York Street Project

St. Joseph's Home is far more than a shelter. Here, the women of York Street Project in Jersey City, New Jersey are given the opportunity to take concrete steps towards attaining permanent housing while building independent lives for themselves and their families.

Our Home, a five-story brownstone built and occupied by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace in 1891 and once operated as an orphanage, was renovated in 1988 to accommodate a transitional housing program for homeless women (18 years +) and their children (0-18 years of age).

Services Provided
At St. Joseph's, each family gets its own private bedroom space -- with a lockable door. Our women share the common living space as well as responsibilities for the maintenance, cooking, and governance of their floor in preparation for the day when they will be living independently.

Our Transitional Life Skills Enrichment program educates our women in parenting, career planning, legal advocacy, health, and financial and household management. Each woman also takes personal responsibility for her family's future by attending school, enrolling in a job-training program, or working.

On-site counseling, in the form of mental health and case management, is available to help our women and our children sort through their complex lives. Upon successful completion of our program, we recommend our women for a Section 8 Housing voucher, which subsidizes up to 70% of their rent. To ensure they keep that voucher for as long as they need, it is imperative that they are as ready as possible to succeed on their own.