By Anne Levin

When representatives from HomeFront approached Dorothea von Moltke of Labyrinth Books about holding a panel discussion on homelessness and hunger at the store, von Moltke didn’t hesitate.

“From our end, it was simply a no-brainer,” she said of the event being held Thursday, November 21 at 6 p.m. “It is so important, and such an interesting mix of voices. And we have the space.”

Panelists for “Hunger and Homelessness in our Community: An Expert Panel” are Princeton University professor and poverty researcher Kathryn Edin; Shakira Abdul-Ali, Trenton’s director of Health and Human Services; Mary Gay Abbott-Young, CEO of the Rescue Mission of Trenton; Sarah Steward, COO of HomeFront; and Talitha-Koumi “TK” Oluwafemi, YMCA’s manager of the Greenwood Avenue Farmers Market in Trenton. Oluwafemi will  provide a personal perspective on the climb out of poverty.

The discussion is the first in a series of events being presented by HomeFront as part of National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week. Providing housing for vulnerable families in what was a decommissioned Navy training station across from Trenton/Mercer Airport, HomeFront strives to end homelessness in Central New Jersey by giving clients skills and opportunities to support themselves and their families.

Additional events are tours of the organization’s Family Campus on Friday and Saturday, November 22 and 23, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and the annual ArtSpace Holiday market, being held at the Family Campus on those same days and times.

For the discussion, HomeFront has assembled a panel of seasoned experts on the issues. Abbott-Young has headed Trenton’s Rescue Mission for decades, where housing assistance, shelter, addiction treatment education, and other services are provided to local individuals in need. In addition to running the Rescue Mission, Abbott-Young serves on several boards including the Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness, Mercer County Workforce Investment Board, New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, and the Trenton Health Team.

Edin is known as one of the nation’s leading poverty researchers working in the domains of welfare, low wage work, and family life. Among her eight books are $2 Per Day: The Art of Living on Virtually Nothing in America, co-authored with Luke Shaefer. She is a professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School.

In addition to her work as COO of HomeFront, Steward serves on the Ewing Township Council. She was deputy chief of staff and district director for Congressman Rush Holt prior to coming to HomeFront.

Before becoming director of Trenton’s Department of Health and  Human Services, Abdul-Ali served as an economic development planner for the City of Newark, assistant director for the New Jersey Governor’s Study Commission on Discrimination in Public Contracts, and chief of the Office of Minority Business Enterprise for the New Jersey Department of Commerce and Economic Development.

Oluwafemi was homeless for four months in 2016, living at HomeFront and Womanspace. Since then, she has completed her studies in theology, advocates for social justice, and gives back to HomeFront by sharing her perspectives.

The panel discussion is free. Labyrinth is at 122 Nassau Street. For more information on that and other events during the week, call HomeFront at (609) 989-9417 ext. 103.