Community Resource Fairs May 30 in Bound Brook & Somerville

The county's rich resource of free social service programs will be highlighted at two separate community fairs on Thursday, May 30, in Somerville and Bound Brook.

Public and private agencies will be represented at the free events. Representatives from transportation, youth, mental health, health care, English as Second Language, employment, housing, veterans, food assistance and social service programs will be among those on hand to discuss their services.

Each Community Resource Fair will run from 3 to 7 p.m. at the following locations: Shiloh Pentecostal Church, 139 Davenport St., Somerville, and the Salvation Army, 108 Hamilton St., Bound Brook. All are welcome. Door prizes for adults and children will be offered and the first 50 adults at each location will receive a free personal care kit. The events are designed to be family-friendly and will include snacks and refreshments.

"We are casting a wider net with these resource fairs," said Freeholder Shanel Y. Robinson, human services liaison. "We wanted to have events that are held at more convenient hours and locations, and that create a feeling of welcoming and dignity for individuals and families. Our goal is to acquaint as many people as possible with the great services available in Somerset County."

The fairs are being organized by the Somerset County Community Development Office's Continuum of Care Committee, which represents more than two dozen public and private nonprofit agencies serving the county's residents. The Community Resources Fairs grew out of an ongoing effort to reinvent Project Homeless Connect, which usually is conducted in Somerville every January on the same day as the annual Point in Time count of homeless individuals.

Organizers view the fairs as a new way to introduce Somerset County residents to the multitude of free social service programs offered to help all county citizens, but particularly those facing economic, health and educational barriers.

"The intent of this initiative is to make it easier for people to access resources by bringing information to them, rather than asking them to come to where the resources are," said Kimberly Cowart, director of the Somerset County Community Development Office. "We understand that agencies are doing everything they can to help clients and yet, we suspect that this client-service model might create a barrier for some working individuals and families who find it hard to take time off during the workday to travel to an agency. We also think that some people are more likely to accept support services when they are offered in a place where they feel comfortable and safe because there is an existing relationship with someone that they know and trust."

A multi-town survey earlier this year identified Bound Brook and Somerville as the two municipalities that had the infrastructure and interest to organize and host family-friendly community events. "The Salvation Army in Bound Brook and Shiloh Pentecostal Church in Somerville opened their doors – and their hearts – to the committee’s vision, and we are proud to partner with them for these events," Cowart said.

The following agencies will be represented at the fairs, either with personnel or literature: Alternatives Inc.; Community Hope (veterans’ services); Greater Raritan One Stop Career Center; Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board; RideWise Inc. (transportation services); Healthier Somerset; HomeSharing Inc.; Jointure (child enrichment and adult education); Legal Services of Northwest Jersey; Literacy Volunteers of Somerset County; Middle Earth (services for at-risk youth); Raritan Valley Community College; Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health; Safe + Sound (domestic violence services); the Salvation Army; Soldier On; Somerset Community Action Program; Somerset County Board of Social Services; Somerset County Health Department; Somerset County P.E.S.S. (psychiatric emergency screening services); Somerset Treatment Services; Somerset County YMCA; Visions and Pathways (youth shelter); Zarephath; and Zufall Health Center.

All community members are encouraged to attend the free events and spend some time picking up literature and talking with the different agency representatives. Agency staff members are invited to stop by and learn about other groups’ services.

Spanish-language team members will be available at both locations. In Bound Brook, parking is available at the Salvation Army building. In Somerville, attendees can park on the street and at the Somerville YMCA and the Carol Pager Park (Exchange Field), which are just a short walk from the church.

For more information on the Community Resources Fairs – including how to get copies of the flyers to share with other community members – call the Somerset County Community Development Office at 908-541-5756.

To stay up to date with Somerset County events and information, sign up for free email alerts at www.co.somerset.nj.us/subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.