Sharon Green loves her job as a part-time classroom aide. She works with special needs students. Sharon smiles each time she tells us stories about her students and how much joy they bring to her every day.
Recently, Sharon was a victim of theft. The crime not only robbed her of her dignity, but left her without funds to pay her rent. Between borrowing from family members and using her nearly depleted savings, she was able to replace the stolen rent. However, this circumstance left her unable to pay her utility bill. Then the inevitable happened. Sharon soon received a shut-off notice from the utility company.
With an impending shut off, Sharon was referred to Homefirst by NJ211. NJ211 is a statewide hotline which provides referrals to social services throughout the State of New Jersey.
The Homefirst specialists worked to identify the applicable emergency assistance program which best aligned with Sharon’s need. Our specialists contacted the utility company, approved her request for direct cash assistance to avoid the shut-off, and provided financial literacy counseling. In addition, our specialists helped her identify an income based program to provide long-term savings on Sharon’s monthly bill.
