Newark Emergency Services for Families – 91��Ƭ

91��Ƭ Participates in World Homeless Day in Lincoln Park

Michelle Lang — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 21:03:17 +0000

91��Ƭ was one of the organizations to participate in a recognition of World Homeless Day in Lincoln Park in Newark on Oct. 6, along with and Newark Homelessness Coalition. Staff members from Harmony House, 91��Ƭ’s transitional housing facility for homeless families, were in attendance handing out items and information. 91��Ƭ CEO Simone Gagneron was also in attendance.

91��Ƭ Harmony House Participates in NESF World Homeless Day

Michelle Lang — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 18:21:10 +0000

Representatives from Harmony House, 91��Ƭ’s transitional housing facility for homeless families, participated in Newark Emergency Services for Families (NESF) World Homeless Day on Oct. 7 at Lincoln Park in Newark.

Harmony House staff members showcased the facility’s services to the community of service providers and residents in need. Harmony House staff members interacted with over 150 individuals while giving out information as well as care items.

91��Ƭ Harmony House would like to thank Amina Bey, Executive Director of NESF, and the NESF team, as well as Newark Councilwoman LaMonica McIver for including us in this event and for the remarkable work they continue to do for our community.

Harmony House Director Yonette Fredericks hands out items during NESF World Homeless Day on Oct. 7 at Lincoln Park in Newark. Photo courtesy of Yonette Fredericks.

Harmony House was one of the service providers that participated in NESF World Homeless Day on Oct. 7 at Lincoln Park in Newark. Photo courtesy of Yonette Fredericks.

91��Ƭ Residents Receive COVID-19 Booster Shots

Michelle Lang — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 21:18:32 +0000

Eligible residents of Douglas Homes, 15 Hill St., Newark, were able to get COVID-19 booster shots in the Community Room of the building on Oct. 28. Newark Emergency Services for Families Inc. (NESF) was on hand as part of the Newark Equitable Vaccine Initiative. Photos courtesy of Desiree Crespo.

NESF Day of Service: Recognition of World Homeless Day

Michelle Lang — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 13:30:32 +0000

Newark Emergency Services for Families (NESF) acknowledged World Homeless Day on Friday, Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Lincoln Park, Downtown Newark. The annual event was coordinated by NESF and co-sponsored by Newark Central Ward Councilwoman LaMonica McIver.

Among the NESF partners was 91��Ƭ Harmony House and Family Service Bureau (FSB). Yonette Fredericks, Director of Harmony House, was present to inform the community about Harmony House, NCC’s transitional housing for homeless families, and about the FSB Hope and Healing Program for COVID-19 resources.

Fredericks had a table loaded with housing resources and socks for individuals and families who were interested. “The event went very well,” said Fredericks.

NCC Family Resource Center Director Joann Williams-Swiney speaks to a community member at Newark Emergency Services for Families Event in Newark on Oct. 8. Photo courtesy of Yonette Fredericks.

Community members visit vendor tables at Newark Emergency Services for Families Event in Newark on Oct. 8. Photo courtesy of Yonette Fredericks.

Harmony House Thanks Donors, Community Partners

Michelle Lang — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 16:45:09 +0000

Dear Donors and Community Partners:

Harmony House management and the families would like to take a moment to express our deep appreciation for all the support and aid that have been offered in these unprecedented times. Even during a period of nationwide social and economic unrest, and a statewide quarantine that has disrupted the lives of so many, the various organizations and individuals have taken the time to demonstrate to those most vulnerable in our community that they are not forgotten and that their health and wellbeing matter.

Harmony House is a transitional housing program with the primary goal of helping families move from homelessness to permanent housing and from dependency to self-sufficiency. With the capacity to house 102 families in individual apartment units and a host of on-site social services, Harmony House provides much more than a shelter. It offers stability to families facing seemingly insurmountable barriers and enables them to restore their lives.

Since the COVID-19 shutdown began in late March 2020, Harmony House has received the following donations from our generous supporters:

World Central Kitchen, in partnership with Audible, has made over 70 trips to Harmony House. From early May to the end of June, they have delivered 5,580 meals.
Newark Emergency Services for Families (NESF) has increased its usual monthly donation of perishable and non-perishable goods to a weekly delivery of donations during the shutdown.
The National Council of Jewish Women in collaboration with the Community FoodBank of New Jersey continues to support us through their donation of sanitary napkins, totaling 81 boxes annually.

Throughout the year, the following supporters have also been a beacon of support and hope to our families:

Margaret Strong from St. Teresa’s in Summit, N.J., has provided our families with Christmas gifts for all the children.
Sally Milad has continuously provided our families with back-to-school haircuts and hairdos for all children year after year.
Sean Lewis from Calvary Baptist Church in Morristown, N.J., provides Christmas gifts for our children.
Ana Osario from Newark Public Schools has graciously provided toiletry items for men and women, as well as food donations.

These donations have been incredibly important to and gratefully received by our families. The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a crisis with multiple dimensions: an economic catastrophe, a fear for health and life itself and above all uncertainty of what the future holds and how to move forward. Uncertainty and economic fragility already plagued our residents before the pandemic hit, and the current state has only made it that much harder for our residents to get back on their feet. On behalf of Harmony House staff and residents, we truly cannot thank you enough for doing what you can to help.

Amidst all the turmoil, a silver lining can perhaps be found in how the pandemic has brought communities together. All across the nation, everyone from community residents at the grassroots level to large corporations have come together to form relief funds and support networks to ensure that we all come through this crisis whole. I hope that we are able to sustain this momentum even once COVID-19 is a problem of the past and continue to lend each other a helping hand. Altruism and compassion are as much a part of a healthy society as vaccines and businesses.

Sincerely,
Yonette Fredericks
Director of Harmony House

Remembering Trish Morris-Yamba: A Champion Of Women And Children

Michelle Lang — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 20:02:46 +0000

Trish Morris-Yamba, the wife of NCC Board President Dr. A. Zachary Yamba, was a champion of women’s and children’s causes. Photo courtesy of Dr. A. Zachary Yamba.

Newark and the community at large lost a dedicated champion of women and children with the passing of Trish Morris-Yamba March 8 at the age of 80. She was the wife of 91��Ƭ Board President Dr. A. Zachary Yamba.
Morris-Yamba was heavily involved in the Newark Day Center, which aims to train the poor to help themselves, and its Greater Newark Fresh Air Fund. She worked for the Newark Day Center for 32 years and continued to be involved with the organization during her retirement.
The Greater Newark Fresh Air Fund sends inner-city children from the Greater Newark area to camp, where they can enjoy the outdoors and participate in activities like swimming. Morris-Yamba was heavily involved in the process to make sure children had positive experiences. Yamba said at one time she worked with an airline that would take the children to the Bahamas for a day.
“It was a great treat for the kids,” Yamba said.
In addition to her work at the Newark Day Center, Morris-Yamba was the founding president of the Early Childhood Coalition of Newark and she founded the CHEN School, a collaborative preschool sponsored by the Council of Higher Education in Newark.
Women’s empowerment was another area Morris-Yamba was passionate about. She was a founding member and vice chair of the National Congress of Black Women. She also chaired its metro-Newark chapter. Yamba said she helped install various chapters of the group.
He explained that Morris-Yamba helped women professionally and politically, supporting women who were running for public office and influencing public policy.
“It didn’t matter what level office they were seeking. She would go to their rallies and support in whatever way she could. Whether it’s at the local level in New Jersey, whether it’s in Washington, whether it’s in Atlanta, she would get up and just go,” Yamba said.
Yamba said he asked her if she would run for office, but she declined.
“She said, ‘No, I like to support women’s issues, women’s causes and open doors for them.’ Especially some of the younger people because she said we need young people in the pipeline,” Yamba explained.
Although Morris-Yamba was busy with her advocacy work, Yamba said she was always present for their children and their events and made time to attend some of his professional functions as well. Yamba served as the president of Essex County College for 30 years so they both had very active professional lives.
“We never got in each other’s way,” he said. “We supported each other. I went to some of her functions and she went to some of mine.”
Many saw Morris-Yamba as a mother figure because Yamba said she took people under her wing throughout her life. He said he believed her drive to help others was nurtured by her mother who was very active in the community when Morris-Yamba was young, organizing softball games for neighborhood children and being very active in church organizations.
Newark served as the base for Morris-Yamba’s advocacy work, but her influence spread much farther than the city limits. In addition to her work with the National Congress of Black Women, she served as the host of “Black Spectrum,” a public affairs show that aired on NBC for many years.
Morris-Yamba was an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, which aims to study and help alleviate problems concerning girls and women in order to improve their social stature and to be of service to all mankind. Yamba said his wife loved being part of the sorority and several relatives, including two granddaughters and nieces, are carrying on in her footsteps as members.
Morris-Yamba was a longtime member of Bethany Baptist Church in Newark and served on several boards, including the Bethany Christian Academy, Newark Emergency Services for Families and the Community Advisory Board of Thirteen/WNET.
The loss of Morris-Yamba will be felt by those close to her personally, throughout Newark and beyond. The work she did throughout her life, however, will continue and will serve as a positive influence on women, children and society at large.
“We’re going to miss her. No question about that,” Yamba said.