PROCEED, Inc

Your home is your security, a personal and a financial investment, a shelter and a place to bring together family and friends. Because of the importance of such an asset, PROCEED is committed to helping in any way possible when it comes to keeping your home. This help may come in the form of direct financial assistance in emergency situations or as food and utility assistance that allows for you to concentrate on paying the rent or mortgage. 

Because of the holistic nature of our services, we do not believe that just writing a check is an effective way to prevent homelessness. Instead, we connect customers with the appropriate services, either short-term or long-term, to ensure future self-sufficiency and to prevent homelessness from becoming a continuous threat. Our goal is to make sure that you receive assistance in a timely manner and that you leave our offices confident in your ability to keep your home.

For more information about PROCEED’s homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing services, contact Mercedes Quintana at (908) 351-7727, ext. 228. Read below to learn more about specific programs. 

One-Time Emergency Services

PROCEED provides temporary financial assistance and housing relocation and stabilization services to individuals and families who are currently homeless or in immediate danger of becoming homeless. It provides these individuals and families with an integrated system of services that range from preventing instances of near homelessness to intervening when homelessness is imminent. By providing these services, PROCEED seeks to: prevent people from initially becoming homeless; move homeless persons or persons who have contacted emergency shelters into housing; and move people who become homeless into permanent housing as quickly as possible. 

PROCEED’s program is for renters who can show that they have exhausted all other financial means to prevent homelessness and for individuals and families who are already homeless. Participating clients will receive temporary rental assistance to prevent immediate homelessness, as well as counseling to promote future self-sufficiency in obtaining and keeping permanent housing. Individuals and families who are already homeless will receive assistance moving into affordable, permanent housing. 

You must live in Union County to be eligible for program services. Additionally, you must prove that all other financial resources have been exhausted to qualify for services.

To determine eligibility, individuals or households must be pre-screened by PROCEED, have a recent eviction notice, and meet certain income guidelines as well as the fair market rent for Union County, NJ. Pre-screenings and applications are processed at PROCEED’s offices on East Grant Street from 9 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday.

Case Management 

Experienced staff members work with clients to alleviate the hardships associated with homelessness and near-homelessness. Not only do they seek to prevent homelessness as the final outcome, but also to prevent the loss of necessary utilities, such as heating and electricity, that often preempts homelessness. The client’s needs may be initially addressed by providing rental assistance, emergency food vouchers, and utility vouchers. Because of these services, clients have a chance to focus on the larger task of keeping their home. Through on-going case management and individualized attention, clients prepare for the long-term by learning the skills to be self-sufficient in obtaining or keeping permanent housing.

You must live in Union County to be eligible for program services. Because of concurrent city services, citizens of the City of Elizabeth must meet additional guidelines to be eligible for these services.