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For Immediate Release                                                        Contact: Michael Drewniak

Tuesday, April 2, 2013                                                                          Kevin Roberts

                                                                                                                  609-777-2600

 

Ninth Family Success Center to Open Under Christie Administration Will Provide Services to Support Families Impacted by Superstorm Sandy

 

Trenton, NJ – Bringing additional services to support residents and families of the northern Monmouth County bayshore area impacted by Superstorm Sandy, Acting Governor Kim Guadagno and Department of Children and Families (DCF) Deputy Commissioner Jeffrey Guenzel today marked the official opening of New Jersey’s 51st Family Success Center (FSC) in Union Beach. The Bayshore Family Success Center, operated by the Community YMCA, is located at the Union Beach Memorial Library and will serve the communities of Atlantic Highlands, Belford, Highlands, Keansburg, Keyport, Leonardo and Union Beach. 

“The Christie Administration recognizes the vital work of the FSCs in changing lives and positively influencing communities one family at a time,” said Acting Governor Guadagno. “For the families in these northern Monmouth County communities who continue to face the challenges of rebuilding in the aftermath of Sandy, this new FSC will offer a place where they have access to a variety of tools to recover, succeed and look to the future. Like so many other FSCs across the state, we know that Bayshore will be a key resource for families of this community for years to come.”

 

The Governor’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget protects funding for FSCs at $9.7 million in state funds along with $2.5 million in federal funds. Because of the Governor’s commitment to these critical services, the number of FSCs in New Jersey has increased from 42 to 51 under the Christie Administration. Since 2010, the number of unduplicated families served by the centers have increased by nearly 63 percent, from 37,820 to 61,755.

 

The Community YMCA received $300,000 in state funding to establish the Bayshore Family Success Center. DCF also increased the current funding of the Ocean County Family Success Center by $60,000 (for a total of $300,000) so services in that county can be expanded as a result of the impact of Sandy.

 

"Our goal is to provide parents and families access to the services, supports and resources they need at the Family Success Center before they find themselves in a crisis,” said DCF Deputy Commissioner Guenzel. “We want to help guide and support parents while they are raising and providing care to their children, even when faced with difficulties that are stressful."

 

Some of the free services provided by the Bayshore Family Success Center include: supportive counseling for parents raising children; classes and support groups for families, single parents and teens; parent-child activities; and a variety of workshops on topics such as stress reduction, financial literacy, leadership/empowerment, education, employment, domestic violence, nutritional awareness, healthcare resources, and financial assistance.

 

Through DCF, the State funds a network of FSCs as “one stop” sites that provide wrap-around resources and supports for families before they find themselves in crisis. FSCs provide community-based, family-centered neighborhood gathering places where community residents can go for family support, information, referrals and access to services at no cost. 

 

To learn more about the Family Success Centers located throughout New Jersey, visit www.nj.gov/dcf and click the "Families" tab on the home page.