L.B. Concordance has a place to call home
Office space makes resources accessible to the community
BY CHRISTINE VARNO
Staff Writer

The Long Branch Concordance (LBC) has an official space to call home and will open its doors to the community today.

The office is located on the second floor of the Garfield Building at 279 Broadway, and has been outfitted with phones and office equipment.

“[The Concordance] has accomplished a great deal in a short period of time,” LBC director Terri S. Blair said. “I am just thrilled at the success.”

The office space was made a reality in November, thanks to the LBC sponsoring agency, Family Intervention Services (FIS), a child- and family-centered nonprofit that provide families with individualized assessments and the specific services needed.

Headquartered in South Orange, FIS became the sponsoring agency in August after funding from the group’s first temporary sponsoring agency — Monmouth Cares Inc., a nonprofit agency in West Long Branch — ran out.

“[The FIS] nurtures the growth and development of the concordance as we move forward,” said Terri E. Booth, LBC information coordinator. “The FIS is the reason we have an office space.”

The new office space will provide a central location where individuals in the community can go to locate resources, support and referral services, such as; financial, safety, employment, legal, spiritual, transportation, educational, food, shelter and more.

The role of the FIS is to assist the LBC in grant writing, developing resources, mentoring and acting as the group’s fiscal agent.

The LBC is an effort that was begun in March by Long Branch residents and local-, regional-, and county-based organizations that formed to help meet the needs of residents in the city that were not being met, Blair said.

The LBC has grown to include more than 40 agencies, organizations and city residents that meet on a monthly basis to share resources and discuss how the group can best support the families and children of Long Branch.

“The LBC helps people build on their strengths,” the concordance brochure reads. “Some people have crises that need immediate attention. Other people just need a helping hand, or assistance researching a situation.

“We are committed to multifaceted individual and family empowerment.”

As of this time, the LBC has not obtained nonprofit 501 (c) 3 status and until it does the FIS will provide the support the concordance needs, Blair said.

“We cannot accept monies, but a check can be addressed to FIS with LBC written in the memo part,” she said about donations made to the group.

The concordance may have the space to operate, but now supplies are needed in order to accommodate the needs of the community.

At the Jan. 21 monthly meeting held at the Brookdale Community Center on Broadway, attendees were asked to read the list of needed supplies and sign-up if they could donate an item on the list, which include: office supplies, privacy dividers, foldable room dividers, two CD players to mask noise, electric coffee pot, microwave, a dorm-sized refrigerator, children’s books and puzzles, vacuum cleaner and filing cabinets.

“We have a fair amount of table space,” Blair said. “What we are lacking is privacy.”

Once the space is equipped with office supplies, Blair said she will start coordinating with organizations who want to host workshops or events in the LBC headquarters.

LBC hours of operation will temporarily be; Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.

The days and hours will change as more volunteers become available, Blair said.

A grand opening is scheduled for Feb. 24 from 3-7 p.m. at the headquarters and the next regular meeting is scheduled for Feb. 18 at the Brookdale Community Center Learning Center.