The goal of the Homelessness Prevention program is to stabilize a household's finances through timely,
caring assistance for emergencies. In fact, the Crisis Ministry has been named the gateway agency for all households in Mercer County experiencing financial crisis that threatens housing.
The
assistance we provide—through back rent, mortgage, security deposits, and utilities—helps to keep a financial difficulty from becoming critical. Our workers
and highly trained volunteers provide the direct financial assistance as well as advice and counsel to help people navigate
the social service system and to connect them to the resources they need.
Rent, Security Deposit, and Mortgage Assistance
The threat of eviction is devastating and destabilizing. It can lead to housing transience that affects children's progress in school, and a mother's or father's performance on the job. The Rent and Security Deposit Assistance Program assists families and individuals from Mercer
County who are either threatened with court-ordered evictions or who are already homeless. Clients are eligible for assistance once in 12 months but no more than twice in five years. Working
closely with our clients, their landlords, the court, and often other agencies, we will negotiate a manageable budget plan
in which the assisted client shares responsibility to pay off the debt. If a client's housing budget is determined to be unsustainable, we work to identify affordable housing options that are also safe and secure.
We assist with mortgage payments as well, working with our client and
the lender to prevent foreclosure. In a new partnership, we work with Isles Inc. in a mutual referral program for financial assistance clients to receive financial counseling.
Partners in housing assistance include: the Princeton Area Community Foundation and Mercer County.
Utilities Assistance
Loss of utilities like electricity, heat, and water causes causes conditions that are not only dangerous and unsanitary, but also often lead to housing abandonment. People who are threatened with shut-off from their utilities and energy providers can seek emergency assistance from the Crisis Ministry. Our financial assistance staff and volunteers also can screen clients
for eligibility of utility assistance from other funding sources, including the New Jersey Shares program, Low Income
Energy Assistance (LIHEAP), Princeton Area Salvation Army, and the United Way Emergency Assistance Collaborative. Among our financial partners in this program are the Concordia Foundation, the Community Foundation of New Jersey, the Rummel Foundation, and the Rotary Club of Princeton Foundation.
Some facts about our Homelessness Prevention program: • Each year we help at least 750 households to avoid homelessness.
• 92% of the families we assist financially with back rent, mortgage, and security deposits are stably housed six months later. 86% remain stably housed a full 12 months later.
• Research from the University of Pennsylvania shows that 80% of homelessness is preventable through cost-effective approaches such as those we have pioneered since forward-thinking parishioners from Nassau Presbyterian Church and Trinity Church founded the Crisis Ministry.
• We will help a client once in a calendar year and a maximum of two times over five years. These limits discourage dependency and help us concentrate preventive services on the 80% of applicants who are experiencing a one-time crisis.
• Homelessness Prevention at the Crisis Ministry includes Utilities Assistance so families threatened with shut-off will not be forced to abandon an unsanitary or unsafe home. We receive as many as 300 phone calls each month requesting emergency utilities assistance.
• Two of three people assisted in our homelessness prevention programs are employed but receive very low wages.
• We have recently teamed with Isles Inc. to address the mortgage crisis that has affected many households in Mercer County.
• We are working with the Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness on the new Five-Year Plan to End Homelessness in our county.
Rent, Security Deposit, and Mortgage Assistance