The organization’s award-winning Housing Assistance office accepts $50,000 toward services for homeless Lehigh Valley veterans.
New Bethany Ministries (NBM), a Bethlehem, PA nonprofit providing basic-need services, housing, and support that lifts individuals out of poverty, received $50,000 through the Lehigh Valley Homeless Veterans Fund. The grant is part of $195,000 in state funding and will support New Bethany’s Housing Assistance office initiatives.
While New Bethany has always served Lehigh Valley veterans, the extra funds provide the opportunity to holistically identify veteran needs and extend rental assistance, case management, and additional services. New Bethany is better equipped to offer resources and provide veterans the benefits they’ve earned by creating community partnerships with local organizations like Battle Borne.
“We’re grateful to receive this grant from the Lehigh Valley Homeless Veterans Fund to advance Housing Assistance office services, which have become core programs at New Bethany,” reflected Jennifer Moll, Social Services Director, New Bethany Ministries. “To successfully serve veterans, we approach them as heroes who served our country, not as their homeless status.”
Veronne Demesyeux, Associate Executive Director, New Bethany Ministries said
We are here to serve the people. I have two brothers who served our country, and it is an honor that we have the ability to focus on this real need.
Lehigh County government founded the Lehigh Valley Homeless Veteran Fund at the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation in 2019 to provide grants to charitable organizations for programs supporting homeless veterans in the Lehigh Valley. The county established a small committee with experience in veterans’ services or housing programs, finance and administration to allocate the money in grants.
The 2021 round of Lehigh Valley Homeless Veterans Fund grants are possible through state grant funding secured by Senate Appropriations Chairman Pat Browne (16th District) in 2020, which was the largest state commitment to assisting homeless veterans in the Lehigh Valley. Additional organizations recognized by the Lehigh Valley Homeless Veterans Fund include Catholic Charities, Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living and Victory House of Lehigh Valley.
