Hoboken Gets $2.8M To Shelter Homeless Men And Expand Food Bank To Jersey City

HOBOKEN, NJ — The former YMCA in uptown Hoboken, which now serves as as food bank and offers transitional housing for homeless men, will receive $2.8 million in funds to expand, local officials announced Tuesday.

The building at 1301 Washington St., now called the Hoboken Community Center, houses 96 men and also holds a pantry that dispenses food, toiletries, and pet products to those in need.

Tuesday morning, Hudson County Executive Craig Guy joined State Sen. Raj Mukherji and others to announce two types of funding that the facility will receive.

It will receive a $1.8 million county grant to continue its food pantry.

The facility will also receive a $1 million state appropriation for "urgent repairs and capital needs" that will allow 96 the men to remain housed there, and to expand the reach of the food pantry to Jersey City Heights.

The YMCA shut down as a recreation and community center in 2010, but remained open to the men who lived in the upstairs rooms.

It also has provided outreach to needy residents throughout the mile-square city.

Hudson County Executive Craig Guy said, “As your County Executive, it is my priority to ensure we are doing everything we can to keep the Center’s kitchen stocked with food and make sure its clients have a warm, safe space to call home. I am grateful to Senator Mukherji’s dedicated efforts in securing an additional $1 million in state appropriations to help address the affordability crisis in Hoboken, provide much needed repairs to the Hoboken Community Center, and expand the food pantry to reach communities in the Jersey City Heights.”

"The story of the Hoboken Community Center and Food Pantry is a story of community, empathy and compassion," said Mukherji. "The funding I secured, along with the grant acquired by County Executive Guy, will enable 96 vulnerable citizens to stay housed, and allow expansion to provide of food and hygiene products, including diapers and other items not covered by SNAP, to new locations."

He also thanked the many volunteers who help with the outreach each week, saying, "I cannot overstate how thankful I am to the volunteers at the Community Center for doing God’s work."

Learn more about the Hoboken Community Center's services, or volunteer, here.

READ MORE: Now Residents Of Former Hoboken YMCA Can Get Free Mental Health Care