Homeless Veterans Get Help from Faith Based Group

by Ann Martin-Frey

We are Homeless to Independence.  We extend our hand to the homeless and the working poor – helping them to not only find better employment but higher wages and benefits for them and their families.  We also find the first time home purchaser programs that they can follow through with that program and then purchase a home and have something to show for their hard earned wages. 

Homeless To Independence also serves our veterans who have served for us, assisting with housing and employment information.  I work closely with various Veteranʼs group and Service Providers, sharing information with them of employment/career fairs and other helpful information.

We also worked with the Gulf Coast/Katrina families that were transplanted in Perth Amboy, NJ and succeeded with helping them to locate permanent employment and housing (when both FEMA and then HUD cut them off),

I have worked closely with various American Red Cross Chapters with the disasters of fires of multi-family dwellings, as well as, the flooding disasters and helping to provide needed items such as furniture, clothing, school supplies and games/toys for the younger family members – at times we even picked up donations from through out the state and personally delivered those items, as times personally to their new residences. 

We have also collaborated with the YWCA and produced an awesome job fair here in the Greater Trenton Area this past March 28th and we are in the planning stages of another one with an organization in Camden for this upcoming September. 

We have recently co-opened a women’s half-way home in Roebling and are in the planning stages of another home for women and children in Southern New Jersey. 

I have worked extremely close with all levels of corrections and am working closely with officers to help the newly released to find employment and housing, as well as, help to cloth them as needed.  Social workers from various state and county offices call me from time to time with needs such as furniture – in some cases that a family may need in order to regain custody of their child(ren).   I have worked with an organization of professionals that needed to look for work, their company was downsizing and after years of service to their employer they needed information on the current employment scene. 

As you can see I leave no stone unturned when it comes to a call for help from anyone.  Should you have any other questions or know someone that needs support, contact me anytime.

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Ann Martin-Frey is Founder and Executive Director of Homeless To Independence Inc., A Faith-Based Non-Profit.  1-609-575-8048 –

www.homelesstoindependence.org or email her at ann@homelesstoindependence.org