*The PATH Center at 818 North Fifth Street is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., providing a safe environment that offers a number of services for men who have become homeless. One of the first homeless day centers in the country, PATH uses a case management approach that flows out of Respond’s philosophy of caring and the enabling of self help. PATH seeks to set the program’s participants on the road to rehabilitation and self sufficiency.

PATH Clients:

*Clients come to PATH voluntarily. The majority of them live in the streets, in abandoned houses, in cars under highway bridges or are transients from one relative’s or friends home to another. Most have no recent income or employment; 90% have a history of substance abuse; ages range from 19 to 60, with the median age about 38.

PATH Services:

*Supportive services are provided to each client in a case management system, which holistically addresses the individual client’s problems. Services, either direct or by referral, include substance abuse counseling, HIV counseling, life skills training, health and mental health services, employment and training, housing counseling, literacy and nutrition counseling. The more basic necessary services of meal tickets, laundry, showers, telephone, mail receipt, clothing bank and snack service are also provided.

Camden Code Blue – Winter Night Shelter:

*PATH also operats Camden’s highly successful Code Blue Program over the winter months. During periods of extreme cold, police and volunteer social workers seek out homeless people and bring them in for food and shelter for the night. The program’s success is attested to by the fact that not a single homeless person’s life has been lost in Camden as a result of exposure to the cold.

Homeless Hospitality Network:

*PATH collaborates with faith congregations throughout Camden County to provide housing and support for up to 12 men at a time who are actively seeking to rehabilitate themselves. The ability to refer men to the network gives PATH added dimension. Office space for the Network case manger is provided by Respond as an in-kind service. The Network also provides transportation, job support, and transitional housing to help participating clients achieve independence.

Program Support:

*Support for PATH comes from the Camden County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the city of Camden through federal programs that aid the homeless.