July
2002
Leadership
Trenton: The Human Services seminar
By Pamela Sims Jones
Our Human Services Seminar was held May 30 starting at the Mercer
County Board of Social Services on Woolverton Street in Trenton.
After a tour of the facilities that included the Patrick J. Magee
Workforce Development Center, and an overview of the services
provided to "customers," a panel discussion on social
services in Trenton and the region was convened.
Presenters were Dennis Micai, Director of Welfare at the Mercer
County Board of Social Services; April Aaronson, Director of Trenton's
Dept. of Health and Human Services; Marygrace Billek, Demand Treatment
Project Director in Trenton's Dept. of Health and Human Services;
Connie Mercer, Executive Director of Homefront; and Sunday Parker,
Coordinator for Children's Health Services with the city's Division
of Health. Also present throughout the day was Joyce Gallagher,
Deputy Director of Welfare with the Mercer County Board of Social
Services.
The Leadership Trenton fellows were assigned to four teams: children's
health, homelessness, substance abuse, and welfare reform. Each
team had a group leader and one or two of the panelists accompanied
each team for the entire day of site visits. Some of the teams
divided into smaller groups and were required to "role play"
various situations.
The welfare reform team remained at the Mercer County Board of
Social Services and in the afternoon visited the Mercer County
Office of Training and Education Services. The children's health
team visited the Trenton Public Health Clinic; the homelessness
team went to the Rescue Mission of Trenton and Homefront; and
the substance abuse team visited the Greater Trenton Behavioral
Healthcare, the Family Guidance Center, and Trenton Treatment
Center. Team reports and facilitated discussion were held prior
to dinner at Thomas Edison State College. In attendance, along
with the morning panelists, was Commissioner Gwendolyn Harris
of the New Jersey Department of Human Services.
Lunch was held at the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK). Surrounded
by beautiful artwork created by the patrons. Peter Wise, Executive
Director of TASK, introduced various staff and emphasized that
TASK serves a diverse population: the elderly, children, physically
and mentally challenged, and those suffering from substance abuse
problems. Wise stressed that TASK treats its patrons with cordiality
and hospitality. Serving more than 2500 meals a week, TASK works
closely with the Mercer County Board of Social Services, Greater
Trenton Behavioral Healthcare and other agencies to assist their
patrons with various needs other than food service such as providing
toiletries, phone and fax service, tutoring in literacy, basic
math, preparation for high school equivalency exams, and basic
computer skills.
"As a society, there is a gap between the haves and have-nots.
Too many in this region are disconnected from Trenton. There are
a lot of well-meaning people in the region who don't know about
the needs of the area and the mission of TASK," said Wise.
TASK is a private non-profit founded in 1982 by a few people
from local churches and social service organizations. Soon there
will be a full-time caseworker and expansion of the building.
Many of the fellows were amazed at the wealth of services provided
to the needy and working poor in Mercer County through the Board
of Social Services and Trenton's Department of Health and Human
Services along with other city and county agencies, but there
is still a need for more community outreach. Poverty, lack of
affordable house, lack of medical benefits, racism, and income
bias are all related to Trenton's working and homeless poor. The
question is, how can community social and civic organizations,
along with local activists and leaders, connect their communities
and residents to the county and city's agencies?
Work First New Jersey is the new welfare program since 1996.
The federal program for families is called Temporary Assistance
to Needy Families (TANF), and the program for single adults and
couples without dependent children is known as Work First New
Jersey General Assistance (GA). These and many other services
can be obtained by contacting the Mercer County Board of Social
Services.
There are 35 million people living in poverty in the United States,
the same as during the Great Depression. In New Jersey, along
with the working poor, the working homeless are the new casualties
of welfare reform. This is the wealthiest and most expensive state
to live in. Apartment rents in New Jersey are the second highest
in the nation, behind only Hawaii. It's not easy being poor in
New Jersey and full time work does not guarantee escape from poverty.
It's not okay that one in six children in Trenton are living in
poverty, or that the city has the third highest mortality rate
in the state.
During our wrap-up session, each team played the board game "Survival"
where with limited funds and a bit of luck, a family had to take
care of their basic monthly needs and pray there was no crisis.
If any emergency arose such as illness, it could throw a family
into a desperate situation, sometimes having to choose between
paying child care or bus fare, buying food or paying the rent.
Hopefully, the city and region will continue to improve upon their
outreach and assessment in servicing the poor, increase the transitional
support services such as housing and permanent supportive housing,
and the community at large wakes up to the reality of poverty
around them.
# # #
Special thanks to all of the agencies and their staff who
contributed to the success of our May seminar, and to Commissioner
Gwendolyn Long Harris.
Pamela Sims Jones is Deputy Director of the Dept. of State's
MLK, Jr. Commemorative Commission.
