Covenant House, interfaith neighbors to break ground for a new house of help and hope for homeless youth in Asbury Park
For five years, Covenant House outreach workers have been on the streets of Asbury Park, providing food, clothing, counseling and comfort for homeless and at-risk youth.
On Thursday April 6th at 10 a.m. at 520 Prospect Ave., thanks to a partnership with Interfaith Neighbors, there will be a groundbreaking ceremony for a new building that formerly homeless young people will call home.
“The young people we have met and helped on the streets in Asbury Park over the past five years are incredibly strong and resilient and have inspired us to do more,” said Covenant House New Jersey Executive Director Jim White. “And so when our friends at Interfaith Neighbors approached us with this partnership and the opportunity to provide permanent, stable housing, we welcomed the opportunity to serve more young people and provide them with the services they need and deserve.
“This new building will be a place of help and hope to 5 young men who will live here full time. It will be their home, a place for them to live while they go to work, to school, and strive towards their dreams. We are so grateful to Interfaith Neighbors for seeing the goodness and the potential in our homeless youth and stepping up to make a life-changing difference.”
“The Covenant House Rights of Passage project allows us to fulfill a long held desire to address the problem of homelessness experienced all too often in Asbury Park,” said Paul McEvily, Co-Executive Director of Interfaith Neighbors. “Homelessness of our young people is a problem we became aware of while administering the NJ Youth Corps of Monmouth County over the past ten years. This program will both address the short term problem of unstable housing and provide the youth with the training necessary to prepare them for a successful transition to independent living. Interfaith Neighbors is excited to begin this collaboration with Covenant House New Jersey that will address such an important issue for the youth of our community.”
The April 6th, 10 a.m. groundbreaking will be held at 520 Prospect Ave in Asbury Park, and will be open to the public and the media.
Attendees will include Covenant House International President Kevin Ryan, Covenant House New Jersey Executive Director Jim White, as well as partners from Interfaith Neighbors, local Covenant House youth, donors and community supporters.
For more information on the groundbreaking of this new place of help and hope for homeless youth in Asbury Park, contact:
Tom Manning, Covenant House, office (212) 727-4920, cell (845) 300-2126tmanning@covenanthouse.org
