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.”

Harmony House After-School Program Helps Kids Excel

Michelle Lang — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 15:52:59 +0000

Children in kindergarten through seventh grade living at Harmony House, 91��Ƭ’s transitional housing facility for homeless families, have a place to go once the school day ends to enhance their learning and have some fun.
The Harmony House Excel program, which runs from 3 to 6 p.m. each school day at Harmony House, provides children with a hot, nutritious meal; homework instruction and assistance, including one-on-one tutoring if needed; character education; and recreational activities like arts and crafts and organized games. There are currently 20 children in the program, which has room for 25 participants and is available exclusively to Harmony House families.
“The goal is to help our students develop basic skills and to succeed in school, in addition to providing them with the opportunity to try new things,” said Edward Morris, director of Youth Services at 91��Ƭ.
The main purpose of the program is academic enrichment so the children spend one hour on their homework. If they finish their homework early, they are provided with appropriate academic work to complete for the remainder of the time.
In addition to Harmony House staff, two members of the Essex Regional Educational Services Commission (ERESC) work with the children. There is currently one teacher and one social worker involved. In total, four staff members run the after-school program.
Judith Robertson, the teacher from ERESC, explained that staff members interact with the students’ teachers and act as a liaison for parents.
“We provide continuity between school and home,” she said.
Morris said Excel program staff members are in contact with teachers and counselors to see where the students are in class so they can help the students get where they need to be and address any issues that may be occurring.
Children do more than academic work during the program. Board games and puzzles are available to them, as well as arts and crafts, science activities and cooking. On Fridays, the children go to the NCC Neighborhood Center around 4:30 p.m. to participate in joint organized activities with children in the program there, including relay races and obstacle courses.
“Academics is the focus, but we want them to experience other things while they’re here as well,” Morris said.
In addition to helping the children, the Excel program also involves the parents. Parent workshops are held, with topics chosen based on surveys that parents receive. Staff members encourage parents to volunteer during the program and they hold special events periodically to bring the parents and children together.
Celestine Swain, whose two children have participated in the after-school program, said it has a great impact.
“The entire staff here work very hard to try to make the transition from being homeless to being a home,” she said. “Whatever resources they can offer, they do.”
Morris said the after-school program provides a positive atmosphere for participants.
“The kids enjoy it because they get to work with staff and take part in a number of fun activities,” he said.
NCC received a grant from the Children’s Interagency Coordinating Council (CIACC) over the summer to fund the after-school program through December. The grant is from the county to address unmet needs of children in Essex County. It pays for staff, supplies and food.
“Getting this grant enhances our Harmony House transitional home program by providing children stability and support for their educational needs while gaining support for stability in securing permanent housing,” said Chief of Health and Social Services Arti Kakkar.
Morris is hoping to get the program licensed with the New Jersey Department of Licensing, which would allow for additional funding sources. He’s hoping to have the license in early 2018.

Angela Hall – 91��Ƭ

Remembering Long-Time Harmony House Staffer Angela Hall

Harmony House After-School Program Helps Kids Excel