Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Charitable Service Trust Grants $25,000 To Community Hope In Support Of Hopeless Veterans
Parsippany, NJ – The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Charitable Service Trust has awarded Community Hope a grant in the amount of $25,000 in support of Community Hope’s veterans’ programs. This grant will be put toward personnel, food, and household supplies for the participants in these programs. Community Hope’s veterans’ programs include the Hope for Veterans Program, the Alfred J. Thomas Home for Veterans, the Women Veterans Housing Program, the Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program, and the SSG Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program. Together, these programs reach approximately 1,000 individuals on a yearly basis.
The Hope for Veterans Program was the first program of its kind in New Jersey, opening its doors in 2004. In this 95-bed facility, homeless veterans are given a place to stay, as well as food, clothing, and medicine. In addition, they receive wraparound services to help them overcome the reasons behind their homelessness. The 8-bed Alfred J. Thomas Home and the 4-bed Women Veterans Housing Program likewise provide shelter as well as wraparound services to help these honorable veterans get off the streets or out of shelters and back into their communities. The Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program provides rapid rehousing and homelessness assistance for veterans and veteran families who either are homeless, or who are at risk of becoming homeless. The SSG Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, first awarded in 2022, aims at stemming the tide of veteran suicide in New Jersey.
“The Disabled American Veterans Charitable Trust has been a supporter of Community Hope for many years. During that time, they have been particularly attuned to the needs of the veterans who find themselves under Community Hope’s care. It is a sad fact that, on any night in 2023, there were approximately 35,000 homeless veterans in the United States, a seven percent increase since 2022. Thanks to generous supporters such as the Trust, Community Hope is contributing to solving the problem of veteran homelessness in New Jersey,” says Carmine Deo, Chief Executive Officer of Community Hope. Since Community Hope’s veterans’ programs started, over 7,000 veterans have been helped to rise above homelessness and achieve an increased quality of life. This is thanks to the many generous donors who contribute to its cause on an annual basis. In addition to the foundational support on which Community Hope relies to carry out its programs, the organization also relies on the proceeds of the fundraisers it organizes every year, including the Sparkle of Hope Gala, Community Hope’s largest fundraiser of the year, the annual Flag Day 5K Run and Walk, and the annual VetFest music and food truck festival. 83 cents of each dollar raised at these events directly support Community Hope’s programs.
About Community Hope
Community Hope, a NJ non-profit organization, provides housing and support services to hundreds of veterans, veteran families, and people living with mental illness each year. Since 1985, our team of over 150 employees has provided clinical case management, housing (emergency, transitional, and affordable), and homeless prevention services enabling thousands to recover from mental illness, homelessness, substance use, and poverty.
To learn more about Community Hope, visit communityhope-nj.org and follow us on Instagram: CommunityHope_NJ, Twitter @CommunityHopeNJ, and Facebook at facebook.com/CommunityHopeNJ
