Homeless Solutions, Inc.
Morristown, New Jersey

In 1983, the faith community in Morristown, NJ came together around a shared concern for the homeless in the area. They began a 14 bed shelter in the parish house of the Presbyterian Church on the town green in Morristown. Church members and volunteers took turns spending the night at the shelter. Through this experience, the church and the volunteers learned that there was a high rate of turnover and that they were really only meeting people’s immediate needs. They asked themselves what could they do to address the systemic problem. 

With a desire to address the root of the problem, Morris Shelter acquired a larger building and grew into Homeless Solutions, Inc. (HSI) which is currently the largest provider of services to homeless people in Morris County. Each night, HSI serves a combined population of 100 men, women and children. In addition to shelter, food and transportation, HSI guests receive social work services including case management, employment counseling, parenting skills training, budgeting and permanent housing location.  

Today, HSI runs a Family and Women’s Program (which houses and hosts approximately 30 people at a time); a Men’s Program (which houses and hosts 22 men at a time); and a Safe Haven Program (that houses and hosts 20 mentally ill and homeless men and women per night). All guests are provided with case management with the goal of finding permanent housing, whether that can be achieved through accessing public benefits, finding a job or through referrals to other agencies in the community. The facilities are drug and alcohol free and all guests are expected to work or attend school. A major concern is the length of stay for each guest, primarily due to the lack of affordable housing. Average length of stay in the Family Shelter is eight months; three to five months in the Men’s Shelter; and nine months to a one year in the Safe Haven Shelter. HSI’s biggest obstacle remains the lack of low-income housing in the region.

Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Hall, a Presbyterian minister and Executive Director of HSI, explained in recent letter to the editor of a local newspaper that the availability of housing has not kept pace with the demand for those who are employed in the $20,000-$35,000 annual household income. While household incomes for almost 25,000 people in Morris County have remained less than $30,000, the number of low rent ($750) apartments has declined by 54% from 1990 to 2000. There were 20,598 apartments available for $750 in 1990 and only 9,415 apartments in 2000. 

In light of this crisis, Homeless Solutions is devoting a lot of energy to developing and building housing for people working in jobs paying between $20,000 and $35,000 a year. HSI is currently in the process of building 15 units of permanent housing. However, many more units of permanent housing are needed. Their plan is to partner with municipalities to identify property and work as a team with town officials to produce the kinds of housing low-income people need. HSI is now strategizing with the faith community about how to advocate within local municipalities for a commitment to building affordable housing. They plan to identify approximately five people from each of their supporting congregations to play an active advocacy role on both the municipal and state level.

Contact point:

Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Hall, Executive Director
Homeless Solutions, Inc.
540 West Hanover, Suite 100
Morristown, NJ 07960
Phone: 973-993-0833
E-mail:  BetseyHall@yahoo.com