EGG HARBOR CITY – Just days after it was announced that homelessness had increased in Atlantic County over 2009, Career Opportunity Development, Inc. in Egg Harbor City was named the recipient of a $51,442 federal homeless assistance grant.
On Jan. 28, U.S. Sens. Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg announced New Jersey would receive over $22 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to assist homeless men and women in New Jersey access housing opportunities.
Linda Carney, president and CEO of CODI, explained that the grant funds will be used for the operation of a house, in conjunction with the Atlantic City Rescue Mission in Weymouth.
“The funding is to provide support services for four individuals that reside in that house,” Carney said.
Four formerly homeless individuals, referred by the Rescue Mission, live in the house and CODI provides case management and life skills coaching for them.
Carney explained that life skills coaching helps people become independent.
“It could be making sure that the house is maintained, making sure a person gets to doctor’s appointments,” she said. “Obviously we want to help them be as self sufficient and independent as possible.”
The house itself was purchased by HUD. This is the third year CODI is receiving the grant funding.
The funding was announced just days after Atlantic County began conducting is annual Project Homeless Connect survey, which counts the number of homeless residents in the county. The count occurred over a 24-hour period on Jan. 26, conducted by members of the Atlantic County Continuum of Care and community volunteers.
This federally mandated count occurs nationwide to provide data for HUD’s Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress.
According to the figures released by the county, homelessness increased 22 percent in 2010 over 2009, although it declined from 2007 to 2009. The county’s figures show that “128 homeless individuals reported having at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years.”
The 2010 count identified 529 homeless men, women and children in Atlantic County and estimates that the actual count may be two to four times larger.
According to the data, homeless people in the county are mostly male, 75 percent, and are between the ages of 50 and 59. In addition, more than 10 percent reported mental illness and 7 percent identified a medical disability. Nearly 7 percent also reported substance abuse issues.
Factors contributing to homelessness include loss of employment, relationship breakdown, alcohol or drug problems and a lack of affordable housing.

– Claire Lowe