Local officials an agencies banded together to help an 80-year-old U.S. Army veteran who was on the verge of being evicted from his home in Robbinsville.
Dan Sullivan, who had lived in the Windsor section of the township for the past 15 years, recently faced an unexpected eviction from his residence.
After learning about his plight, Robbinsville Township Police Lt. William Swanhart worked with Mayor Dave Fried’s office, the Robbinsville Township Office of Affordable Housing, and the Mercer County Board of Social Services to help ensure that Sullivan received much-needed the support.
The Township enlisted the aid of the Mercer County Adult Protective Services, County Executive Dan Benson and Michelle Ribsam from the Board of Social Services, who were all instrumental in coordinating the necessary resources to help locate more permanent housing for Sullivan.
“We have two programs associated with our CARE (Community Addiction Recovery Effort) program, and one of them is dedicated to helping our neighbors,” Mayor Fried said. “We often never know when someone has fallen on hard times, and we are so lucky to have this program available for situations such as this. This is the very essence of what our ‘Pay it Forward’ initiative was designed for.”
Thanks to CARE funding, Sullivan was temporarily housed at the Days Inn in East Windsor during August. In addition, Sullivan is entitled to various services through the Office of Veterans Affairs, which will further aid his transition.
The response grew stronger with the involvement of the N.J. Transit Police, and Soldier On, a nonprofit organization committed to ending veteran homelessness since 1994.
Soldier On provides homeless veterans with transitional housing and supportive services, “which has changed the lives of veterans across the country,” states a township news release.
“Their innovative approach includes permanent housing solutions such as the Gordon H. Mansfield Veterans Community Program, which transitions veterans from homelessness to home ownership, said the release.”
When asked about the next steps taken to secure Sullivan permanent housing, Lt. Swanhart said, “Mr. Sullivan is in contact with a representative from Soldier On. I spoke to Mr. Sullivan two weeks ago, and he’s been happy and satisfied with their assistance.”
To learn more about “Soldier On” visit wesoldieron.org.
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