All posts by shaabae1@tcnj.edu

Mayor Jackson Urges Trentonians Experiencing Homelessness to Visit CEAS Center

By Jared Kofsky

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Eric Jackson, the mayor of the City of Trenton, spoke exclusively with The Wall regarding issues impacting residents.

Despite being home to less than 85,000 people, a large number of Trenton residents experience homelessness or poverty. Mayor Jackson urged residents of Trenton who are currently experiencing homelessness to visit the new Coordinated Entry and Assessment Services (CEAS) Center.

“It’s a comprehensive facility”, said Mayor Jackson, describing it as a “one stop shop under one roof where we’ll attend to the needs that they have as homeless individuals in our city, most importantly to get them housing that will be permanent housing for them.”

The CEAS Center, located at 509 Perry Street, between Carroll and Ewing Streets, is in the same neighborhood as the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, the Rescue Mission of Trenton, the Mount Carmel Guild, and Catholic Charities. The center, which is operated by the City of Trenton Department of Health and Human Services, opened in April of 2015. It provides services for Mercer County residents who have experienced homelessness for a significant amount of time. Services provided include housing, identification, and information regarding eligibility for benefits. According to the Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness, individuals who recently became homeless will be referred to the Mercer County Board of Social Services.

Click here to learn more about the CEAS Center, or visit between 8:30am and 4:30pm on weekdays.

Event Discusses Preservation Opportunities in Trenton

By Jared Kofsky

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An event was held this week to raise awareness of historic buildings throughout the City of Trenton.

The Trenton Historical Society held the ‘Trenton’s Top Ten Preservation Opportunities’ program on Wednesday evening atop the Broad Street Bank Building on East State Street in the city’s Downtown. The building, once used for commercial purposes, later became abandoned, but now contains apartments. Local architect and program host John Hatch called it “one of the most prominent buildings in the City of Trenton”.

Hatch cited other successful revitalization projects in the city, such as the Ferdinand Roebling Mansion on West State Street, which now serves as the headquarters of the New Jersey League of Municipalities, and the Golden Swan Building on South Warren Street. Many of the event’s organizers hope that many buildings across the city can undergo similar transformations.

Dozens of Trentonians and area residents were in attendance, including Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson, Councilwoman Marge-Caldwell Wilson, and Diana Rogers of the Trenton Division of Housing and Economic Development.

“This is an awesome event”, said Mayor Jackson, adding that “it talks about historic preservation which is vitally critical to our city.”

Sites on the list ranged from the vacant Trenton Junior High School #1 on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to the former East Trenton and Skelton Branch Libraries to the Trenton Savings Fund Society Building, which lies abandoned in the heart of Downtown Trenton. Suggestions of future use for these spaces included housing, offices, retail space, and a bank branch. Other properties mentioned include the Mercer County Court House, the Horsman Doll Factory, the Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, The Hermitage, the Higbee Street School, The Residence at 320 Spring Street, and the Prospect Street Presbyterian Church.

“I applaud as well as support the Trenton Historical Society for the great work and commitment they have to our city”, Mayor Jackson told The Wall.

Click here to view all of the speeches.

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Local Residents Honored at The White House

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By Jared Kofsky

On Thursday, President Barack Obama honored the recipients of the National Medal of Arts and the National Humanities Medal in the East Room of The White House in Washington, DC.

Elaine Pagels, of Princeton, was one of the honorees. It was announced at the event that “through her study of ancient manuscripts and other scholarly work, she has generated new interest and dialogue about our contemporary search for knowledge and meaning”. Pagels is a professor at Princeton University. James McBride, an author from Lambertville, received the National Humanities Award “for humanizing the complexities of discussing race in America”.

Other honorees included the Prison University Project, which allows incarcerated people in California to take college courses, Terry Gross, the host of Fresh Air on WHYY 91 FM, Mel Brooks, and Berry Gordy.

Click here to see photos from the event.

 

School Lunches: Do The Portions Satisfy A Child’s Hunger?

By Ashbel Soto & Jon Hall

Food insecurity has become a major issue in Trenton, affecting the lives of families and children. Many children rely on school lunches for much of their dietary needs. The government has enacted a federal program to ensure that students in public schools do not go hungry. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program that provides nutritionally balanced, free or low cost lunches to children every day. Its main objective is to provide a well balanced meal to students in an attempt to better their health and academic achievement. Many students who come from low-income families qualify for free or reduced lunch if they meet the criteria on the application provided by the Trenton Board of Education. The Trenton Central High Chambers released that about 58 percent of the student body population in the Trenton school district get free or reduced lunch. The NSLP requires that students meet a certain income bracket to qualify for free or reduced lunch. That income bracket ranges depending on the number of people per household. If there are two members in your household, then your average income should be $21,257. There are students who do not meet the income bracket, but they still cannot afford to pay the $2.57 daily for lunch meals in the Trenton Public Schools. Kadelta Sykes, the supervisor of Eickhoff Dining Hall and the supervisor of Food Services for Parker Elementary in Trenton, stated that the number of applicants for the free or reduced lunch program is increasing. “If most parents qualify for food stamps, then they are able to get free or reduced lunch,” said Sykes. “Most kids are ashamed to say they are on food stamps or free or reduced lunch, but it’s okay when you need the meal. Most parents fight for their kids to be accepted into the free or reduced lunch program because it lessens the burden of them having to pay for it.” Although every child receives a meal, are the portions adequate to satisfy a child’s hunger?  “The portions are adequate because we provide fresh vegetables, hot vegetables, canned fruit, fresh fruit, juice and milk,” Sykes said. “We give children enough food for a lunch meal and fresh food to give them the nutrients they need.” There are also students who pay for lunch, but may sometimes not be able to afford it. “Most students do not pay for lunch, but those who do and cannot pay for lunch that day, we give them a cheese sandwich and fresh vegetables,” said Sykes. “Parker elementary has a program that requires students to have fresh fruits and vegetables with their meals. Often times, students ask for cheese sandwiches instead of a regular meal, so we prepare enough cheese sandwiches for the day to make sure there is enough for everyone. Our goal is to ensure that no student is left behind or hungry.” According to the Trenton School Board, there are approximately 200 students in the Trenton Public School system who are experiencing homelessness and often worry about when their next meal will be. Most students depend on school meals to feed them since they do not have cooked meals at home on a daily basis. The New Jersey Department of Agriculture stated that one of the objectives of the national school lunch program is to provide onethird of the recommended dietary allowances for lunch. However, there are students within the Trenton Public Schools who say the quality of the food is not appetizing enough for them. “I didn’t really eat school lunch. I would skip lunch most of the time and would wait till I got home to eat,” said a current junior biology major here at The College of New Jersey, who is a former student from Trenton West High School. “However, when I did eat the school lunch, the portions were okay to meet my needs.” She believes that the Trenton Board of Education should attempt to improve the quality of the lunches. Sykes has a different opinion on the quality of the food in Trenton Public Schools. “Every year the quality of the food gets better,” Sykes said. “ At first, fresh fruits and vegetables were only delivered two times a week. Now, delivery with fresh produce comes in four times a week. The cafeteria cannot sell snacks that are not state approved.

As of right now, we also sell baked chips to students with their lunches, which is healthier.” Food insecurity in Trenton has become an issue affecting the student body population. Trenton does not have many local or nearby grocery stores for many Mercer County residents, which makes it impossible for families without vehicles to go grocery shopping. Studies have shown that Trenton only has about three local supermarkets, which forces residents to reside on local fast food chains or bodegas (corner stores). This food desert problem in Trenton affects students academically because students find themselves skipping breakfast at home, giving them little room to focus on their school work and more on their hunger. The NSLP also provides breakfast for students, which satisfies their nutritional needs, enhances their attention span, allowing them to succeed academically. When a student’s hunger is satisfied, it gives them more room to concentrate on what is occurring in class and encourages them to participate more. However, Trenton Public Schools serve breakfast during a certain time frame, which many students have a hard time meeting. Students who take the bus are not liable for their late arrival to school. The school kitchen does not serve breakfast after the time is up — leaving students hungry. Sykes said that although students arrive late to school, most of the time, there are extra snacks left from breakfast that students are able to have. She added that if a child walks into the cafeteria after breakfast has been served, they’re allowed to get juice and a snack to take with them. Although there are many different views on the Trenton Public Schools food distribution, schools are ensuring that the children’s hunger needs are met. With an 11.9 percent poverty rate in the Mercer County area, it is probable that the number of children on free or reduced lunch will increase. The Trenton school district is doing everything to ensure that their children have the proper healthy meals each day.

Rescue Mission Tackles Technology On The Job

By Miranda Chrone

Hungry, cold, alone, afraid, and sick; these are just a few words that come to our minds when we hear the term homelessness. And yet, homelessness is more than just this stereotypical image; and its impact is much more complex and widespread. In addition to food and financial insecurity, homelessness also affects one’s accessibility to technology and its advances. The digital divide is the “socioeconomic and other disparities between those people who have opportunities and skills enabling them to benefit from digital resources, especially the Internet, and those who do not have these opportunities or skills.” Not having accessibility to the Internet or social media leaves these individuals at a disadvantage in a technologydriven world. In response to this issue, the Rescue Mission of Trenton has created the TEACH program, which provides tutoring, GED preparation and most importantly, computer skills. Sheila Scott, a former coordinator of TEACH, explained that the program thrives on the great quality of their volunteers. “The program would not be viable without our volunteers, they are a major part of the program,” said Scott. “The results of the program are fantastic and I only see more success stories to come.” Technology has been consuming our lives for years now and it is becoming nearly impossible to live without. Everyday things such as checking email, surfing the internet or even applying for a job, all rely heavily on access to technology and being able to use it. Without the help of organizations in cities that experience the most homelessness, the digital divide would keep growing further and further apart. The TEACH program is great because it does not just focus on one thing; whatever the individual in need is interested in, they have volunteers waiting to help. The program also provides individuals with access to a number of other valuable life skills. It has even recruited volunteers who work with patrons on job placement and interview preparation. This sort of training prepares them for real life experiences that involve the use of technology. Zane Gaines, a resident at Rescue Mission stated, “The program’s mock interview prepared me extremely well for my successful interview with Dick’s Sporting Goods. The practice questions were just like the ones I was asked in my interview.” Since there is a such an interest in learning how to use the different types of technology, Ida Malloy, the life skills counselor at Rescue Mission, explained that they need volunteers with computer expertise, in particular. Our lives center around computers, iPhones and tablets more and more everyday. And while many of us have access to this technology and can easily put it to use, others need our help and support to overcome the technological barriers of the digital divide.

Rescue Mission of Trenton 98 Carroll Street Trenton, NJ 08609 Phone: (609) 695-1436 www.rescuemissionoftrenton.org