Harmony House – 91��Ƭ

91��Ƭ Harmony House Hosts Women’s History Month Luncheon

Michelle Lang — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 16:36:54 +0000

Harmony House, 91��Ƭ’s shelter for families, hosted a Women’s History Month Luncheon for clients on March 31. Staff members cooked and served a hot meal to the clients, who enjoyed an afternoon of food, music and time with their neighbors.

91��Ƭ Harmony House Embraces Self-Care

Michelle Lang — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 15:00:13 +0000

Residents of Harmony House, 91��Ƭ’s shelter facility for homeless families, hosted a vision board party for residents on Feb. 7 where they looked through magazines and cut out images or inspirational words and phrases to glue on a vision board for themselves, reminding them of their goals and dreams. Residents and staff members also created hearts with sayings to display in the hallway during the month of February.

91��Ƭ Thanks Its 2024 Holiday Donors

Michelle Lang — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 20:56:43 +0000

Each year, 91��Ƭ receives donations that benefit those we serve for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Thanks to the generosity of individuals and organizations, we can provide holiday meals and Christmas presents to families.

We are deeply grateful and thank the following groups and individuals for spreading the spirit of joy during the 2024 holiday season.

2024 Christmas Gift Drive Donors:

, Emerson, N.J. – Sandy Johnson, coordinator
, Short Hills, N.J. – Leslie Elble, coordinator
– Cindy Oliveira Oswald, coordinator, and coworkers
, Summit, N.J. – Brian Topping, coordinator, coworkers and students
, Short Hills, N.J. – Christy Wong
, Summit, N.J. – Margaret Strong, volunteers and parishioners

Harmony House Donors:

Loretta Bronat – Cleaning products, towel set, adult and children hats, gloves and mittens
, Lattoya Dawson – Canned goods
, Zhada Stamps Moore – Canned goods, nonperishable items
, Lumane Metullus – 15 Thanksgiving baskets, hygiene kits, detergent, diapers and cases of water
Sally Milad – Christmas party and presents
Christopher Kosseff – Toothbrushes
Lesley Michael – Christmas presents
Gita Sheth – Toys, Hess Trucks and books
, Idalia Castro – 400 new pajamas
– Meals

Volunteer Hosts 10th Annual Christmas Party for 91��Ƭ Harmony House Families

Michelle Lang — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 21:01:04 +0000

Volunteer Sally Milad organized and hosted her 10th annual Christmas party for the children and families at Harmony House, 91��Ƭ’s transitional housing facility for homeless families. The event took place on Dec. 22 and included presents and a visit from Santa. We thank Milad for making the holidays bright for our families. Photos courtesy of Sally Milad.

Withum Volunteers Prepare and Serve Thanksgiving Dinner to 91��Ƭ Harmony House Families

Michelle Lang — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 17:10:07 +0000

Volunteers from accounting firm prepared and served a traditional Thanksgiving dinner to families of Harmony House, 91��Ƭ’s transitional housing facility for homeless families, at Monsignor William J. Linder Plaza, 233 West Market St., Newark, on Nov. 26. The families enjoyed an evening filled with food, music, dancing and fun. 91��Ƭ thanks all the Withum volunteers for their generosity.

91��Ƭ Harmony House Residents Receive Thanksgiving Baskets

Michelle Lang — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 21:29:48 +0000

For the 12th year in a row, organized a donation of Thanksgiving baskets to Harmony House, 91��Ƭ’s transitional housing facility for homeless families. Spectrum360 is an organization whose mission is to provide the highest quality educational and therapeutic programs for people with autism and related disabilities. Program participants and staff members brought 15 baskets to Harmony House on Nov. 25, along with additional items to be handed out to families ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. 91��Ƭ thanks Spectrum360 and its members for their generosity.

McKinsey & Company Volunteers Help Beautify 91��Ƭ Properties

Michelle Lang — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 13:40:30 +0000

91��Ƭ welcomed volunteers from on Oct. 18 who worked on projects at Meditation Park and Harmony House, 91��Ƭ’s transitional housing facility for homeless families. Volunteers beautified the park and painted the exterior of Harmony House making both spaces more inviting for our residents. 91��Ƭ appreciates the volunteers’ efforts and looks forward to inviting them back for future projects.

91��Ƭ Harmony House Children Get Ready to Head Back to School

Michelle Lang — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 19:51:44 +0000

Volunteer Sally Milad once again arranged for a back-to-school event at Harmony House, 91��Ƭ’s transitional housing facility for homeless families, which was held on Aug. 26. This is the eighth year Milad has thrown the event with the help of donations and volunteers. Children received backpacks, school supplies, pizza and snacks at the event. They were able to get haircuts and hair styles as well. We thank Milad and the other volunteers for their hard work. It was a great way to kick off the new school year.

Remembering Long-Time Harmony House Staffer Angela Hall

Michelle Lang — Sun, 19 May 2024 19:13:44 +0000

Angela Hall was a fixture at Harmony House, 91��Ƭ’s transitional housing facility for homeless families. She worked for 91��Ƭ for more than 34 years before her passing on March 27 after a battle with colon cancer.

Her sister Lisa M. Hall-Brown said Hall loved working at Harmony House, particularly with the children there. She would help children with their homework if they were having trouble and led them toward a successful path.

“She wanted every young child to look toward college and to further their education, and become good people,” Hall-Brown said. “She loved those children.”

Hall-Brown said there were many success stories attributed to her sister, including a young man who she referred to who now owns a construction company, a woman in recovery for drug addiction who Hall helped find employment and a client who she accompanied to a bank to help open an account.

While Hall didn’t have children of her own, Hall-Brown said she was fantastic when working with young people.

“She treated everybody’s kids like they were her own. She was sweet, she was stern and they respected her,” Hall-Brown said. “I know she touched so many children. The kids used to come back just to see her.”

Harmony House Case Manager Linda Washington worked with Hall for more than 17 years and described her as very knowledgeable and always willing to help in whatever way she could. Washington said Hall’s work with the youth at Harmony House made a huge difference and when she switched to case management for the adults, she did just as well. Washington said Hall’s loss has already been felt and she will be greatly missed.

“Her clients loved her,” Washington said. “She was a great person.”

Hall was raised in Newark, just blocks away from Harmony House. She worked as a youth counselor in her teenage years, for a time as a nursing aid and later served as a resident counselor at a home for boys. A coworker told her about the employment opportunity at 91��Ƭ so she applied and was accepted. Hall-Brown said Hall loved working at 91��Ƭ and made her career there.

Hall also had many skills that her coworkers may not have known about. Hall-Brown said she was an amateur mechanic and also knew how to drive a tractor trailer. She said Hall knew how to do some plumbing and fix almost anything like their father.

Hall-Brown said Hall had a good sense of humor, was loving and was very charitable.

“I’m going to miss her but she had a good run,” Hall-Brown said. “She helped people. She wasn’t just there.”

91��Ƭ Harmony House Director Uses Life Experience to Relate to Clients

Michelle Lang — Wed, 15 May 2024 19:57:39 +0000

Carrie Radice has a wealth of experience working with homeless individuals and in affordable housing. On April 1, she became the Director of Harmony House, 91��Ƭ’s transitional housing facility for homeless families.

Radice started her career in domestic violence, working in a safe house. She later served as the Director of , a homeless shelter. She also ran a veteran program in Newark and worked in property management for a decade.

Helping others has always driven Radice. She is a licensed social worker and has lived experience that helps her relate to clients.

“I was raised by a single mom of four and when the rent went up, we moved. Depending on the definition of homelessness at the time, we were either considered couch surfers or homeless a lot of times as children,” she said. “It’s always been a passion and something I understood.”

91��Ƭ CEO Simone Gagneron sees Radice as a great asset to Harmony House.

“I’m thrilled to welcome our newest team member to the 91��Ƭ family. Carrie’s passion for making a difference and dedication to our mission is truly inspiring,” she said. “I’m confident she’ll make a significant impact in the lives of those we serve.”

Radice enjoys seeing clients improve both their situation and their outlook.

“To see their success and to start to believe in themselves. To see the dullness go to a spark,” she said of her favorite part of her work.

Radice sees having the entire network of 91��Ƭ services available for the clients as very beneficial.

“It’s a concept that should be within every agency that I worked for,” she said. “To have everything in-house is brilliant.”

She also likes the setup of Harmony House since it offers apartments to families with private bathrooms and kitchens, which helps reduce some stress during a time of unrest.

Radice attended county college before earning a bachelor’s degree from . She then earned a master’s degree in social work from . She lived in upstate New York for a short time as a child but has mainly resided in New Jersey, in a variety of counties.

Radice currently lives in Sussex County and has two daughters and a grandson. In her free time, she enjoys playing trivia on a team, playing the tambourine, listening to live music, spending time on the beach in the summer and spending time with her grandson.

Radice sees the work at Harmony House as essential for helping families get back on their feet.

“You can’t focus on anything else if you don’t have a roof over your head,” she said.