Offering outreach, rapid response and social service linkage for vulnerable individuals.
Volunteers of America Delaware Valley’s Navigator Program, funded by the New Jersey Department of Human Services, provides individuals in need with linkage to critical social services in order to assist with both short-term and long-term individual and family stabilization. Through collaborative partnerships with providers, hospital systems, law enforcement and the courts, the Navigator Program provides outreach, rapid response and navigation to a number of critical social services, including but not limited to treatment and addiction services, housing, employment services, education, legal services and more.
While the Navigator Program is designed to function very similarly to the Safe Return Program, there is a key difference. Unlike Safe Return, the services offered through the Navigator Program are not solely designated for those who have been incarcerated – the program provides enhanced navigation and coordination of housing and homelessness services to all vulnerable populations, while also addressing factors that contribute to housing instability and homelessness.
Through the Navigator Program, VOADV professionals link individuals to a spectrum of social services which are personalized to meet each individual’s specific needs. The program offers the following key services:
- Case management and family reunification
- Housing assistance
- Job placement
- Legal assistance and advocacy
- Benefits assessment and reinstatement assistance
- Substance use disorder and mental health referral and linkage
- Treatment referral and linkage
- Assistance with State Identification & Driver’s license
Through additional support by the New Jersey Department of Human Services, VOADV has expanded the footprint of the Navigator Program to include:
- Atlantic and Cape May Counties
- Burlington County
- Camden County
- Tri-County – Cumberland, Gloucester, Salem
- Mercer Counties
The Navigator Program provides comprehensive, community-based care management to individuals in need through numerous initiatives:
Navigational Resource Centers –
to further enhance the Navigator Program and better address the social services needs of vulnerable individuals throughout our footprint, VOADV also currently operates four (4) Navigational Resource Centers, located in Atlantic City, Bridgeton, Camden and Trenton, NJ. The Navigational Resource Centers are strategically co-located with Safe Return program offices to ensure an immediate, holistic approach to service delivery and one-stop linkage to those requesting assistance.
IMPACT (Immediate Mobilization of Police Assisted Crisis Teams) Initiative –
offering the same immediate, direct approach to service delivery, the IMPACT Initiative meets individuals where they are – in the community, in their homes, on the street, at service events, etc. – to ensure prompt service delivery in a comfortable setting. As a key part of the initiative, IMPACT Specialists work side-by-side with law enforcement partners in satellite offices embedded within police departments – delivering critical social services to those most in need, and at times, diverting from criminal justice system involvement.
Mobile IMPACT Units –
vehicles that can be dispatched, as needed, to communities throughout VOADV’s footprint in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer and Salem counties to deliver direct, immediate social services to individuals in need in coordination with local law enforcement partners. Currently, VOADV operates three Mobile IMPACT Units for regionalized coverage: Atlantic/Cape/Tri-County (covering Atlantic, Cape May, Gloucester, Salem and Cumberland), Camden County and Burlington/Mercer Counties.
Human Trafficking Education and Awareness –
rooted in a 2020 grant from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA), the VOADV has built partnerships with law enforcement and service providers to conduct human trafficking outreach in Atlantic City and now beyond. The partnerships offer victims services, while also taking a diversionary approach when working with missing and at-risk youth. The pilot included community-based informational sessions targeting Atlantic City’s youth and their families, as well as a larger stakeholder seminar for pilot partners and the creation of a comprehensive strategic plan to address trafficking victimization in Atlantic City. VOADV is committed to bringing the important lessons learned to a wider footprint throughout our region.
Office Locations
Atlantic County Navigational Resource Center
Location:
26 S. Pennsylvania Avenue
Atlantic City, NJ 08024
Contact: (609) 541-2806
Trenton Navigational Resource Center (Mercer)
Location:
226 W. State Street
Trenton, NJ 08608
Contact: (609) 337-7097
Burlington County Navigational Resource Center
Location:
1289 NJ-38 #105
Hainesport, NJ 08036
Contact: (609) 667-7477
Tri-County Navigational Resource Center
(Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland)
Location:
1667 E Landis Ave Building 7
Vineland, NJ 08361
Contact: (856) 716-2212
Camden County Navigational Resource Center
Location:
1812 Federal Street
Camden, NJ 08105
Contact: (856) 671-6101