Over the recent weeks, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Camden has received a total of $1.5 million in grants for homeless prevention from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and Camden County.
The U.S. bishops have said that the church has traditionally viewed housing, not as a commodity, but as a basic human right. This conviction is grounded in its view of the human person and the responsibility of society to protect the life and dignity of every person by providing the conditions where human life and human dignity are not undermined, but enhanced.
Noted Kevin Hickey, executive director of Catholic Charities, “We are gratified to be in partnership with the state and county governmental agencies as we mutually seek to provide housing to the most vulnerable. Stable, safe, affordable housing is clearly part of the human environment which the Catholic Church describes as the common good.”
The specific grants and counties include Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing grants, totaling $984,845 in the following counties:
Atlantic County ($388,166),
Gloucester County ($365,024), and
Salem County ($231,655).
Homeless Prevention grants total $305,682 and include:
Cape May County ($69,619),
Cumberland County ($81,232),
Gloucester County ($86,113), and
Salem County ($68,718). Additionally, Camden County will be granting Catholic Charities approximately $298,000 in SSH funding (Supportive Services for the Homeless).