For $25 a month, you can feed one young person in the Emergency Youth Shelter

For $30 a month, you can feed one young person in our Transitional Living Program

For $50 a month, you can feed 2 young people in our Emergency Youth Shelter

For $60 a month, you can feed 2 young people in our Transitional Living Program for a day

For $100 a month, you can provide utility costs for 3 young people at our Emergency Youth Shelter

For $160 a month, you can house a young person in our Emergency Youth Shelter for a day

For $200 a month, you can house a young person in our Transitional Living Program for a day

A Young Person's Story

A teenager entered our Emergency Youth Shelter at the age of 17. This person experienced years of abuse that are unimaginable to most people. Eleven years later, they wrote this letter to us. Was it written by a young man or young woman?

"I was drowning. Not in water, but in rage, shame and pain. I had nowhere to turn. I tried to keep functioning, but I couldn't tread water any longer. Self-destruction became my only means of coping. There comes a time when the very mechanisms used to survive start to overtake and consume you. I remember all too clearly reaching that point.

Every person needs a solid foundation to build the rest of their life upon. Typically, this foundation is created by loving parents, a safe and nurturing home, and unconditional love. But, what do you do when your parents don't love and support you? Or when the worst dangers imaginable live in your own home? I was alone, desperate, and plagued by horrors no child - no person - should ever experience. One night I simply reached my limit of what I could handle. With nowhere to turn, I called a number that would forever change the course of my life.

There is no exaggeration that Ocean's Harbor House is "A Safe Haven for Youth." I walked through their shelter doors a broken child and was given refuge. I was astonished by the acceptance I received. There was no judgment or accusation. My emotions and thoughts were not dismissed, but encouraged. For the first time in my life, I mattered. People I had never met displayed more compassion and care for me than I ever believed existed. Donations by strangers I'd never be able to thank fed and clothed me. The staff and volunteers offered me support and comfort. They treated me like I deserved such kindness - and for the first time, I thought maybe I did. Harbor House was the first safe home I ever experienced. This home, filled with dedicated strangers, provided me with the foundation I previously lacked. It was on this foundation that I built the rest of my life.

True happiness never appeared possible for me; it seemed like a myth, like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Eleven years ago, and for all years prior, happiness was a brief moment in time where the weight of my rage and misery didn't feel as though it was crushing me entirely. I never woke up happy; something outstanding had to happen for me to feel at all. Years of abuse will do that to a person, I suppose. The first time I believed happiness was obtainable was at Harbor House. Through their services I recognized that although I couldn't control the actions of the people in my past, I could control the direction my life would takes as an adult. The road was certainly not easy. In order to move forward, I needed to face every past terror. Luckily, the burden of my toxic emotions could no longer drown me. Thanks to Ocean's Harbor House, I had safe mooring.

Eleven years later, I can say that I am happy. I don't need a reason or explanation anymore; I simply wake up feeling that way. I can accept love and give it in return. My home is filled with laughter and joy. My daughter already has the foundation she needs to grow into a healthy adult. By recognizing the mistakes done unto me, I know how and what to provide her with to ensure that she will never doubt herself, or how deeply she is loved, or how happy and fulfilling life can truly be.

There is no doubt in my mind that Ocean's Harbor House saved my life. As if that weren't enough, its staff and volunteers gave me the foundation I needed to create a life that isn't crippled by the past. I can think of no greater success in life."

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From Homeless to HarVard

Ocean's Harbor House
2445 Windsor Avenue
P.O. Box 622
Toms River, NJ 08754

(732) 929-0660

EIN#: 22-2672209