Manna House is a transitional housing program for women and children who would otherwise be homeless.  We provide the opportunity for women to move from dependency and homelessness to self sufficiency and hope.

Founded in June 1987, Manna House has grown with the needs of the women in their journey from skill development to school to work to the ability to sustain a home.  Manna House provides a solid foundation as well as extended assistance through our Graduate program to prevent her from becoming homeless again.

In our 25 years of existence over 1000 women and children have stayed at Manna House, completing the program and moving into more stable lives.  We know the issues of poverty and homelessness are complex and we strive to help our women break the cycle of poverty for themselves and for the next generation.

In response to the overwhelming number of families living in motels, leaders of 13 congregations came together in 1987 and dreamed of an interfaith answer that was sorely needed to solve the growing problem of homelessness here, in Monmouth County. The target population to be served by this group was homeless women with children. The founding congregations included: St. Benedict’s Catholic Community; Temple Shalom; Cross of Glory Lutheran Church; Temple Beth Ahm; Tower Hill Presbyterian Church; St. George by the River; St. Mary’s Catholic Church; First Presbyterian Church Matawan; Trinity Episcopal Church; Faith Reformed Church; Community Church of Christ; Gethsemane Lutheran Church; and St. Catherine’s Catholic Church. These far-sighted leaders founded
the corporation of Monmouth Neighborhood Housing.

After a huge multi-congregational fund-raising effort, grant writing efforts and many legal obstacles, an occupied boarding house was purchased on August 31, 1987 in Cliffwood Beach, NJ and named Manna House. The Coordinator of Homeless Services from the Monmouth County Department of Human Services was a huge help, assisting the group to obtain grant monies. During the first year the board hired a resident manager and a counselor to work on relocating the individual residents of the boarding house. Gradually alternative housing was found for all individual residents and in 1988 work on reconstruction began on the larger section of the house. After architects completed the major work, construction engineers, etc., troops of volunteers added the finishing touches and an Open House was held in 1989.

Three  homeless women with children were accepted as the first “official” residents of Manna House, living in a small wing affectionately called “the train”. A Program Director was hired and a local church provided space for the women and children of Manna House to gather for ongoing education and day care, during the day while the construction on the property was being completed. Volunteer drivers, baby sitters, mentors, etc. were abundant. Additional families joined the first three Manna House residents. In the early 1990’s, “the train” was removed and an
addition of a larger kitchen and two bedrooms were added. This increased the total number of families at Manna House to nine.

In June 2001, another addition to Manna House was completed. This addition provided a training center equipped with computers, a larger living room to accommodate all the families and provide a special play area for the children, and four new bedrooms. While we continued to service nine families, we were able to accept larger families due to the larger bedrooms. In addition, we got much needed storage space in the new attic, four, instead of two, bathrooms, and the laundry room was moved upstairs. In May 2006, we converted one of the smaller rooms back into a bedroom to increase the number of families we were able to serve to ten. This was done in response to the on-going need to service the homeless in Monmouth County.

Since  the first three families moved into Manna House, we have offered various Life Skills Programs to enhance their daily living skills, as well as, working with the Monmouth County Division of Employment and Training, to provide the opportunity for our residents to receive formal job training in various fields: i.e. CNA, computer training, and medical assistant, to name a few. We continue to expand the Life Skills Programs to meet the ever-changing needs of the families we serve. To date, we have provided housing to approximately 200 women and over 300 children.

In 1998, a staff member was hired to work part-time at Manna House and part-time out on the road with our graduates. In 2003, our Board of Trustees made the decision to hire a full-time Graduate Program Coordinator, to offer on-going support to the approximately 60 out of 80 graduates who opted to be a part of our graduate follow-up program. In 2006, an additional staff member was hired to work with our newest graduates. She currently divides her time between working with the women at Manna House, providing individual case management for our 9 most recent graduates, and plans many group activities as a an additional means of supporting our graduates.


The reality is the needs of homeless women and children are as great today as they were twenty years ago, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to continue to be here in Monmouth County reaching out to those individuals willing to make the commitment to provide a better life for themselves and their children.

Our Timeline
NOVEMBER 18, 1986: Certificate of Incorporation filed JULY 20,
1987: Manna House’s first board meeting
AUGUST 31, 1987: Manna House purchased
1990: Kitchen and 2 bedrooms added to increase the number of families at Manna House to 9
NOVEMBER 4, 1995: First annual fashion show/luncheon held
1995: UPS Foundation grants Manna House $50,000
1996: Vacant property next door purchased
1997: Manna House begins part-time Graduate Program
2001: New wing opens 4 rooms,training center & living room
2004: Manna House partners with Affordable Housing Alliance to provide housing for four graduates
2004: Graduate Program becomes full-time
2006: Four graduates occupy units partnered w/Affordable Housing Alliance
2006:  Graduate Program is staffed w/2 full-time professionals
2007: Celebrated 20th Anniversary 2010: Entered into a Collaboration with Spring House in Eatontown