About Us
Who we are
We are a non profit organization which has been serving Sussex County since 1977. We provide housing, food banks and education for activities of daily living.
Our goal is rehabilitation. We strive to send individuals and families back to the community with the ability to live and work independently.
We have a very high success rate and a low rate of recidivism.
Samaritan Inn is dedicated to meeting
the needs of homeless families.
The program's inception, due in large part to the dedicated efforts of Sister Thomasina Gebhard of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother, helped to alleviate the impoverishment caused by the economy and the forced closing of farms in Sussex County.
Mission and Philosophy
Samaritan Inn provides emergency food and temporary shelter to homeless families in Sussex County as well as a program of counseling and skill building in family maintenance and growth. Its core values are:
Service, Social Justice, Competence, Human Dignity
What We Have Accomplished
Samaritan Inn shares responsibility with the helping agencies of Sussex County to:
- Preserve the dignity of the individual
- Relieve human suffering
- Offer sanctuary to the homeless
- Alleviate hopelessness
- Exercise good stewardship of resources
All non-disabled residents of Samaritan Inn are working in skills training programs.
In sharing our accomplishments we can be proud that:
Samaritan Inn’s Family Shelter Program is the only program in the County that allows families to remain at the same location in a private apartment. In this realistic setting (of attending school and work, budgeting, housekeeping, cooking, parenting, and transporting themselves independently) residents are practicing the skills they will need to succeed in their new homes.
In the 2012 Fiscal Year:
Family shelter program provided 6,632 nights of shelter for 29 families (49 children and 36 adults) in our 9 apartments. Also, 124 people were sheltered in the emergency motel program (30 children). The food pantry provided 17,894 pounds of food to clients. There were 1,975 food pantry clients served through the food bank, holiday dinner, and gift program. There were 1,245 bags of food that were given out to food pantry clients. Also, 672 bags of food were given to shelter clients. There was a 107 clients taught through our Cooking with Coupons program. Over 2,520 grocery and household items were purchased and given to clients with a cost savings of $2,601.58 for the year with using coupons. There were 129 classes that occurred for the parents to learn how to budget, save money, and cook.
In the 2011 Fiscal Year:
Family shelter program provided 6,035 nights of shelter for 32 families (68 children and 40 adults) in our 9 apartments. Also, 185 people were sheltered in the emergency motel program (49 children). The food pantry provided 21,927 pounds of food to clients. There were 1,456 adults, 961 children, for a total of 875 families served through the food bank, holiday dinner, and gift program.
In the 2010 Fiscal Year:
The family shelter program provided 7,386 nights of shelter for 37 families (69 children). This is a 25% increase in one year. Also, 209 people were sheltered in the emergency motel program (67 children). The food pantry provided 18,883 pounds of food to clients. There were 2,190 clients to the food bank, holiday dinner, and gift program.
In the 2009 Fiscal Year:
Family shelter program provided 5,885 nights of shelter for 34 families (62 children) in our 9 apartments. Also, 212 people were sheltered in the emergency motel program (72 children). The food pantry provided 21,301 pounds of food to clients. There were 2,718 clients served through the food bank, holiday dinner, and gift program.