Camden County has a new entity in its effort to end homelessness: a $22 million, 60-unit supportive housing center near the county’s Lakeland complex in Gloucester Township.
The county Board of Commissioners dedicated the Martin F. McKernan Jr. Supportive Housing Center on Friday. The 45,000-square-foot facility will be operated by Volunteers of America Delaware Valley.
Fifty units will provide transitional housing for up to two years, as residents get connected to health care benefits, identification documents, mental health support and job placement. The remaining 10 units will be used for emergencies.
Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said the center uses a housing-first approach with wraparound services.
“This state-of-the-art facility will allow us to help and shelter more people living on the fringes of our community and give them a shot at redemption and stability,” he said.
The center is a sister operation to the Regan Center, also at Lakeland, which has run 23 shelter beds since 2021. It is part of the county’s six-point plan to reach functional zero homelessness by 2030. That’s the point where the number of people experiencing homelessness is no greater than the monthly rate of housing placements.
The center is named for Martin McKernan, a longtime diocesan attorney and public servant who died in 2021.
U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, who called McKernan a friend, said he “would be proud to have his name attached to something that will help so many in our community.”
