211 Livingston Avenue; 2nd Floor
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Phone: (732) 729-7770
Fax: (732) 729-7799
Email: contactus@miphnj.org

  Welcome to the new website for MIPH!

MIPH (Making It Possible to end Homelessness) was founded in 1987 to increase local services and resources for the homeless in Middlesex County.  Initially, MIPH consisted of all volunteers who were represented by local advocates and clergy from the Middlesex County area and became a non-profit agency under the name, Middlesex Interfaith Partners with the Homeless.  Since it's inception, MIPH has operated a variety of programs:  a dinner program in New Brunswick which served approximately 75 homeless individuals and families nightly; two overnight shelter programs in Temple Emanu-El in Edison, one for mentally disabled homeless individuals and one for families in eminent danger of breaking up due to lack of housing and various social service needs; and a homeless outreach center in New Brunswick for advocacy and referral services; MIPH has been heavily involved in the evolution of homeless services in our area since 1987.  As a grassroots group pushing for expanded homeless services, we brought together mainstream public and private agencies through our efforts to advocate for the homeless.  We also introduced the concept of transitional housing for families in our area. 

In 1988, MIPH became the first organization in the country to obtain federal surplus property under Title V of the Stuart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act.  It is on this property at the GSA depot in Edison that Amandla Crossing was built in 1991.  MIPH obtained additional federal surplus property at the Camp Kilmer site in Edison, NJ where we built Imani Park, a transitional housing program for homeless individuals and families where one member is living with HIV/AIDS.

An additional program was developed in 2001 in collaboration with Elijah's Promise Inc. and the volunteer support of local houses of worship.  This program, the ClothesLine, provides free clothing to the poor and needy in our community by having an old school bus travel to various sites within the county thereby being accessible to those most in need. 

In 2007, the Reformed Church of Highland Park(RCHP) together with the Affordable Housing Corporation of RCHP came together with MIPH to create Irayna Court.  Irayna Court is a permanent housing facility with support services, for young women ageing out of the state's foster care system.  The RCHP-AHC are the landlords of the property and MIPH is responsible for all of the program-related activities for these young women.

  Meet our Newest Board Members
The MIPH Board of Directors includes representation from all walks of life across the state of New Jersey. Our Board President is Orlando Cruz from Magyar Bank, the Vice-President is Linda Van Derveer of The State Theater of New Jersey, the Secretary is Marion Pincus, and the Treasurer is Mark Berkowitz of Derby Appliance.  Other Board members are Pam Johnson of Elijah's Promise and Kyrsis Aybar of the Middlesex County Board of Social Services.  Here's a highlight introduction to some of our newest additions who make our organization possible.

Dr. Joann La Perla-Morales is President of Middlesex County College and responsible for leading an institution of 12,000 credit and 10,000 non-credit students with a main suburban campus and two urban centers.  She has sparked new academic programs and student services, including creation of a nursing program in cooperation with Raritan Bay Medical Center.  She serves on several boards, including New Brunswick Tomorrow, the United Way of Central Jersey, the New Jersey Technology Council, the New Jersey Community Colleges Consortium for Workforce Development, and the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.  Dr. La Perla-Morales holds a doctorate and master's degree from Columbia University, and a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Oneonta.  Welcome Joann.

Mark Berkowitz comes to MIPH with many years of experience serving the community.  Mark's been involved with the Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce and has served in many board positions for the Girls Scouts of Delaware/Raritan Valley.  He is currently on the Board of Trustees and co-chair of the men's club at Anshe Emethe Memorial Temple in New Brunswick.  Mark is currently the Treasurer of the Board and a member of the Finance Committee of MIPH.  Welcome Mark.