Helping the homeless is her calling
By JOYCE VANAMAN
For The Press
Published: Monday, September 22, 2008
MILLVILLE - Headlines rarely focus on the homeless any more.But the homeless are still here in Cumberland County - in the woods, in abandoned buildings, in trucks and other vehicles, in the parks, at the waterfronts."They move around, and they hide," said Diane Strozyk, of Vineland, project director for the Division of the Homeless, which is under the county Office of Aging and Disabled headed by Misono Miller."On just one day of going out into the county to try to count the homeless, we identified 266," Strozyk said. "By using the HUD (Office of Housing and Urban Development) formula, the total number could be between 450 to 1,000. We think even the 1,000 figure is a conservative one, that there are actually more homeless."Strozyk works with those who are already homeless and those in danger of becoming homeless.
"Some of the people wait to tell us until an eviction deadline approaches, and then it becomes an emergency," Strozyk said."We are in great need of more shelter beds," Strozyk emphasized. "One of the reasons is the economy. There are a lot of evictions. It's not just failure to pay rent that people face evictions," Strozyk said. "It's also failure to pay the utilities."Strozyk, 52, who has been in the social service field for 30 years and has worked with the homeless since May 2006, said: "You just can't believe some of the heartbreaking stories I have heard. Sometimes the people themselves are at fault, but a lot of times that is not the case.""If someone is ill and disabled, it's difficult to survive without subsidized housing, and there's a lack of that in Cumberland County," she said."Diane possesses the key elements of a good social worker, such as caring, compassion, respect and interest in improving people's lives," said David Grennon Jr., project director for the Cumberland County Office and Services for the Disabled."As part of a national initiative, I've been commissioned by the freeholders to work on a 10-year plan to reduce homelessness in the county," said Strozyk who keeps the Homeless at Risk Directory up to date, with as many resources as possible.Strozyk, who grew up in Tremont, Pa., majored in education and minored in music at Lebanon Valley College. Throughout her life, Strozyk has kept up with her music and is director of music at First Presbyterian Church in Vineland. In her previous job as executive director of Spirit & Truth Ministries, based in Vineland, Strozyk saw people's desperate need for food and other assistance. "I felt called to work with the church and community," she said.She has a 12-year-old son, Isaac.
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