Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03)
WESTAMPTON, N.J. – Today, Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) joined Burlington County Commissioners for a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of construction on Burlington County’s first-ever emergency shelter. In 2022, Congressman Kim helped secure $3 million in Community Project Funding for Burlington County to address local needs with the new facility.
“As we continue working to address affordability and housing access issues, we must also look after people’s immediate needs and uphold the basic right for everyone to have a roof over their head,” said Congressman Kim. “Today’s groundbreaking is a culmination of incredible planning and leadership in Burlington County to address a long-overdue community need. The first of its kind in Burlington, this shelter will not just look after people’s safety, but also help set them up for healthy and secure lives after they leave. I am proud to have brought federal dollars back to get shovels in the ground and look forward to seeing this project through to its completion.”
“The Burlington County emergency shelter will assist and guide those experiencing emergent housing needs through the services and programs available to help them move into transitional and permanent housing,” said Burlington County Commissioner Director Felicia Hopson. “This is something our county has desperately needed for decades. We’re excited to be taking this important step, and we are grateful for the support of leaders like Congressman Kim who have championed this initiative by helping to secure significant federal assistance that is moving this project toward completion.”
For Fiscal Year 2023, Congressman Kim secured Burlington County $3 million to help construct a non-congregate homeless shelter, support county residents who fall below the poverty line, and provide a safer alternative than emergency housing in unsupervised area motels and hotels. The emergency shelter will be a standalone two-story, 33,792 square-foot building and will serve adult men and women experiencing an emergent housing crisis, providing them sleeping accommodations, warm meals, showers, laundry facilities, and bathrooms. Individuals will be paired with a case manager to guide them through the services and programs to help them move into transitional or permanent housing.
The groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site of the new shelter behind the existing Burlington County Human Services Building in Westampton and included Congressman Kim, Burlington County Commissioner Director Felicia Hopson and Commissioners Daniel O’Connell, Allison Eckel, and Balvir Singh, State Senator Troy Singleton, Westampton Mayor Sandy Henley, Assemblywoman Andrea Katz, Assemblyman Herb Conaway, and Pastor Darlene Trappier, founder and director of Beacon of Hope, a Mount Holly-based social service provider that aids and advocates for those experiencing homelessness.
Congressman Kim is committed to supporting individuals experiencing homelessness and tackling the affordability crisis and other root causes of housing insecurity. In Congress, he has supported $2.5 billion for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program to help meet the needs of the millions of low income households across the U.S. without access to affordable housing. Congressman Kim is also a cosponsor of the Housing Crisis Response Act to build fair and affordable housing and the Housing Supply and Affordability Act to remove barriers to local and state governments from increasing housing supply.
Congressman Kim is the Ranking Member on the Military Personnel Subcommittee, and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. More information about Congressman Kim’s accessibility, his work serving New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District, and information on newsletters and his monthly town halls can be found on his website by clicking here.
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