More people’s parents are becoming homeless, according to Jeff Brunner, the executive director of the PERC homeless shelter, based in Union City.
“A lot of senior citizens right now got crunched with the recession,” said Brunner. “It’s heartbreaking, for me, for anyone to think of their parents being in a position of homelessness.”
PERC is one of three homeless shelters in the area, and the main one serving northern Hudson County. Other shelters are located in Hoboken and Jersey City.
The recession is affecting the shelters themselves, which is why PERC is holding a fundraiser this week at Frank’s Waterside restaurant in North Bergen.
Tougher in a recession
Homeless shelters are impacted from different angles, all leading to financial trouble. The number of individuals losing their jobs and their homes is dramatically increasing, placing added pressure on shelters to provide for the needy.
The economic crisis has also made it harder for generous individuals and businesses to continue to donate, leaving homeless shelters like PERC (Palisades Emergency Residency Corporation) in a “catch-22.”
“We are helping so many more people in their time of need than ever before,” said Brunner, “but bringing in fewer donations.”
The national average for monetary donations given to nonprofit organizations has declined forty percent in the last year, and will not start to turn around until the end of this year.
The shelter not only provides temporary residence for homeless individuals, but they refer clients to drug and alcohol programs, mental health programs, offer job training and social services.
“We are not a Band-Aid approach to homelessness,” said Brunner, “there’s an image of people lining up at 5 p.m. to get a bed, and maybe they will or maybe they won’t. We are not a holding center. We try to empower people so that when they leave, they are no longer homeless.”
Providing life skills
For over 25 years, PERC has provided shelter, a food pantry to assist families in need of groceries, and a food kitchen, which serves over 50,000 meals a year to the homeless and working poor.
Yet, the more than 100 hungry folks showing up for dinner each night is at an all time high for the shelter and the number is rising.
PERC is also home to Hudson County’s only family shelter, so parents do not have to be separated from their children. In Hudson County, the number of people living below the poverty line is well above the state average.
Brunner estimates that 6,000 people are now homeless in the community: “You have a better chance of becoming homeless than hitting the lottery.”
PERC’s unique approach to this worsening social issue involves giving people a chance to turn their lives back around. The shelter houses 40 men and women, with a bed to sleep in, showers to wash in, and a laundry service. The community center educates them in computer classes, ESL, and GED, all preparing them to enter the work world.
“Nationally, the percentage of people moving out of shelters and into independent housing is in the single digits,” said Brunner, “but here at PERC, the majority of people that complete the program do not go back onto the streets.”
A struggle to provide
According to Brunner, PERC needs funds to continue to provide for the growing base of poor or homeless.
“We do get funding through local government agencies, but you have to evolve in this field to address the needs of the people. These needs are so immediate, and you need to make up those differences right away,” said Brunner. “What we need are businesses or benefactors to step up and say ‘we want to be part of what you are doing and we are here to financially help.’ ”
They feel fortunate to have received so many volunteers, food and clothing donations, and financial assistance, which have led them to help hundreds of thousands of people in the Hudson County community. However, the needs to fulfill continue to grow beyond their means.
Some of the more devastating cases Jeff has seen revolve around having to provide for more children and senior citizens.
“A lot of senior citizens right now got crunched with the recession,” said Brunner. “It’s heartbreaking, for me, for anyone to think of their parents being in a position of homelessness. It’s horrible.”
Some clients have just fallen behind on bills, living paycheck to paycheck. Once you are evicted from your home, you need the first and last month’s rent for a new apartment. The rent, combined with a security deposit and money for furnishing, someone would need a few thousand dollars in the bank to immediately move into a new place. A case manager works with each client to obtain jobs and a chance to save to start a new future.
Mr. Brunner and the 25 other employees and volunteers of PERC do everything they can to keep the shelter efficiently running.
“So we can move them past the worst point in their lives,” he said. “I can’t think of too many things that could be worse to the average citizen then losing their homes. That’s why we do this!”
PERC’s motto “with help, there is hope,” supports their mission of taking people off the streets, empowering them today, to help society tomorrow.
The cycle of poverty and homelessness, which leads to crime and drug abuse, will continue without programs that the PERC shelter provides.
Food, clothing, and financial donations can be made by calling shelter and speaking to Brian at (201) 348-8150. PERC is also hosting a fundraiser that is open to the public on Wednesday, July 30 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The event takes place at Frank’s Waterside in North Bergen on 7800 B River Road, featuring fine wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres, and tickets are $45. For more information, visit: PERCshelter.org.
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