This month we are checking back in on the activities of the Middlesex County Consumer Participation Committee (CPC) and the resident led programming the group is developing. Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison Director of Program Management Melissa Mascolo is co-chair of the group and Mission First’s residents play key roles on the Committee, whose stated goal is to continue to effectively tackle homelessness in Middlesex County. Importantly, the group’s work is also supported by the inclusion of members of the community with lived experience of homelessness, three of those individuals are residents and eight in total sit on the Committee. Since its inception in 2020, the CPC has been responsible for some major accomplishments and its latest, the HOPE (Homeless Opportunities for Peer Empowerment) Outreach Group builds on that track record.

The group has created a resource guide detailing steps to obtaining important documentation and overcoming the barriers involved in the transition from homelessness to permanent housing. Feedback from their analysis of barriers to accessing systems and resources in the community has been provided to the Middlesex County Continuum of Care and will positively augment service delivery for those in the County experiencing homeless or housing insecurity.

Similarly, their work has benefitted Coming Home of Middlesex County, a non-profit established specifically to work on ending homelessness in the County. The group provided feedback on the navigation of in-person access as well as the County Coordinated Assessment administered by Coming Home. From a user-perspective, the group’s advice is tremendously important as this system assessed individuals using a uniform tool and prioritize them for available resources, such as shelter, prevention programs and permanent housing, based on their severity of needs and length of homelessness.

Illustrated resource guide, How to Be Successful in Housing, published last year by Artist-in-Residence Lane Stanley was also made possible through guidance and feedback from the group. Group members were instrumental in decisions involving content, language, illustrations and editing of the book, a truly collaborative effort between artist and community. Their hard work could also now have national implications as the guide is adopted by groups across the country combatting homelessness.

Most recently the group has planned and implemented the HOPE Outreach. Initial meetings have focused on program design, identification of viable community sites and the outreach plan. The program will not provide case management or referrals, but it will offer a safe space for individuals to obtain support and guidance from individuals with lived experience who have navigated the complex homeless system in our community. Through HOPE Outreach, a team of individuals with lived experience will conduct outreach twice a month in New Brunswick NJ, benefitting unhoused individuals and families. The project is completely managed by the lived experience group and the Committee, who have partnered with Emanuel Lutheran Church in New Brunswick, to host the event. 

The HOPE team creates a new but arguably more familiar and inviting entry point to individuals who might mistrust or do not understand the system creating the opportunity to empower others to connect. Mission First is proud to support this initiative, which underscores the importance of the input of those with lived experience and peer-to-peer support in the work we do. 

Mission First recently welcomed Resident Services Coordinator Alex Antonio to work with residents at Amandla Crossing and Imani Park in Edison, NJ and Union Eagle Senior Apartments in Bordentown, NJ. Alex has spent the last few months acclimating himself to program sites and meeting residents 1:1 and during our events, as well as building connections with our wrap around partners.

“I am very excited to have Alex onboard. He is doing a wonderful job, and he fits right in!” said Director of Program Management Melissa Mascolo. “He has experience working with the Community Support Services model and understands the local mainstream benefits systems.”

As a Resident Services Coordinator, Alex is focused on connecting residents with external resources, ensuring they have access to beneficial programs and informing them about community events. However, the role goes beyond that. Building meaningful relationships with residents allows him to identify individual needs and respond accordingly, whether by making appropriate referrals or offering direct support that can positively impact their lives. All of which specifically ties to his extensive experiences in case management. 

Alex was motivated to accept the position at Mission First viewing it as an opportunity to work directly with community members in a consistent, centralized location. The role allows him to bring together key aspects of his background such as case management, program coordination and building strong community connections. Moving forward, his goal is to employ those key experiential aspects to continue building genuine, long-term partnerships that are not just one-time connections, but relationships that endure and remain consistent over time.

“I hope to continue supporting residents,” Alex shared, “especially those with significant needs who are actively seeking help, by connecting them with resources that promote healthier, more fulfilling lives and enhance their overall quality of life.” To meet those goals, Alex has tasked himself with completing service plans for his assigned clients and connecting individuals from his client list to services such as Youth Workforce Development, General Assistance (GA) benefits and SCUCS (Senior Citizens United Coordinator Services), as well as providing ongoing financial literacy and health workshops and other available programming.

His work to meet those goals reflects the community he serves and is now a part of. Recalling his early days with Mission First, Alex mentions the positive, welcoming introduction to Mission First that encouraged him to share ideas. “I appreciated the time taken to thoughtfully consider which ideas could be developed, and I respected the clear explanations when certain ideas couldn’t move forward,” he explained. “I was excited to learn about the ideas that were approved and to see how we successfully brought them to life during an event.”

That positivity is echoed by his observations and interactions with residents. Alex cites his appreciation for the community and culture of neighborliness at Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison, noting their support for each other in times of need as well as their event attendance and willingness to take advantage of services provided by outside resources. It is clear that residents flourish in response to Mission First staff’s intentional efforts to improve their well-being and community.

Alex has clearly taken that intentional approach seriously. In his short time with Mission First, he has made a great connection with the team from the Tzu Chi Foundation, working to bring their South Jersey team to Union Eagle Senior Apartments to host Talk and Tea Community Building Tea events. He also helped identify new partners, such as the Middlesex County chapter of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) who recently joined Mission First for the annual Summer Resource Fair. Alex has been a great support to Food Pantry Program Assistant Andrea Dean as well, helping her manage the food pantry’s pick up and distribution days.

Whether the work focuses on his key skillsets or he is pitching in where needed, Alex has fit in perfectly at Mission First. Welcome Alex, we are grateful to have you!

September brings with it promises of cooler weather, football season and, of course, those three words parents love and kids love to hate: Back to school.

However, thanks to two considerate community partners, parents at Imani Park and Amandla Crossing can cross a few things off their back to school to-do lists.

Special thanks to The Edison Police Department’s Community Oriented Policing Unit, who donated backpacks and school supplies in advance of the schoolyear.

For the third year in a row, our friends at Walmart Academy at Store #04153 (2825 NJ-18 Old Bridge, NJ) organized the donation of 26 large bags of school supplies to give out to youngsters preparing to head back to the classroom.

We are extremely grateful for the generosity of Walmart and the Edison P.D. Their work helps our youth approach the year ahead full of confidence and prepared for success. On behalf of our staff and residents, thank you for making back to school time a little more stress-free for families at Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison.

How to Be Successful in Housing, the illustrated resource guide produced with input and feedback from Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison residents, has made its way to Colorado! The City of Greeley, CO recently purchased 75 copies of the guide, underscoring the importance and impact of work that is inclusive of those with lived experience of homelessness.

The book was produced as part of Mission First’s 2023 Artist-in-Residence Program in collaboration with New Brunswick-based coLAB Arts and resident members of the Middlesex County Consumer Participation Committee (CPC) group. Written at Amandla Crossing by Artist-in-Residence Lane Michael Stanley and illustrated by Kennedy Ketcham, the graphic-novel style resource guide was created for those entering housing for the first time after a period of homelessness.

Mission First residents were instrumental in developing and refining topics such as prioritizing what to address first when making the transition, setting priorities that are specific to the individual or family needs, creating and caring for new space, finding education and work opportunities and staying mentally and physically healthy.

Lane is shopping the book around to bookstores with social justice missions, reporting that the marketing push is ongoing on both coasts, with an LA-based shop ready to stock the guide and goals to expand to retailers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Can you or someone you know benefit from information like this? Click here to download a digital copy.

Resident-Led Cooking Demo at Amandla Crossing

Fresh Food Event at Imani Park

Gardening at Amandla Crossing

Resident-Led Cooking Demo at

Imani Park

We have great things planned for the future as well! Want to keep up-to-date on what's going on at Edison and Mission First's other work? Follow us on social media:

Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison provides permanent supportive housing for homeless individuals and families in Middlesex County. Our on-site support services offer our residents access to the resources they need to increase health, independence and housing stability. When you make a donation to Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison, you are helping to ensure that residents have the supports they need to remain successfully housed, get back on their feet and live as thriving members of the community. Your support means so much! 

Donate online by clicking below or by mail to Melissa Mascolo, Supportive Housing: Edison, c/o Amandla Crossing, 100 Mitch Snyder Drive, Edison, NJ 08837.

Do you want to do more than make a donation?

Here are some other great ways for you to help:

• Help secure a matching gift from your employer.
• Host a fundraising event and donate the proceeds to Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison.
• Host an essential items supply drive.
• Introduce your friends, family and colleagues to Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison and encourage them to give.

Do you have ideas you’d like to discuss? Give us a call! We’d love to work with you. For more information, please contact:

• Melissa Mascolo, Director of Program Management, 609.373.8550, mmascolo@missionfirsthousing.org
• Moira Rooney, Senior Vice President, Fundraising & Communications, 267.269.3331, mrooney@missionfirsthousing.org