Street Smart Street Outreach Hosts Tricky Tray/Bingo Event to Benefit Homeless and Vulnerable Youth

On Saturday, September 26, 2015, Street Smart (streetsmartoutreach.org), a street outreach program that helps homeless youth and young adults throughout New Jersey, will host a Tricky Tray and Bingo Event at Hoffman Hall (86 Main Street, Chester, NJ) from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM. The event will be filled with games, prizes, great food, and lots of fun to support at-risk youth. The event is being sponsored by Pfizer, the Randolph Kiwanis, and the Rotary Club of Morristown.

The Street Smart team works 24 hours a day; 365 days a year; to help combat human trafficking and protect vulnerable youth. Outreach workers provide food, clothing and blankets, easy access to shelter, crisis intervention counseling, transportation to services, and referrals to health care and social service agencies. They also provide HIV/AIDS and safe sex information, rape crisis support, substance abuse education, and help finding jobs and housing. Street Smart has offices in Bridgewater and Morristown.

Proceeds from the Tricky Tray/Bingo event will benefit youth who are homeless or at risk of being sexually abused or exploited. Admission tickets are $30.00 each. The admission ticket includes lunch, one packet of 10 Bingo games, and a chance to win a door prize. Beverages, additional bingo games, and basket raffle tickets will be available for purchase upon registration and/or at the event. The event is for adults only and no outside food is permitted. Tickets can be purchased online at: http://tinyurl.com/os3c2gc.

“We are looking forward to a fun and exciting Tricky Tray and Bingo event to benefit the youth we serve,” said Jennifer Amaya, Street Smart’s director of outreach and prevention. “Youth homelessness and human trafficking are major issues within our communities. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, in 2014, one in six runaways reported were likely sex-trafficking victims. Within 48 hours of hitting the street, a runaway will be approached by someone in the trafficking industry. Street Smart is making a tremendous impact on the lives of hundreds of youth. We invite the community to join us for an afternoon of fun for a meaningful cause.”

For more information including sponsorship opportunities, contact: Adriana Gonzalez at (908) 526-6605 ext. 312 or agonzalez@somersethome.org. 

Street Smart is a street outreach program focused on helping adolescents and young adults between the ages of 13-21 who may be homeless, living in unsafe environments, or who have been or are at risk of being sexually abused or exploited. The program identifies vulnerable youth, meets their basic needs, and connects them with partner resources. Teams of outreach counselors offer assistance and services 24-hours a day and are also available in emergency situations. Street Smart is a program of Somerset Home and serves youth throughout Central and Northern New Jersey. For more information visit: www.streetsmartoutreach.org.