You might be wondering what is Hope Gardens? It is appropriately named by East Orange General Hospital for their new supportive housing program to the community.
Essex County's only independent hospital held a grand opening on Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 80 South Munn Avenue in East Orange, NJ.
Hope Gardens will provide 24 efficiency apartments which include staff, a multi-purpose room with a warming kitchen, an eat-in-kitchen, private bath, storage closets, a combined living/sleeping area, elevator service, resident lounges on the second and third floors, laundry room and more.
East Orange General Hospital (EOGH) has achieved another milestone as they are the first hospital in New Jersey to provide a supportive house program to mentally challenged and homeless persons. All 24 residents are filled in, and there is a wait list in double digits.
The manager of Supportive Housing and the Ryan White Grant Susan Goodwin said, "In order to be a resident in Hope Gardens, the person has to be homeless, the person has to have mental health history like depression, schizophrenia, and need a place to live."
She further added that the residents will pay from no cost to two hundred dollars a month according to their income. They will get a studio, but they pay their own utilities. She also added, "The facility has support staff from Monday to Friday from 9 AM - 5 PM and security from 4 PM to 7 AM for 7 days a week. They can see their choice of doctors and/or psychiatrists as an outpatient in East Orange General Hospital.
Resident Ruth Parramore said that when she was seven years old, she was abused and ever since, then she was depressed. She thanked EOGH and all of their partners who made this facility possible. Parramore added, "It is great that their lives are back in order."
Governor and Senate President Richard Codey, "I visited Eden House (the mentally disabled facility) on August 11, 2004. It smelled urine...Before I left as a governor after 14 months we shut down Eden House.....We need community hospitals like East Orange General Hospital."
Mayor Robert L. Bowser said, "Kevin came to my office about this program. I said let's do it, and Kevin did it."
Congressman Donald Payne commended EOGH president Kevin Slavin and Mayor Bowser for the fantastic job they have done. He added that before Kevin took over, what was going on was disgrace at EOGH.
Speaker-Elect Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver said that it is most challenging to create housing for the mentally challenged. She gave a message of hope. She said, "There is no such thing as normal, we must keep hope." She added that someone told her, "Ms. Oliver, everyone has issue with tissues."
Assemblyman Thomas Giblin said, "The rooms in this facility are like hotel rooms, well done by the architect."
East Orange Council President Quilla Talmadge said, "We have many, many homeless in East Orange. We need this kind of facility."
Director of Administrative Services of Behavior Health Services Kimberly Erin O'Conner said that they have 24 residents and each case is different. She added that this is the season premiere for a new beginning.
EOGH board chair Dr. Antoinette Ellis-Williams said, "What does hope look like? Hope is about acting, putting bricks together." She mentioned that hope is not about a facility of emergency room, but a roof over everyone's head. She also said, "We are part of the healing process. This is a season of hope."
After looking at the facility, it seems like I came to a four star hotel. The community needs more facilities like this, as Dr. Williams is hopeful for Hope Gardens.
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