UNION COUNTY, NJ — The Gateway Family YMCA was awarded a $35,000 grant from the Community Foundation of New Jersey, on behalf of the J.C. Kellogg Foundation Fund, to assist the YMCA in serving homeless and housing insecure residents.
“We are thankful for the generous support and assistance from the Community Foundation of New Jersey and the J.C. Kellogg Foundation Fund. This grant assists us in supporting this vulnerable demographic during the coronavirus pandemic,” said Krystal R. Canady, chief executive officer of the Gateway Family YMCA. “In 2021, our Y served 763 men, women, seniors and children through YMCA residential housing programs.”
The Gateway Family YMCA, which has served the local community for more than 122 years, provides housing and social services for more than 250 individuals, families and veterans each evening. Through residential housing programs in Elizabeth and Plainfield, as well as a supportive housing program throughout Union County, the Y provides emergency, transitional and affordable permanent housing opportunities along with wraparound social services focusing on mental health, food access, wellness services, chronic disease management, employment preparation, life skills and case management.
“At the Gateway Family YMCA, we provide residential housing support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for individuals, families and veterans in our community,” said Melynda A. Disla, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Gateway Family YMCA. “We continue to see an increased need for housing and social services, food access and mental health services. The COVID-19 pandemic affected everyone, and our residents lost jobs, became food insecure and struggled to access resources, which necessitated extra precautions, facility improvements and additional services provided by the YMCA.”
The Gateway Family YMCA’s housing programs are open to all residents of Union County regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, primary language, veteran status and more. As one of more than 25 agencies collaborating in Union County’s Continuum of Care unit, the Gateway Family YMCA works with other partner agencies to end homelessness and prevent a return to homelessness in Union County.
Those who are in need of emergency shelter or know someone who is should contact Union County’s 24-hour Homeless Emergency Response Hotline at 2-1-1.
Photos Courtesy of Colleen Clayton