Emergency Interim Housing
Short-term, safe shelter for individuals and families facing sudden displacement. Average stay 30–90 days, with case management built in.
$0Cost to client · ~$1,800/mo underwritten
Somerville, New Jersey · Faith-based since 1984
Dignity, restored one neighbor at a time.
The Samaritan Homeless Interim Program has stood with the working poor, the unhoused, and the near-homeless of greater Somerville for four decades. We provide emergency interim housing, counseling, advocacy, and warm meals — free of charge, always.
40+Years serving
$0Cost to clients
6Core programs
1Community at a time
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Who we are
A grassroots faith-based response to a quiet crisis.
SHIP is interfaith and community funded, assisted, and supported. Since 1984 we have served individuals and families in desperate need — many of them the working poor, hungry, or battling substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, mental health challenges, neglect, or isolation.
Clients coming to SHIP are in desperate need of help. Many are the working poor. They include those that suffer from homelessness or being near homeless. Many are hungry, or suffer from substance abuse dependency, HIV/AIDS, mental health issues, or neglect and isolation.
Services are tailored to each individual's need and vary in duration according to each individual or family's situation. SHIP provides this unique population with critically needed emergency interim services.
These services may include advocacy, emergency interim housing, interim counseling, and support services that greatly enhance their chances of regaining their self-sufficiency. SHIP is dedicated to improving the quality of life for the poor — without exception, and without charge.
Clients are eligible to apply for all of SHIP's programs and services. There are no charges for any services. What we offer is not a handout. It is a hand up, held out by neighbors who believe that no one in our community should face a cold night, an empty plate, or a closed door alone.
— A note from the floor
Holiday meals, mobile kitchens, and the quiet work in between.
Our holiday meal program and Mobile Soup Kitchen reach neighbors where they are — in parking lots, at shelters, on street corners. Every plate is a small act of dignity returned.
"Clients coming to SHIP are in desperate need of help. Many are the working poor."
What we provide
Six core services, zero cost to those we serve.
Every program below is offered free of charge. Indicative costs listed reflect what SHIP invests per neighbor served — covered entirely by community donations, grants, and faith partners. No one is ever billed.
Interim Counseling
One-on-one support for mental health, substance use recovery, and crisis stabilization — provided by trained staff and volunteer clinicians.
$0Cost to client · ~$95/session underwritten
Mobile Soup Kitchen
Hot, nutritious meals delivered weekly to neighbors in need across greater Somerville — at shelters, lots, and community rooms.
$0Cost to client · ~$4.20/meal underwritten
Case Advocacy
Direct help navigating benefits, ID restoration, healthcare enrollment, housing applications, and legal referrals with a dedicated advocate.
$0Cost to client · ~$220/case underwritten
Support Services
Hygiene kits, clothing, transportation assistance, mail handling, and phone access — the small dignities that make stability possible.
$0Cost to client · ~$65/kit underwritten
Family Stabilization
Longer-term coaching for families at risk of separation or repeat homelessness — budgeting, parenting support, school enrollment, and more.
$0Cost to client · ~$1,200/family underwritten
Why SHIP
Forty years of showing up — quietly, consistently, without a bill.
— 01
Free of charge, in every case.
There are no fees for any SHIP service. Not now, not ever. Our work is sustained by donors, congregations, and grants that believe dignity shouldn't carry a price tag.
— 02
Tailored, not templated.
Services are shaped to each individual's need and vary in duration according to each situation. We don't run people through a pipeline — we walk beside them.
— 03
Interfaith by design.
Built from many faiths and many hands. SHIP is community funded, assisted, and supported — a true grassroots coalition, not a single congregation's project.
— 04
Recognized, but not resting.
Honored as a Russ Berrie Making a Difference Award recipient — recognition we treat as a mandate to do more, not a reason to slow down.
— 05
The working poor are our neighbors.
Many who come to SHIP hold jobs. The math just doesn't add up. We exist for the gap between paycheck and rent, between meals and dignity.
— 06
Self-sufficiency is the goal.
Every service is designed to enhance the chance of regaining self-sufficiency. We measure success by who no longer needs us.
On the ground
Meals served, nights kept warm.
From the Mobile Soup Kitchen to holiday community dinners, SHIP's work happens in the open — in church basements, parking lots, and the homes of neighbors most of Somerset County never knew were struggling.
Mobile Soup Kitchen
Weekly hot-meal service reaching neighbors across greater Somerville, NJ.
Holiday Meals
Community dinners that turn a hard season into a shared one.
Galley Soup Kitchen
Volunteer-driven kitchen serving hundreds weekly.
Reach us
Ask for help, or offer it.
Whether you are a neighbor in need, a volunteer with time, or a donor with resources — there is a place for you at SHIP. Reach out and a member of our team will respond within one business day.
Service Area
Greater Somerville, New Jersey
Hours
Mon–Fri · 9:00am – 5:00pm
Cost
All services — free of charge