Long range solutions to ongoing problems facing society at large in New Jersey such as hunger, lack of housing and employment will be on the agenda May 21 when the Anti-Poverty Network of New Jersey convenes a Poverty Summit at the Trenton War Memorial.

The summit, entitled “A Call to Invest in the People of New Jersey,” will run from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and include reports on the current realities of poverty and income insecurity in New Jersey with a special focus on those three issues, said Marlene Lao-Collins, diocesan executive director of Catholic Charities, one of five co-conveners.

Lao-Collins described the summit as a brainstorming session which hopefully will open the door to strengthening initiatives that will provide essential support to those living in need, all the while striving to lift them out of it.

“These three topics, employment, hunger and housing came about as the reality of the economic downturn became clear,” she said. “We are seeing how people are really struggling, not just individuals who have faced poverty long-term but those who are falling into the gulf because of the current  situation.

 “At Catholic Charities, we are seeing people on a regular basis who could support themselves before, but now are in a critical state – they really need jobs, they find themselves homeless. They need affordable places to live,” she said.

“The state is facing these challenges and we have to look for the best way to distribute our dollars. We thought it was important to look at employment because that stabilizes folks. And housing, you can’t be stable if you don’t have a place to live. Hunger continues to be a real issue.”

  The Anti-Poverty Network is an information-oriented forum comprised of over 300 participating grass-roots and advocacy organizations, faith based groups and those who live in poverty. Since it was founded in 1999, APN has provided an opportunity for people to meet regularly to share up-to-date reports about poverty and actions and developments that will impact low income people.

Over the past few months, she said, APN prepared a four page document on these issues and met with Democrat and Republican legislators to share ideas, she said. “We were well received everywhere. (The legislators) understand the challenges and are looking for innovative ideas. There is room for everyone to work together.”

In previous years, APN has always directed its efforts to the state budget, she said. “Late last year, we decided it was time to go beyond that and not just focus on the budget. We are looking for a broader policy. Our hope is that we can work with those we normally work with and those who haven’t been to this particular table,” to come to understand the issues and affects of poverty, she said.

“We would love to sit with the League of Municipalities, with business people,  with New Jersey hospitals, with realtor association groups. This is a real opportunity to work together.”

The day will include presentations on: “What it looks like to be poor in NJ” by Allan Lichtenstein and Shivi Prasad of the Poverty Research Institute; the APN position paper with Arnold Cohen, housing and community development Network of NJ on housing, Adele La Tourette of the NJ Anti-Hunger Coalition on hunger; Ray Castro of N.J. Policy Perspective on employment.

For more information, go to  http://www.antipovertynetwork.org.