Newburgh Ministry helps provide shelter for people who could use a hand.

Gaye Rolley is one of those residents that Newburgh Ministry helped after she found herself homeless after losing her job.

 “I moved up from out of town to live with my oldest brother who lived in Middletown,” Rolley said. “At the time, I was volunteering at HONOR, which is also a homeless shelter in Middletown, and my brother died, so we had to move.

“I ended up staying at another homeless shelter and then COVID broke out. I ended up staying at a hotel for a short time, and then they moved me here to Newburgh Ministry.”

According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, as of 2019, it was reported that 589 people were homeless in Orange County, a figure that has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rolley says the staff at Newburgh Ministry took good care of her, and with a little persistence, she eventually got a job there.

“I took the job working as a cook and also the head of the pantry. And I work seven days a week by my choice; cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for 19 people, plus the people on the outside,” said Rolley.

With the resources and programs provided, Rolley said she was able to leave the shelter and find an apartment.

“They provided us with list of housing opportunities. They provided us with a list of … affordable apartments. They provided us with the real estate agencies within the area; they provided us with mail and [took] the mail out for us the applications out for us,” said Rolley.

Other resources available include RECAP and HONOR, which are two organizations in the Hudson Valley who work directly with the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Colin Jarvis, the ministry’s executive director, says they ran a few programs at the shelter that helped people like Rolley stay on top of their finances, but they also have a few projects in the works to help with affordable housing.

“Over time, you get tired of seeing folks coming in and crying because you know, they either just got evicted [or] have no place else to go,” Jarvis said.