Emergency Overnight Shelter for Men

Eva's Emergency Overnight Shelter for Men, in the Sister Cathy Center at 389 Main Street, provides 40 beds for chronically homeless men 18 years of age and older. The shelter is filled to capacity during most of the year with 3-4 men on a standby list daily. There may be a vacancy available daily during the summer months.

The homeless men in this program often suffer from mental illness, addiction to drugs and alcohol, lack of education, lack of money, and lack of resources. At Eva's we provide the homeless with the basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing, and try to address the underlying problems associated with homelessness by referring clients to agencies for further assistance such as specialized medical care, rehabilitation, housing, employment, or education.

Emergency Overnight Shelter for Women

Eva's Emergency Overnight Shelter for Women, at 31 Jackson Street, provides 36 emergency shelter beds for chronically homeless single women 18 years of age or older, who are mobile and able to take care of themselves. The residents share responsibilities of the Shelter and behavior must follow house rules. Some clients generally stay for up to three months until they have found a place to live or a program to enter.

In addition to daily shelter, food, and clothing, the program links the women with resources in the community to aid them in moving from homelessness to self-sufficiency. They receive medical services in Eva's clinic, along with drug and alcohol assessment and testing for communicable diseases. Part of the process is setting individual goals Ð including employment Ð to progress toward independent living. Clients are assessed through the Central Intake office where each woman's needs are addressed and referrals can be made for additional services.

Shelter for Mothers and Children

Eva's Shelter for Mothers and Children first opened in 1984 in partnership with the United Way of Passaic County on land donated by the City of Paterson. It is now located at the Monsignor Vincent E. Puma Center for Women and Children at 16 Spring Street in Paterson. Always filled to capacity, the Shelter provides a safe and comfortable home for 10 mothers over the age of 18 and up to 50 children who stay an average of four months in residence. Twelve families go on to reside in the Transitional Apartments annually with each remaining for an additional 6 months. At any given time, approximately 15 families who are struggling to meet their basic human needs await placement in our Shelter.

Raising a family can be difficult under the best of circumstances, but these difficulties are even greater for the women and children in our Shelter, since many have backgrounds of domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, multiple fathers, foster families, anger and depression. An array of social services as well as housekeeping skills, cooking, and nutritional information are offered to prepare clients for independent living in their own apartments. Our HAPPY (Halt Abuse in Paterson for Parents and Youth) Program offers mothers weekly parenting classes with a family therapist as well as art therapy and anger management classes for their children. Behavioral and relationship issues are also addressed by a family therapist who conducts individual sessions with each mother. Health care, mental health and addiction treatment, job training, housing assistance, and an after-school program for the children are also available.

Transitional Apartments for Mothers and Children

Eva's Transitional Apartments for Mothers and Children, at 17 Jackson Street, offers 6 two-bedroom apartments for families who are ready to leave the Shelter for Mothers and Children but need additional time and resources to move into their own apartment. They can stay for up to six months while they prepare for a more permanent and stable home environment.

Men's Permanent Supportive Housing

Men's Permanent Supportive Housing is Eva's newest initiative. A newly-renovated building at 22 Jackson Street provides permanent affordable housing for 10 formerly homeless men who have graduated from Eva's recovery program but can benefit from continued support services to sustain their new self-sufficiency. Residents share household responsibilities. They must have a regular source of income to cover the nominal monthly rent obligation, and must also agree to random alcohol/drug testing, to attend three NA/AA meetings per week and a monthly house meeting.