September finds us in the midst of preparing for our November fundraiser. This year's event will be held at the Brick House in Wyckoff on Monday, November 6 at 7 o'clock pm. We are excited about the evening -as usual it will feature fabulous foods and winning wines. But the real excitement of the evening will be the people we are honoring this year. Our first honoree –Monarch Housing Associates- under the direction of Richard Brown, Executive Director, has donated its time and expertise to our organization since our inception. Monarch has been instrumental in helping us to secure major funding for acquisition and operating expenses. Our second honoree is our very first –and longest renting- tenant. Five years ago, she and her then four year old daughter came to us after a year and a half in a shelter because she could not find a place that she could afford to rent. Both have interesting stories to share about the struggle that the homeless have in finding an affordable home and the importance of having the stability of a place to call their own.

In our last update I shared information with you about the chronically homeless and that population's over-reliance on expensive emergency services. In other parts of the country, jurisdictions are developing plans to end chronic homelessness. How exciting that Bergen County is now going down that same road! Last month, County Executive Dennis McNerney appointed Thomas Toronto, CEO of Bergen County's United Way, to chair a committee charged with developing a ten year plan to end chronic homelessness. By ending chronic homelessness, greater resources may be directed to other homeless families and individuals, with the realistic goal of ending homelessness overall. Stay tuned as the important work of this committee gets underway.

Please join us in November at our delectable evening. We appreciate your continued support and interest in our efforts to end homelessness in Bergen County. I

Karen E. Amy
President

September 2006