HomeFront Founder Receives Hall Of Fame Award

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ — Connie Mercer’s trip to a motel on Route 1 in Mercer County in 1991 changed her life forever. It was on that day that she saw the impact of homelessness, particularly on women and children, and she decided to do something about it.

Twenty-eight years later, the founder of the Lawrenceville-based HomeFront has been inducted into New Jersey’s Housing and Economic Development Hall of Fame, the organization announced.

The Housing and Economic Development Hall of Fame recognizes trailblazers in the housing and economic development fields ranging from those who work to create, finance, and develop affordable housing and economic growth opportunities to individuals who advocate, lead, and educate the public on the issues.

“I have learned over the years that the most transformative changes to the community take place when government and nonprofits work together along with private citizens, businesses, and organizations,” Mercer said. “The pooling of expertise, caring, and resources enables us to solve big problems and builds trust between all involved. We are thrilled to be recognized for helping housing and economic development work. And as we are, I want to give a special thank you to Celia Bernstein, a leader at HomeFront who has been integral to our work and growth in the community for over a quarter of a century.”

Mercer was inducted by Acting New Jersey Gov. Sheila Oliver Sunday night, on the eve of the Governor’s Conference on Housing and Economic Development, which takes place Sept. 16-17 at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City.

“Connie Mercer’s tireless advocacy and tenacity in fighting for the homeless stems from her remarkable ability to connect with, and compassionately care for, people in need of help,” said Oliver, who serves as Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs (DCA). “Governor Murphy and I deeply admire her work in building Homefront from the ground up, and we are so thrilled that she has received this meaningful Housing and Economic Development Hall of Fame recognition.”

Mercer truly built her organization from the ground up. After her experience at the motel, she began laying the groundwork for HomeFront at her kitchen table. She began with a group of volunteers who provided meals for families living in these motels.

HomeFront now offers a comprehensive services model to address all the underlying causes of homelessness. It is one of Central Jersey’s leading nonprofit social service agencies. HomeFront’s mission is to end homelessness in Central Jersey by harnessing the caring, resources, and expertise of the community.

Included among its 35 programs are housing assistance, education, life-skills and employment training classes, childcare, and enrichment for people who are homeless or at high risk of becoming so.

On any given night, HomeFront provides shelter to over 450 people, two-thirds of whom are children, through its Family Campus temporary shelter, transitional and permanent housing. In the past year alone, families called upon HomeFront over 29,000 times seeking shelter, food and other life-changing assistance.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 8,864 men, women and children in 6,748 households were identified as experiencing homelessness in New Jersey during the annual Point-in-Time Count of individuals and families earlier this year.

Before she founded HomeFront, Mercer, who has a master’s degree in clinical psychology, was executive director of the Interstate Consortium on Residential Child Care and then Deputy Director of Program Operations for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

She began her social services career with the Canadian Mental Health Association where she created a network of 19 group homes for disturbed youth.

For 23 years, housing industry and economic development leaders have come together during the annual Governor’s Conference on Housing and Economic Development. They participate in seven diverse tracks ranging from housing for community needs to women and business to economic development.

The conference also includes an Atlantic City area bus tour. It is capped by a keynote address by Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr., the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, a pioneer of faith-based community development, and former New Jersey Secretary of State.

The conference is hosted by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA), the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) and the New Jersey Redevelopment Authority (NJRA).

For more information on HomeFront, visit homefrontnj.org. For more information on the conference, visit njhousingconference.com.