Please see below for a list of cities, towns and communities in Union County:

• Bayway
• Berkeley Heights
• Betsytown
• Chestnut
• Clark
• Cranford
• Elizabeth
• Elizabethport
• Elmora
• Fanwood
• Garwood
• Hillside
• Industrial Hillside
• Kenilworth
• Linden
• Mountainside
• Muhlenberg
• Murray Hill
• New Providence
• North Elizabeth
• North Plainfield
• Parkandbush
• Peterstown
• Plainfield
• Rahway
• Roselle
• Roselle Park
• Scotch Plains
• Springfield
• Summit
• Townley
• Tremley
• Tremley Point
• Union
• Union Center
• Union Square
• Vauxhall
• Westfield
• Winfield Park

Life Skills programs can help you prepare to get a job, manage money, get connected with other resources in your community, make plans for your future housing and education, and many other things that can help you live more independently. See below for contact info for the Life Skills program in your area:

Catholic Charities- “Connecting YOUth Life Skills Program”
Dawn Glasco, LCSW-Program Manager
505 South Ave East
Cranford, NJ 07016
(908) 497-3946 – office
(908) 276-1067 - fax

Aftercare programs provide support services to young people between the ages of 18 and 22. They can help you find employment, housing and educational opportunities, and much more. See below for contact info for the Aftercare program in your area:

Independence: A Family of Services, Inc.
132 South Harrison Street, East Orange, NJ 07018
Phone: 973-372-5601
Fax: 973-372-3401

Housing Program Descriptions
There are 3 basic types of housing programs for young people in New Jersey that are homeless or DCF-involved:

1. Supervised Transitional Living Program (STLP): provides supervised housing and other supports to 16 to 21 year old youth. Young people can stay at these programs for 18 to 24 months. In addition to housing, these programs also help with daily living skills, employment, education, and finding long term stable housing.
2. Transitional Living Program (TLP): provides semi-supervised housing and other supports to 18 to 21 year old youth. The length of time a young person can stay at one of these programs varies. These programs also help with daily living skills, employment, education, and finding long term stable housing.
3. Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH): provides housing with voluntary services to 18-21 year old youth. There are no limits on how long young people can stay in one of these programs. Youth in these programs have a lease or sublet, and pay some portion of their income toward rent (less than 30%).

Below is a list of housing programs in Union County. In order to find out if a program has openings and to see if you qualify, you must contact the Adolescent Housing Hub at 1-877-652-7624.

Click here for more information on the Adolescent Housing Hub

Raphael's Life House
Raphael's Life House is Covenant House New Jersey's Mother Child program, created to help homeless and pregnant young women secure brighter, more stable futures for themselves and their newborn babies. During their stay, our mothers receive job seeking assistance, parenting skills training, and learn the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle for themselves and their children. To learn more, please contact Marcia Mann at 973-286-3433 or mmann@covenanthouse.org or visit www.RaphaelsLifeHouse.org

Raphael's Life House - Elizabeth

908-354-4750

Contact one of the Lifeskills or Aftercare Programs above for information on how to apply for Wraparound Fund. For more info on how Wraparound Funding works - click here

Union County College
www.ucc.edu

Kean University
http://www.kean.edu

NJ One-Stop Centers
Are you looking for a job or occupational training? The New Jersey One-Stop Career Centers are the place to start, and can help you develop the skills needed to succeed in a 21st century work environment.

Amongst others, resources provided include the following:

• Career exploration: help in identifying jobs that are interesting to you
• Resume writing
• Interview preparation
• Occupational Training for jobs that are highly in demand by employers
• Job Search Assistance
• Connections to employers searching for workers
• Educational Assistance
• On-site resource rooms (computers, telephones, fax, etc.)

Click Here for more info on the Union County- Elizabeth “One Stop”

Click Here for more info on the Union County- Plainfield “One Stop”

New Jersey Youth Corps
New Jersey Youth Corps is one of the largest youth service and conservation corps in the United States. Youth Corps is a year-round, voluntary program which engages young adults (ages 16-25) in full-time community service, training, and educational activities.

Guided by staff who serve as mentors and role models, teams of youth called "crews" carry out a wide range of service projects. In return for their efforts to restore and strengthen communities, Corps members receive:

1. education development in basic skills and preparation to obtain a GED or locally issued Adult High School Diploma;
2. life skills and employability skills instruction;
3. personal and career counseling to build self-esteem, clarify values, and develop leadership skills while they are developing their career portfolio;
4. transition services and continuing support services as they transition to college, training, employment or other national and domestic service opportunities;
5. community service opportunities which develop positive employability skills while addressing unmet community needs. Corps members receive a stipend while enrolled in Youth Corps.

Click HERE to see a list of NJ Youth Corps in your area

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC)
New Jersey’s Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) offer a wide range of health care services for the entire family. You don’t need health insurance to get care at a center. Centers serve the uninsured and underinsured, as well as patients with Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance. If you’re uninsured, your bill will be based on your ability to pay. No one is ever turned away for lack of funds. For more information on the FQHC's click here.

Click here for a list of all FQHC's in Union County

Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthhod is a health care provider specializing in reproductive and sexual healthcare. Through pregnancy prevention, STD prevention, and sex education, Planned Parenthood empowers teens to make informed choices and lead healthy lives. With 28 offices in New Jersey, there is probably one close to where you live.

Click Here to Learn More and Find a Planned Parenthood Office in Union County.

Click Here to See Special Information for Teenagers.

Mental Healthcare
NJ Children's System of Care has connections with many different types of supports if you or someone you know needs help. You can see all they have to offer by visiting here.

There are also some great hotlines out there if want to talk to someone now:

2NDFLOOR: is a confidential and anonymous statewide helpline for New Jersey's youth and young adults. You can call at (888) 222-2228 and find information on the website at www.2ndfloor.org.

NJ211: provides information and assistance to all NJ residents in the areas of health, human services, community resources and government assistance programs. You do not have to be in crisis to seek help from NJ211. To access NJ211 dial 211 or visit the website at www.nj211.org.. The alternative telephone number is 1-800-HELP555 (1-800-435-7555).

Treatment Groups
The NJ Division of Addiction Services Treatment Directory lists all kinds of drug and alcohol treatment programs that are open to teenagers and young adults.

Click HERE to access the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services homepage where you will find a link to a directory to access what programs are available in your county

You can also look at programs that are just open to teenagers and young adults by selecting “Detail Search” on the directory webpage and selecting the check-box that says Adolescents

Support Groups
Support groups recovery programs are based on the idea that the best way to stay free of alcohol and drugs is surround yourself with other people who are also not users but who know the challenges of staying clean. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) are two of the most well-known of these types of support groups. In some areas there are special meetings just for teens and young adults trying to stay drug-free. Meetings often take place church meeting halls and other community centers, but AA and NA are not affiliated with any religion.

Click here to search for Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings in your area
Click here to search for Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings in your area

Big Brothers, Big Sisters
Carlos Lejnieks, CEO
500 Broad Street, 2nd Floor, Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: 973-642-2447
njinfo@bigsandkids.orgwww.bigsandkids.org

PFLAG-Sparta/Northwestern New Jersey
Sparta United Methodist Church
71 Sparta Ave, Sparta, NJ 07871
973-670-7228

goodag@embarqmail.com

Union County College: Straight and Gay Alliance (SAGA)
Click here for more information

Union County Office of LGBTQI Services
Union County’s Office of LGBTQ Services offers a platform for leadership and collaboration to support equality, and serves as a catalyst for advocacy, awareness and action on current and emerging issues that impact the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals.

Through assessment, research, analysis and strategic collaboration, the Office of LGBTQ Services works in collaboration with all County departments and in partnership with non-government ally and advocacy organizations to develop innovative strategies to help address the needs of the LGBTQ community on issues that include housing, education, health, public safety and community engagement.

http://ucnj.org/departments/human-services/office-of-lgbtq-services/

Union County Office of LGBTQ Services
10 Elizabethtown Plaza, Second Floor. Elizabeth, NJ 07207
dnewbury@ucnj.org908-527-4742

Hyacinth
Hotline: (800) 433-0254; https://www.hyacinth.org/

Our mission at Hyacinth is to help people live with HIV, slow the spread of the epidemic, and serve as a critical voice in the public debate surrounding AIDS in New Jersey.

(973) 278-7636

The Youth Advisory Network (YAN) is a multifaceted approach to youth advocacy and leadership in the State of New Jersey. The YAN regional chapters, in partnership with Office of Adolescent Services (OAS) providers, are working together to ensure that youth with experience in the child welfare system and/or with homelessness have an opportunity to provide feedback on issues impacting them and develop leadership and advocacy skills.

Young people in New Jersey who are receiving services from any Office of Adolescent Services contracted provider agency are automatically part of the Youth Advisory Network.  No referral needed! This includes life skills, housing, mentoring, permanency, aftercare, PACES and other programs.  Youth will be notified of YAN activities by their program staff. Please contact your Regional YAN Coordinator for more information!

Region 3: Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP), covering Essex and Union Counties. For more information, please contact the Region 3 Coordinators at (973)624-1520.

The Department of Children and Families' Family and Community Partnership (FCP) network provides many services and programs for children, young adults and families throughout NJ. These include:

Family Success Centers
Offer programs aimed at making families stronger through a variety of locally-based services, and building supportive connections in your community.

School Based Youth Services Programs (SBYSP)
Provide mental health and family services; health services; substance abuse counseling; employment services; pregnancy prevention programs; learning support services; referrals to community based services; and recreation. Open to all young people ages 10 -19 enrolled in any school that hosts a SBYSP.

Home Visitation Programs
Provide early support to families with infants and young children across the state. Home visitors provide pregnant women and new parents with health information, parenting education, and links to other resources that support child and family well-being.

The FCP's also provide juvenile delinquency and child abuse prevention programs, domestic violence services, and much more.

Click here for a directory of programs and services to find out what is available in Union County!

The Pathways to Academic and Career Exploration to Success (PACES) program supports current or former foster youth and young adults in their successful transition to and retention in post-secondary education (including career technical education) and workforce readiness.  The target population for these programs will be youth and young adults ages 16-21 who are eligible for NJ Foster Care (NJFC) Scholars as determined by DCF.  For details about eligibility please click here.

The PACES programs' academic and career coaches will address identified academic needs, typically in reading, writing, and/or math; assist students in career exploration to promote college and career readiness; help students prepare for, identify, and apply to career technical schools or colleges and universities that are a best fit; and prepare students for their adjustment to and integration into their post-secondary communities.

The PACES providers will serve youth who live within the Region they cover.  The following is a list of PACES provider agencies with the counties served.

Region 4 Essex and Union
Community Access Unlimited - Program Director Tanya Johnson
Phone: 908-354-3040
TJohnson@caunj.org

For more detailed information about the program including the referral process you may also contact Michele Safrin from the DCF Office of Educational Support and Programs/Adolescent services at 609-888-7100.

Boys & Girls Club of Union County Plainfield and Elizabeth Locations
1050 Jeanette Ave, Union, NJ 07083
Plainfield: Phone: 908-351-3344;
Elizabeth: Phone: 908-822-8672, x101;

PROCEED, Inc
1126 Dickinson St., Elizabeth, NJ 07201
Phone: 908.351.7727 x251