Over $25,000 in Sandy Recovery Grant Directed Toward Displaced Homemakers Services

ENGLEWOOD - New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF) Commissioner Allison Blake will tour Women's Rights Information Center on Monday May 19 at 10:30 a.m. in recognition of Displaced Homemaker Awareness Month.

The Commissioner's visit highlights a day of activities to increase awareness and empower women to overcome a loss and begin a new chapter in their lives.  Legislators, clients, volunteers and board members are among those attending the event running from 10:30 a.m. -1 p.m.

A displaced homemaker is a woman who has lost her primary source of income due to separation, divorce, disability or death of a spouse or partner and who must now obtain or update her skills to enter the workforce. DCF provides funding to New Jersey displaced homemaker centers like Women's Rights Information Center, which provides a range of services, including life skills development, computer training, career services, legal education and resources and referrals, and legal education.

Commissioner Blake will take a tour of the program's office technology training classes, entrepreneurial workshops, and career clothing closet. During her one-hour visit, she will speak to women aided by the $25,714 Social Service Block Grant (SSBG) provided to enable women who are struggling with the loss of their primary source of income and recovering from Super Storm Sandy to get the help they need. 

A joint effort led by the Christie Administration and the Department's Division on Women (DOW), the Social Service Block Grant totaling $480,000 helps to extend career counseling and employment assistance programs by supporting certificated-based job training for displaced homemakers. Women's Rights Information Center, located in Bergen County, is one of eight recipients in Sandy-impacted counties to receive this grant. 

 "For women in our county who were already struggling to find a job, Sandy made the situation worse," said Managing Director Suzan Grey Burr. "Many of them lost so much and are still trying to recover. These training funds help them gain the skills and credentials they need to enter the workforce with qualifications and confidence to compete and succeed."

At 12:00pm, the Center will feature the movie "Apple Mortgage Cake", the true and inspirational story of a woman, a Bergen County resident and former recipient of Women's Center services who decided to bake 100 apple cakes and sell them at $40 each in order to save her home from foreclosure- and how this idea completely changed her and her family. The movie is directed by Michael Scott and stars Kimberly Elise 

Women's Rights Information Center, located in Englewood, NJ is a community-based non-profit organization dedicated to serving women in need through informational, educational, and practical life-enhancing programs. In the past year alone the organization helped more than 1,500 women learn and develop the skills they need to provide for themselves and their families. For information on displaced homemaker services and more visit www.womensrights.org.