When officials at Brookdale Community College noted they encountered students with limited resources that could benefit from County Services, Monmouth ACTS stepped in.
Students didn’t know where to turn for housing, food and more. “There was a need for a larger connection,” said Christine Aumack, administrative supervisor of Social Work for Monmouth County Division of Social Services. “We decided to bring our resources directly to the students by having a social worker available to them on campus.”
Now Sylvina Mendez, MCDSS social worker, is posted at the Brookdale-Lincroft campus Veteran’s Center each Monday and Thursday. She provides students with information on how to access services such as SNAP, Medicaid, homeless and housing services, utility assistance, domestic violence services/support and much more.
“This is a great example of just one of the ways that working with partners like Brookdale Community College can better address the human needs in our community,” said Freeholder Sue Kiley, liaison to Human Services. “Sylvina has been a great source of help and information to the students at Brookdale, and we are very proud of the program’s success. We continue to explore new ways to collaborate for the betterment of our community.”
