For more than 30 years, the Hoboken Shelter has been caring for community members who have fallen on hard times.
Jaclyn Cherubini has been executive director for 10 years. Homelessness, she says, is “definitely epidemic in the country and in our community, and hunger has tripled in the decade I’ve been here. The economic downturn trickled down to us. We had to make sure our volunteers were fed as well. Guests already devastated were living in crisis during the economic downturn.”
The shelter serves 450 meals a day and houses 50 people at night, 35 men and 15 women. In 2013, the shelter served 165,908 meals, up from 54,593 in 2005. Throughout the year, some 6,000 volunteers lend a helping hand.
The mission of the shelter is to go beyond supplying necessities and to help guests acquire the skills that will lead to independence, such as vocational workshops. “Cherubini says, “We help people heal from the demoralizing effect of homelessness, develop their voices, discover talents, and move forward professionally.”
Cold Streets, Hot Meal
Last winter’s polar vortex was life-threatening for anyone facing a night on the streets. The Hoboken Shelter is in communication with two other shelters in the county to make sure that would never happen.
Guests stay at the shelter an average of three-and-a-half to five-and-a-half months. The goal of the staff is to “help a person from the street to the shelter to a home,” Cherubini says. “It starts with a warm meal in the soup kitchen.”
Gandhi said, “I can’t talk religion to a man with bodily hunger in his eyes.” Paraphrasing Gandhi, Cherubini says, “You can’t talk about homelessness on an empty stomach.”
The shelter practices a “multi-pronged approach.” Its four programs include Food and Shelter, Change and Independence, Homelessness Prevention, and Permanent Supportive Housing. Under the food and shelter program, shelter guests receive emergency clothing as well as counseling in drug and alcohol use, budgeting, and managing medication.
Under the change and independence program, guests receive job readiness and life skills and creative workshops, which help them learn how to articulate personal goals and build self esteem. Vocational specialists meet individually with guests to develop resumes, work on job searching, and navigate the internet. These days, you can only apply for jobs online, so they need to know how to use search engines, email, and attach resumes.
The homelessness prevention program provides security deposits to guests, rental or utility assistance to people facing eviction, counseling for tenants’ rights, and referrals to appropriate agencies. In 2013, 83 families received assistance that would allow them to stay in their homes.
Under the permanent supportive housing program, guests get help in finding and applying for apartments. Through partnerships with affordable housing programs and government vouchers for rent subsidies, shelter guests are provided with apartments and guidance on how to maintain them.
Life at the Shelter
The Hoboken Shelter is housed in the oldest church building in Hoboken at 300 Bloomfield St., where St. John the Baptist Lutheran Church is celebrating its 125th anniversary as a congregation.
On a warm summer afternoon, guests mingle on the sidewalk outside the shelter. Inside, the walls are cluttered with notices about meals, schedules, and workshops. A full-service kitchen was completely remodeled with the help of donations and of Jason Cameron of Man Caves fame. In the main room, guests gather for their meals, meetings, and to watch TV. On the wall is a mural that reads “The World’s Table.” Though the shelter offers life-saving and life-altering services, there is a friendly club-like feeling to the downstairs gathering space.
Upstairs, you can clearly see that you are in a church. The beautifully restored space has polished wood floors, an artfully designed ceiling, and religious icons. The women sleep up here. It is also used as a dance space, and there’s a small room for computer workshops.
Other religious organizations involved in the Communities of Faith for Housing program include All Saints Episcopal Parish, St. Matthew Trinity Lutheran, United Synagogue, Saints Peter and Paul, Our Lady of Grace, St. Ann’s, St. Francis, and Redeemer Presbyterian.
Cherubini, who majored in women’s studies as an undergrad and has a Master’s in Public Administration, is the daughter of a firefighter and a hospital worker. She became civic-minded at an early age.
“At a very specific moment, I had a life-changing experience,” Cherubini recalls. “When I was 12, my parents organized a food drive for Thanksgiving. We delivered a bountiful meal to a family. My dad was carrying a box of canned goods, and a can of cranberry sauce fell out of the box. I didn’t really like cranberry sauce. I handed it to a six-year-old girl, who tugged on my shirt and said thank you. I can still picture the sparkle in her hazel eyes. Oh my god, my life changed at that moment. My eyes were opened to the whole world.”—07030