Stories

Some of our Hope Hall residents are developing their skills and setting themselves up for success through Cathedral Kitchen's Culinary Employment Training Course.

Meet Kaitlyn Friess, the Regional Director of Safe Return/Navigator for the Tri-County region, which encompasses Gloucester, Cumberland, and Salem Counties.

We are honored to have hosted Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Dr. Rahul Gupta for part of his visit to New Jersey to meet with public health providers and learn about our work in reentry and addiction treatment.

The work we do at VOADV would not be possible without the support and generosity of our community partners. Some of our longest standing support comes from People For The Poor, a South Jersey based charity that raises money for local homeless shelters and soup kitchens.

Meet Nilda Natal - a valued member of the VOADV team since 2018 and the Director of Substance Abuse Counseling at our outpatient Addiction Treatment Program. Read her story to learn more about how she overcame her own struggles with addiction to now helping others on their own journey everyday.

Meet Jared Bard – a veteran Air Force air traffic controller of 8 years, a father, an electrician in training and a resident at our Home For The Brave shelter who has turned his life around and is working hard towards a successful, independent future.

The clients at our Aletha R. Wright “Vision of Hope” Center have a lot to think about – finding employment, obtaining identification and more. Their physical health can often be an afterthought. However, D’Yani Kelly, the facility’s Community Health Worker, and Nichole Phillips, the Certified Peer Recovery Specialist, are there to make sure that is not the case.

We recently announced the launch of the New Jersey Reentry Council at the New Jersey County Jail Wardens Association Conference in Atlantic City. We are hopeful that combined efforts through the council will enhance an already robust reentry network throughout New Jersey!

In honor of the life of Stephen A. Shultz, we recently dedicated our Collingswood Office and it is now named the Stephen A. Shultz Program Development and Training Center. Stephen was a valued member of VOADV, serving as Chief of Staff, Senior Vice President for External Relations and Vice President of Public Policy. His devotion and commitment to VOADV was inspiring and will have lasting impacts on our future success.

“Overall, I want people to know that seniors are still people with a life to live and a lot to contribute,” said Shaunta. “They sometimes feel lonely and always appreciate receiving any recognition or support, which is why I think it is so important that we have these services and programs for them.”