The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty…

Value: Service
Ethical Principle: Social workers’ primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems

Value: Social Justice
Ethical Principle: Social workers challenge social injustice.

Value: Dignity and Worth of the Person
Ethical Principle: Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person.

Value: Importance of Human Relationships
Ethical Principle: Social workers recognize the central importance of human relationships.

Value: Integrity
Ethical Principle: Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner.

Value: Competence
Ethical Principle: Social workers practice within their areas of competence and develop and enhance their professional expertise.

                - Preamble and Ethical Principles and Preamble, NASW Code of Ethics

Hi, I’m Zach.  I’d like to begin my tenure at this column with a note of gratitude to my predecessor.  Mike Frost deserves all our thanks for an extraordinary career spent in service to the residents of Somerset County.  I offer mine for being an incredible mentor and friend; for the daily demonstration of how to lead with both intelligence and compassion and for giving me the confidence to believe I can do the same.

For those of you whom I have not had the pleasure to meet over the last three years during my time as Planning Services Administrator for the Department, I am Zachary Berliner, the new Director of the Somerset County Department of Human Services.  As this is my first time writing a monthly column, I figure I best start this off by telling you a bit about myself.  My two brothers and I were raised on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and in the Catskill Mountains of Upstate New York by a socialist science teacher and Buddhist Nurse.  I tell you this by way of explaining both my politics and profession.  Licensed as a master’s level Social Worker here in the great state of New Jersey, I earned my MSW at the University of Maryland Baltimore, a great city; also, a fantastic place to learn Social Work and have your heart broken annually by a professional baseball team (Let’s go O’s!!!).   

I decided to become a Social Worker after spending over two years community organizing around water and sanitation projects, as a Peace Corp Volunteer in rural Panama.  During my first-year internship in graduate school, it was my great, good fortune to be placed in an internship at an extremely successful Community School.  In a ten-year period, this intervention model transformed the school from one of the worst rated elementary schools in the city to one of the highest.  This example of the efficacy of strong public/private/community partnerships, multi-generational family supports, and data driven program design and management, has shaped my career ever since.  

After spending several years designing, implementing and coordinating a community school program, my wife and I relocated to her hometown of Lambertville in Hunterdon County to be closer to family and good pizza.  I continued working in community based educational interventions as the Family and Community Partnerships Manager for the Head Start program in Trenton.  After some time spent as the Director of Social Services at Fisherman’s Mark, a small, but mighty, full service social service agency in Lambertville, I attempted to learn what life was like on the funding side of things. This led me to accept a position as a grants officer at a Princeton based foundation focused on improving equity in educational outcomes.  Fortunately, I began this position in January of 2020, and was laid off due to the pandemic at the end of that May, leaving me unemployed and available to start my journey here at the SCDHS.

I passionately believe that well designed, data informed; community driven human service programing can change life trajectories, interrupt intergenerational poverty, and ensures that no person in the wealthiest society ever to grace this green earth, fails to thrive due the lack of resources and opportunity.  I began this column with excerpts from the National Association Code of Ethics because the section I bolded was the decisive factor in my pursuing a master’s Social Work and serves as my touchstone in this work.  As Director, I am committed to heading a department that continues to reflect these values in the ways we serve our residents, advocate for the most vulnerable members of our communities and support our colleagues and partners in this work.   

In my personal life I like cooking, eating, hiking, watching live music and performing arts, and reading pulpy novels and books on history, Buddhism and mythology.   My soon to be three-year-old son Elliott does not care for these activities and therefore, I now spend most of my vanishingly free time pretending to be a monster and chasing around our home in Frenchtown

“Let us endeavor so to live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.”

-Mark Twain

Zach Berliner, Director

Somerset County Department of Human Services

Bridgewater Police is Hiring New Officers

Applications are being accepted to join the Bridgewater Township Police Department through July 29.

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen,  Launches Mental Health Navigator

[Click here to view full article]

CENTRAL JERSEY HOUSING RESOURCE CENTER (CJHRC)

BRAND NEW WEBINAR

Disaster Planning & Resources Webinar

August 15, 2024 from 3:00 pm to 4:15 pm

New Jersey has been experiencing severe weather over the last few years and with the recent earthquakes in April, we created this NEW webinar to ensure residents are prepared. A featured speaker will be Lisa Galonardo from United Way of Northern New Jersey and the Coordinator for the Somerset County Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD), which brings local organizations together to provide assistance after a disaster.  The webinar will provide information and resources for preparing a plan, what to do during a power outage, safety recommendations, documents needed for assistance programs and so much more.  Make sure you are ready for when the next disaster strikes.

To register, click this link: https://www.cjhrc.org/images/FLYER_Disaster_Planning_and_Resources_Webinar.pdf

SAVINGS MATCH PROGRAM – NEW 4-MONTH PROGRAM

Time goes by so quickly, please consider applying today for CJHRC’s unique Savings Match Program.  Once accepted you can choose the best time frame for your situation before you begin the program.  We listened to clients who wanted a shorter program and can now offer a 4-month program in addition to our 6- and 12-month programs.  Approved clients are required to do monthly counseling, on-going budgeting and monthly savings to receive a 3:1 match grant. CJHRC will match the funds saved (4 months-$300; 6 months-$450; and 12-monhts-$900) to be allocated to a specific goal that is determined at time of application.  This program helps clients work towards being financial stable, and/or to improve their credit scores and lower their debt.  To learn more, speak to a CJHRC Counselor at 908-446-0036.  Click this link to download the application and details:  2024_Savings_Match_Program_Process_and_Application.pdf (cjhrc.org)

WE ARE HERE TO PROVIDE COUNSELNG!

CJHRC’s staff provide FREE counseling services for financial literacy, pre- and post-purchase, rental, mortgage default/foreclosure, Fair Housing issues/questions and homeless counseling.  Contact a CJHRC Counselor at 908-446-0036 or visit our website at www.cjhrc.org to view resources. 

Make sure you like us on Facebook (Central Jersey Housing Resource Center) or follow us on Instagram (cjhrc_housing) to get important housing announcements, resources and information.  CJHRC posts weekly on our social media accounts. 

The Connection Between Homelessness, Mental Health, and Trauma

Submitted by Jay Weintraub, LCSW, Richard Hall Community Mental Health and Wellness Center Program for Assistance in Transition from Homeless-Project Outreach

Research shows that individuals that experience trauma and homelessness are more likely to have a psychiatric disorder, substance abuse issue and chronic medical issues.

Delayed responses to trauma can include persistent fatigue, sleep disorders, nightmares, fear of recurrence, anxiety focused on flashbacks, depression, and avoidance of emotions, sensations, or activities that are associated with the trauma.

Homelessness itself is a risk factor for emotional issues and focuses on the idea of psychological trauma—looking at this through the lens of social disconnection and learned helplessness to better understand the potential effects of homelessness. This trauma is common with homeless people for three reasons. Losing one's home can be a stressor of sufficient severity to produce symptoms of emotional trauma. The conditions of shelter life can result in trauma symptoms.  The research shows that when women become homeless after experiencing physical and sexual abuse it is more likely that there will be emotional trauma.

Research also suggests that negative psychological responses to traumatic events can be prevented or diminished by a supportive and empowering environment after the trauma is over. In Project Outreach we do find that providing our clients with a supportive, safe and nurturing environment does aid in diminishing the emotions behind trauma and find that kindness goes a long way.  

Studies show that homeless men have expressed feeling imprisoned by the constraints of homelessness. People have expressed concerns of the threats of being homeless such as violence and threats. At Project Outreach it has been found that there are little to no places for clients to feel safe. It is difficult for clients to find shelter during the extremes in weather. It is important to see clients through a trauma informed view. Homelessness has been associated with poor mental health and may trigger or exacerbate certain mental health disorders. Homelessness can be related to higher levels of psychiatric distress and lower levels of recovery from serious mental illness.

It has been found that there is a strong association between psychiatric disorders and suicide in homeless populations. The prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts is extremely high in mentally ill homeless persons and past traumas play a role in this. At Project Outreach we have been witness to the role that trauma plays in emotional and mental distress. It is known that the only true end to homelessness is a safe place to call home. Working together we can make that happen.

If you or a loved one is struggling with mental health, substance use or gambling challenges, please call our ACCESS Center at 908-253-3165.

If this is a psychiatric emergency call Bridgeway PESS at 908-526-4100 OR CALL the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 to talk to a counselor 24/7/365

References and Resources

https://endhomelessness.org/ - National Alliance to End Homelessness

www.usich.gov   - United States Interagency Council on Homelessness

https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/never-ending-loop-homelessness-psychiatric-disorder-and-mortality

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32116158/

News from Rutgers Cooperative Extension 

ANR/Rutgers Master Gardeners:

• After 17 weeks of lectures, coursework, and hands-on activities, 19 Somerset County residents graduated from the Rutgers Master Gardener Program. These graduates, now considered Master Gardener interns, will finalize their certification over the next year by completing 60 hours of volunteerism through the program. Once this requirement is met, these newly certified volunteers will join a cohort of over 140 other Rutgers Master Gardeners in Somerset County. 

• Rutgers Master Gardeners are trained volunteers who assist the Rutgers Cooperative Extension - Agriculture and Natural Resource Department in its mission to deliver horticulture programs and information to county residents. If you are interested in becoming a Rutgers Master Gardener, contact Jessica Shick, Program Coordinator, at jshick@co.somerset.nj.us. 

4-H:

• Fair: Save the Date! The Somerset County 4-H Fair returns to North Branch Park in Bridgewater on August 7,8, and 9, 2024! As always, the Fair is FREE! For more info, please visit us at https://4histops.org/fair. 

FCHS:

• Wellness Wednesday:
  Join us on Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m. to learn from experts in the Department of Family & Community Health Sciences, Rutgers Cooperative Extension. All sessions are free, will last approximately 45 minutes, and will be provided via Zoom. To join, you will need either a computer, tablet, or smartphone with speakers.
  
  You must register to participate. See below for the title and descriptions of each webinar and click on the link below to register.

July 3: Smart Choices for Navigating the Summer BBQ

July 10: Prevent Food Waste at Home: Tips for Easy and Safe Food Preservation

July 17: Plant-Based Proteins

July 24: Dietary Supplements 101

July 31: Financial Wellness: 35 Useful Personal Finance Web Sites