna@umdnj.edu. |
A Message From Freeholder
Blanquita B. Valenti:
The demand for supplies
to replenish M.C.F.O.O.D.S., the Middlesex County emergency food network,
is extremely critical at present. All of our regular food drive agencies
continue to do an excellent job. Even with steady donations, however,
the need for food has soared beyond the capacity of the organizations
that currently provide assistance. As outlined in the following announcement,
we are asking as many organizations as possible to join with those already
collecting for the needy families of Middlesex County. Please contact
Jennifer Apostol at the MCIA if you or your agency can sponsor a food
drive. We look forward to talking with you and thank you for considering
this vital assistance to our Middlesex County neighbors.
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M.C.F.O.O.D.S.
MIDDLESEX COUNTY'S EMERGENCY FOOD NETWORK NEEDS YOUR HELP NOW!!!
MIDDLESEX
COUNTY'S 60 FOOD PANTRIES AND SOUP KITCHENS URGENTLY NEED THE
FOLLOWING:
CANNED
MEATS AND STEWS
PASTA
CANNED MILK
TUNA FISH
CEREAL
RICE
VEGETABLES
CANNED FRUIT
PEANUT BUTTER
JELLY
SHAMPOO
TOOTHPASTE
DIAPERS AND BABY WIPES
GROCERY STORE GIFT CERTIFICATES (MAIL
TO M.C.F.O.O.D.S., C/O MCIA, 101 INTERCHANGE PLAZA, CRANBURY,
NJ 08512)
DROP OFF ITEMS AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN EDISON, MILLTOWN, MONROE,
NORTH BRUNSWICK, PLAINSBORO, SOUTH BRUNSWICK, WOODBRIDGE AND
EAST BRUNSWICK.
BUSINESSES,
CHURCHES, CIVIC GROUPS, SOCIAL GROUPS, SPORTS GROUPS AND SCOUTS
PLEASE GET INVOLVED AND SPONSOR A FOOD DRIVE, COLLECT GOODS
AT MEETINGS, COLLECT FOOD FOR ENTRY AT EVENTS.
CALL
JENNIFER APOSTOL AT 609-409-5033 OR E-MAIL: JA@MCIAUTH.COM FOR
MORE INFORMATION.
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE M.C.F.O.O.D.S. WEBSITE |
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2ND FLOOR provides anytime anywhere support to New Jersey youth through a toll free, confidential and anonymous youth helpline: 888—222-2228. 2ND FLOOR also offers program brochures, posters, stickers, clickable links and other materials that publicize the program as the place for New Jersey youth to call and talk about their issues, concerns and problems. Call 2ND FLOOR at: 888-222-2228 or e-mail: www.2ndfloor.org. |
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