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THREE WHO HELPED MAKE AGAPE HOUSE A REALITY

A GOOD PLACE: RaShaad Primm, program director, and Joyce Osanyinlusi, family case manager, outside the main entrance of our Agape House in downtown Somerville, NJ. The facility has begun its third decade of service to homeless families.

A number of people inside and outside Volunteers of America Delaware Valley helped make our Agape House – now in its third decade of service to homeless families - a reality.

The contributions of three officials in Somerset County, NJ were essential.

In the mid-1980s, consultant Mike Pappas was director of the Somerset County Board of Freeholders and chairman of the county’s Board of Social Services.

"Homelessness was on the radar in Somerset County," Pappas recalls. "The numbers were not as large as they maybe were in some urban settings. But there was a population that needed services.

"The freeholder board was not just going to turn its head and look away. We felt a commitment to those of our citizens who were down and out. There has been a tradition in Somerset County to support social service efforts."

Board members toured homeless shelters statewide, ultimately issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to which Volunteers of America Delaware Valley responded. Pappas later helped ameliorate concerns about the project’s impact on the Borough of Somerville’s tax base.

"The freeholders decided to have the Board of Social Services incorporate into the fee we paid VOA the payment of the property taxes as well. That removed any of the financial or legal issues, and it allowed us to move forward," he says. The facility opened in 1988.

"The freeholders were very pleased we were able to see Agape House established and opened quickly," Pappas says. "And I’m very pleased that Agape House has continued to be an integral part of the social service delivery network in the county. It’s providing a very valuable service.

"I have a great deal of respect for Dan Lombardo and what he has been able to do for Volunteers of America Delaware Valley. He certainly has my respect and the respect of many people in the community."

Cornelia "Corkie" Thum was the director of the Board of Social Services when homelessness emerged as a pressing public issue in the mid-1980s.

"My staff at the board of social services was placing homeless families in motels throughout the county and outside the county," she recalls. "And of course, motels don’t offer services."

The freeholders got "more than 100 percent behind" the effort to provide homelessness programs in the county; like Pappas, Thum remembers "lots of road trips" to tour facilities statewide.

Ultimately, she notes, Volunteers of America Delaware Valley purchased what is now Agape House with the county’s assistance. The county also awarded the agency a contract to provide services.

"I have said ever since then that Agape House was my single greatest accomplishment as director of the board of social services," says Thum, who also gives credit to "the entire freeholder board and my entire social services board and staff."

She adds, "there were some things that had to be toughed through. Just the fact that we stepped up to the plate and were able to pull it off was pretty remarkable. Ever since then I’ve been as proud of it as I could be."

NJ State Senator Christopher "Kip" Bateman was a member of the Board of Freeholders and the Board of Social Services when Agape House was proposed.

"At the time, I thought there was a need, and I helped push the project," Bateman says. "There was some resistance at first from the neighbors, but ultimately it turned out to be a great thing for the community.

"It was certainly needed, in Somerville in particular and in the county as well. People think Somerset County wouldn’t have a problem (with homelessness), but we do have a problem.

"I think it fills a great need," Bateman continues. "The community has helped it. I know my church has helped it. Especially in difficult times, Agape House is providing a real service. It’s worked out well.

"I think Agape House has been a good neighbor," he adds. "I am proud of the results and I’m happy I had a little something to do with the success."