Wow! How time flies. Seems like yesterday the idea at a roundtable meeting sprung to life. Helping one family a month for 12 months grown into helping thousands of individuals and their families. Here we are 20 years later and what a difference has been made for many people.

But what do we do? People ask all the time. I have the typical 30 second elevator speech: We help people who are normally self-sufficient when they experience a hard time by offering resources and referrals. Really! But what does that mean?

It means, fielding 100 hundreds of phone call, listening to the problem, and if possible finding a solution. Easy, right! Let’s break that down into a day at People for People.

The office opens at 9am (but one staff member starts at 7am, doing the paperwork needed to provide utility assistance to families). Phones begin to ring, three staff members field the calls. Most of the calls this year have been for utility and rental assistance. People for People is an affiliate of NJ Shares which offers grants for electric, gas and water. Since January we have assisted with the approval of 96 applications totaling over $42,000 grants. That is an average of $436 per household! But that’s not all we do. Of the hundreds of calls answered we have connected over 50 people to agencies that can help with rental assistance.

That’s just some of the office work. People for People provides supportive services to 6 affordable housing developments that are owned and operated by Conifer Realty. A staff member of People for People visits the sites each week providing referral and resources to the residents for a variety of needs. We offer workshops, health checks (in partnership with Gloucester County Health Servies) crafts, bingo and much more.

People for People has partnered with Conifer Realty to build, manage and support Affordable Housing Development with Veteran Preference. Our flagship development is Camp Salute located in Clayton, NJ. The development is a 76 unit family apartment complex that currently houses 50 Veterans or spouses of deceased veterans. A new development, Valor Pointe, located in Monroe Township, Middlesex County, will open at the end of 2024. This is an 80 unit complex and will start taking applications in the early fall. On the drawboard is a 70-unit complex, Liberty Landing located in East Greenwich will start construction this fall. Several other developments have been slated for next year and People for People will provide supportive services to special units filled with homeless or at risk of homelessness Veterans. The highlight at the Camp Salute Complex is the community Victory Garden. Managed by our dear friends Rich and Lori Gess. (Read more and see picture in our newsletter

Speaking of Veterans, I am an Accredited Claims Agent and I assist Veterans in applying for Compensation and Pension Benefits from the VA for service-connected disabilities. So far this year we have over 25 Veterans in various stages of their claims.

Won't you help us continue our mission helping the Veterans and residents of the South Jersey by making a donating to our 20th Anniverary Fund by clicking the Donate button on this page.

20th Anniversary!!!!

Celebrate our 20th Anniversary