A Warming & Community Center for Women

As we became more acquainted with our community neighbors, we identified a significant need for temporary housing for women. While there are shelters and efforts to house men, especially during the freezing winter nights, there are not comparable facilities for women in Monmouth County. After our dinner church gatherings in the winter, Pastor Steve drives men to a men’s warming center, where they can rest, shower, and do laundry, but the women are left out in the cold to fend for themselves. 

While there are some available options, including hotel placements, there remains a significant need. Operation of Emergency Management in Monmouth County spends nearly $200,000 on hotel placements for homeless individuals, but they are looking to transition to a congregant model and hope that churches and other organizations can help address this issue. Every nonprofit and government agency we spoke to expressed concern about this problem and agreed that there is a great need for women’s housing. 

In 2023, an opportunity arose to purchase 90 Maple Ave in Red Bank, which is adjacent to the existing First Baptist Church of Red Bank property. As we were discussing this critical need for housing for women, we began to consider whether God was leading us to take a leap of faith and purchase the property to convert it into a warming and community center for homeless women. We made the decision to move forward with the purchase and use it for emergency and crisis housing, specifically for women during the winter season. 

We aim to begin using this facility as a warming center for the 2023-2024 winter season. This will be for the roughly 80-100 nights when the temperatures dip below freezing or there is inclement weather. When not used for temporary shelter, this facility will be used to serve and bless vulnerable members of our community. This could include emergency short-term shelter for women or families in need, low-income housing during the spring and summer months, or a space to spend the day out of the elements during bad weather. Additionally, we plan to make the building available for other nonprofits to use to serve the community. While we have many ideas, our primary commitment is to love and serve our vulnerable neighbors.