Volunteers of America Delaware Valley and New Jersey SHARES Inc. (NJ SHARES) recently expanded their partnership, making the SHARES Mortgage Assistance Rent or Taxes (SMART) Program available to both Camden County and Atlantic County residents in need. The SMART Program provides critical funding for rent or mortgage assistance to individuals that are facing eviction or foreclosure. The program is designed to assist low-to-moderate income households in New Jersey with a combined total monthly income between 0-80 percent of the area median income for the region. Eligible households may then receive a one-time grant up to $5,000 to aide with a mortgage or…

Providing Direct Services and Support to Individuals Reentering Society After Incarceration

Expanded Program Will Provide Rent and Mortgage Assistance to Those In Need in Atlantic & Camden Counties

An Affordable Housing Community, With Units Specifically for Veterans

Devon Catts is a case manager for Volunteers of America Delaware Valley’s Aletha R. Wright “Vision of Hope” Center, a 125-bed emergency shelter for single men experiencing homelessness in Camden, NJ. Since her start at VOADV in January, Devon is already making a huge, positive impact on our clients at the Aletha R. Wright Center. As an Aletha Wright Center case manager, Devon assesses her clients’ needs, links them to services and administers a treatment or recovery plan – all with the end goal of enabling these individuals to achieve self-sustainability and independence. In recent weeks, Devon has witnessed how…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, these individuals are facing dire challenges. Grocery store shelves have limited stock, public transportation has been running on severely modified schedules and medical facilities are overwhelmed. Millions have lost their paychecks, jobs and a way to sustain life. One critical challenge Volunteers of America Delaware Valley is working hard to address is ensuring that no family or individual ever goes hungry. Beginning in early April, VOADV has been working side-by-side with local food banks, community organizations, law enforcement agencies and others in various capacities to collect and distribute meals to hundreds of struggling families and vulnerable…

Volunteers of America Delaware Valley and New Jersey SHARES Annnounce New Partnership to Provide Critical Assistance for Individuals Facing Eviction or Foreclosure.

Over the last 100 years, Volunteers of America Delaware Valley has become a trusted and valued provider of essential services to those in need of assistance. Veterans, women, families, young adults, seniors and individuals with specialized needs can find the support needed to achieve a life of independence with the help and guidance of our programs. VOADV’s affordable and workforce housing programs provides individuals and families with the freedom of independent living, while fostering a communal support network and access to the vital social services needed to maintain a healthy living environment. Despite impacts from COVID-19, April marked the opening…

Those who are experiencing homelessness are among our communities’ most vulnerable and highest-risk populations. This is even more true during the COVID-19 pandemic. These individuals demonstrate higher rates of chronic health issues than the general population – in turn, putting them at much higher risk for having serious and sometimes fatal health complications if they contract COVID-19. Those experiencing homelessness also tends to reside in congregate living conditions, which is not conducive to social distancing and seriously lacks a recuperative environment that enables healthy recovery. Additionally, this population is significantly more reliant on crisis-oriented resources, such as emergency rooms. “From…

Just a few blocks west of Camden’s Central Waterfront district stands Anna M. Sample House Complex, Volunteers of America Delaware Valley’s emergency shelter and transitional living facility for women, children and families experiencing homelessness. For more than 30 years, this facility has given vulnerable single women, single mothers and fathers with children and intact families a safe, supportive environment to address and overcome factors that may have contributed to their homelessness, while developing the new supports necessary for a second chance at a fulfilling, independent life. The emergency shelter was originally established in 1988 in honor of Anna M. Sample…