VetFest Putting Parsippany Org. For Homeless Vets Back On Track

PARSIPPANY, NJ — Community Hope has faced unique challenges during the pandemic, while helping some of the most deeply affected populations. It's also been a long time since they felt they could safely hold an in-person fundraiser.

But the community will physically come together again for VetFest, a music and food truck festival that begins at noon Sept. 12 at Dave Waks Memorial Park in Wayne.

Community Hope — based in Parsippany — represents New Jersey's largest nonprofit helping homeless veterans and their families. VetFest represents the organization's first fully in-person fundraiser since the pandemic began.

"We’re very excited about VetFest being our first in-person event," Executive Director Carmine Deo told Patch. "We’re happy that it’s outdoors, so we could raise money for veterans. But the more the pandemic fades and the more that we can go back to fundraising and events that really support our cause, that's better for us."

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Community Hope previously couldn't put on their biggest fundraising events, which included their largest one — the annual gala. But they had no choice but to continue their work, which includes clinical case management, housing and homelessness prevention.

The organization helps people with rapid rehousing for homelessness prevention, while also providing transitional-housing services and running permanent, supportive housing. Two of Community Hope's focuses include people with mental illnesses and substance use disorder — two issues the pandemic exacerbated nationally.

During June 2020, 40 percent of U.S. adults reported struggling with mental health or substance use, reflecting "considerably elevated adverse mental health conditions associated with COVID-19," according to a Centers for Disease Control poll.

Locally, Morris County law enforcement issued a warning in March about a surge in opiate overdoses. In the first two months of the year, the county reported 16 fatal and 22 non-fatal opiate overdoses. The county experienced 78 opiate overdoses in all of 2020. Read more: Morris County Sees Continued Surge In Opiate Overdoses

COVID-19 forced Community Hope to make adjustments to manage the growing difficulties. Their residential services continued operating 24 hours per day. For many other services, they went virtual but remained intensive.

"The overdose number went really high in the community," Deo said. "But luckily, because our services are already intensive, we didn’t see any increase in that for the people we serve."

But the organization may face challenging times ahead, when the state and federal eviction moratoriums expire. New Jersey's is set to finalize for most renters at the end of this year, while President Joe Biden recently extended the federal moratorium to Oct. 3.

Deo anticipates that the eventual end of the eviction moratorium will "significantly" increase the homeless population and the needs of people who risk homelessness. But Community Hope stands ready to help.

"Particularly for Community Hope, we help people with disabilities and special needs, populations like veterans and serious mental illness," Deo said. "Our struggle is always uphill. So we will help them."

Find out more about Community Hope here.

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