FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER TOP AGENCY FOR HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE REFERRALSPhoto Caption: Joann Williams-Swiney, director of the NCC Family Resource Center in Newark, explains the NJ SHARES application process to Chanisa Baxter of East Orange.
New Community Corporation’s Family Resource Center processed 1,359 applications for persons seeking help paying energy bills last year, the most of any agency in the statewide network served by the energy assistance program known as NJ SHARES.
“Because of the present economy, and high energy cost, people are tightening their belts and they can’t afford the basic essentials these days,” said Joann Williams-Swiney, director of the Family Resource Center, located in NCC’s Pathmark Shopping Center on Bergen Street in Newark. “They need a lot of help, especially during the winter season and we are glad that we are able to provide this much needed service.”
NJ SHARES is a non-profit established in 1998 by New Jersey's leading energy companies and non-profit organizations. It provides energy assistance to moderate and fixed-income households experiencing a financial crisis.
Chanisa Baxter, a working, divorced mother of a 13-year-old boy struggling to pay the utility charges associated with her two-bedroom apartment, said the application process for NJ SHARES was simple and took only a few minutes of her time.
“It’s been very cold and the bill has just been too high every month. I have to pay not only for my electronic stove, but my heat and hot water,” said Baxter, 33, of East Orange, a Website developer who shells out over $200 a month for gas and electric, on top of her $900/month rent.
According to Barbara Gomes, director of outreach and communications for NJ SHARES, “NCC’s Family Resource Center processed 1,359 applications for energy assistance last year –the highest amount of households assisted by one agency in our network of 250 agencies statewide.”
“New Jersey SHARES has had a long-standing and successful working relationship with New Community, as well as the NCC Family Success (Resource) Center,” said Gomes. “Moreover, we have a great respect for the work that NCC Family Resource Center has done throughout the state of New Jersey. New Community’s Family Resource Center, in collaboration with NJ SHARES, provides valuable assistance to the community at large.”
Eligibility for NJ SHARES is based on household size and income. Clients are families and individuals who do not qualify for federal and state assistance programs due to the household’s income.
In addition to providing help paying energy bills, the NJ SHARES program also can assist with telephone bills through Verizon’s Communications Lifeline and Link-Up American Program. It can also help with water bills through United Water Cares and New Jersey American Waters’ H20 to Help Others program. At the Family Resource Center, those who don’t qualify for NJ SHARES, which is targeted at “moderate” income individuals and families and persons on a fixed income, are referred to other programs.
This winter as temperatures have fallen below freezing on several occasions, many have reached out for help with their home heating bills. Staff at the Family Resource Center have helped process applications for everyone from senior citizens living on a fixed income to families headed by two income wage-earners. Williams-Swiney said some of these individuals, including both homeowners and renters, had already been shut off or been given a shut-off date by their utility company for non-payment. With the intervention of her staff, many were given a reprieve as their NJ SHARES applications were expeditiously processed.
“The individuals we see are so grateful for the NJ SHARES program,” said Valerie White, a volunteer at the Family Resource Center who assists with applications.
For more information, visit www.njshares.org or call: 1 866-NJSHARES.
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