From blankets and food to flu shots, Project Homeless Connect aims to help.
Connie and Robert Bayne said they almost lost their Phillipsburg home three years ago.
The couple, ages 53 and 73, had fallen behind on their mortgage after Robert's taxi business went under, but said they managed to redo their mortgage at a lower interest rate. Times are still lean, and on Wednesday they were looking for help with their utility bills.
Still, Connie said: "A lot of people here are worse off than we are."
They were among more than 100 people who came through St. Philip & St. James Church's Mercy Hall in the first hour and a half of Warren County's Project Homeless Connect, which goes until 2 p.m.
The annual event at the Phillipsburg church brings many public services together to aid those who are homeless or at risk of becoming so.
The Baynes collected a quilt from the United Presbyterian Church of Belvidere and rummaged through clothes, in addition to looking for help on their bills. Others got grocery bags of necessities from NORWESCAP, legal guidance through Legal Services of Northwest New Jersey, or flu shots and blood-pressure tests from the Public Health Nursing table.
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There was assistance for housing, domestic violence and other social issues. Operation Chillout had run out of its 51 backpacks filled with goods within the first hour and a half, organizers said.
Project Homeless Connect each year is run in conjunction with the annual nationwide Point in Time Count, which gathers data on homelessness and its contributing factors.
In last year's study on Jan. 26, the count found 40 homeless people in Warren County, down nine from the previous year. Statewide, 8,941 men, women and children were counted, a 12.4 percent decrease from 2015. The statewide and county reports are available at monarchhousing.org.
But the needs go beyond the numbers.
"I think it's amazing that in such a small county, we have such a large number of residents that need services," said Jan McDyer, with the county's human services department. "It's amazing that we all come together on a day like this to help."
Robert Bayne said the event presents "all kinds of opportunities," especially for those afraid of being judged for their needs.
Connie summed it up in one word: "Hope."
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
