Family Promise leaders meet with Congressman Garrett

NEWTON — Family Promise of Sussex County Executive Director Julie Schuldner and Case Manager Ashley Bellis met with Congressman Scott Garrett to introduce him to their work and to impress upon him that there has been no letup in the crisis of homelessness.
The June 2012 Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies report, using data from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), showed a reduction in the number of families experiencing homelessness of 2.4 percent over the last year and 8 percent since 2007.
There has been some reduction in the numbers of families experiencing homelessness nationally, due in large part to the availability of $1.5 billion in HPRP stimulus money that helped prevent many families from becoming homeless. But that program is now ended, and there is still a great demand for homeless services. Family Promise of Sussex County receives about 30 phone calls per week from community residents seeking some form of assistance.
“We wanted to make the congressman aware of our work," said Schuldner. "He will be going back to congress after the election to vote on issues that will have a great impact on the number of homeless families who need our help. We don’t want him voting without knowing what we are seeing on the ground in our congressional district.” Family Promise of Sussex County does not depend on or receive federal funding, but the decisions made in Washington have a significant impact on the needs in Sussex County.