HUMAN SERVICES NEWSLETTER  7-8-21

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Project X-Change, a syringe access program, is located at Hyacinth Foundation at 849 W. State Street, Trenton NJ. Hours are Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. For more information, please call 609-396-8322 or 1-800-433-0254. This is a program of Hyacinth Foundation in partnership with the Trenton Department of Health and Human Services.

NJ HUMAN SERVICES NEWS IN THE COMMUNITY

This week, Governor Murphy signed a state budget that contains a lot of good news and increased funding opportunities for the following Human Services-related programming:  

• more than $60 million in additional child care funding, including for our child care subsidy program and for January 2022 minimum wage increases for child care workers
• two pilot programs to build on the administration’s ongoing investments in child care. The first will use $4.45 million to allow providers to make needed facility improvements to support their participation in Grow NJ Kids, the state’s child care quality rating and improvement system. The second appropriation of $550,000 will allow for a pilot of shared services collaborations in Central and South Jersey to maximize coordination and increase efficiencies in child care delivery
• increased cash assistance to TANF families by increasing the child support pass through payments for families with two or more children. It also provides a longer period – for a total of 6 months – for TANF households to meet program criteria without impacting cash assistance benefits for the child during this time, and invests $610,000 to support case management for individuals and families receiving public assistance.
• a continuation of the $2.5 million for counties to help with Code Blue placements for at-risk individuals during cold weather events, along with ongoing funding of $300,000 to continue to support our efforts to create safe and accessible homeless services environments for LGBTQ+ New Jerseyans.
• $9 million to increase per-diem shelter rates with the goal to help increase the wages of workers providing directly to individuals experiencing homelessness

To read more about the Fiscal Year 2022 State Budget Highlights, click here!

LOCAL EVENTS AND CLASSES

Heroin and Opioid Art Exhibition:

Artist Calls

Deadline to Submit: August 2, 2021

The Drug Enforcement Administration, New Jersey Division and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, in conjunction with the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey, The Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse along with the Ammon Foundation invite you to participate in the 5th Annual Heroin and Opioid Art Exhibition highlighting heroin and opioid abuse, addiction and recovery.  

Cash Prizes are awarded for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place and Honorable Mention. For more information and artwork submission, click here. 

JOB OPPORTUNITIES IN MERCER COUNTY, NJ

HomeWorks Trenton is hiring a Program Assistant to serve as the link between the HomeWorks’ administrative team and the HomeWorks’ house team. Please see the Job Description here. Interested applicants can email their resume and cover letter to nsingh@homeworkstrenton.org.

SURVEYS

The Greater Mercer Public Health Partnership (GMPHP) is collaborating with community partners in Mercer County to conduct the 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). We would greatly appreciate your feedback through this short survey to help evaluate how our community’s needs have changed since the 2019 CHNA given the momentous impact of COVID-19. You can access the survey here. 

Please reach out to 35^th Street Consulting at dwalters@35thstreetconsulting.com with any questions or comments.

You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to receive Dept. of Human Services Newsletters. Reminder that if you want to view the current list of Request For Proposals and Bid Opportunities for Mercer County, click here!

To view the current list of available jobs with Mercer County, as well as various other career resources, please visit the Job Opportunities tab on the Mercer County Website. 

The Mercer County Department of Human Services fosters a comprehensive human service delivery system that enhances the health, safety, and quality of life for all residents of Mercer County. The department's goal is to create an environment of public trust by empowering and strengthening individuals and families, advocating for sound policy, mobilizing resources, and acting as champions for those citizens who are most vulnerable and in need of services.

Through its offices and divisions, the Department of Human Services provides funding to community-based organizations for those organizations to provide direct services to Mercer County residents. The department does not provide direct services to Mercer County residents, but directs Mercer County residents to where they can access services. With this funding, the Department of Human Services complies with procurement practices in accordance with the New Jersey Public Contracts Law 40:A:11-1 et seq.