On Saturday, Feb. 23, “Code Blue Collaborative Night Out” will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. at The Castle at Lutheran Crossings in Moorestown.
Kristen Babcock’s nonprofit, Code Blue Collaborative, has seen something of a transformation in recent months. Founded in 2016, the organization began with Babcock’s humble desire to provide food, clothing, blankets and other resources to homeless shelters. These days, however, Babcock and her team are tackling homelessness head-on.
Babcock and her fellow Code Blue Collaborative members are trying to help break the cycle of homelessness by getting families off the streets and into housing. When they have the available funds, the team is providing first and last months’ rent to get these families started, but with the cost adding up, Babcock is turning to the Moorestown community for its support.
On Saturday, Feb. 23, the nonprofit will host “Code Blue Collaborative Night Out” from 7 to 10 p.m. at The Castle at Lutheran Crossings in Moorestown. The proceeds will benefit Code Blue and its efforts to get homeless families into housing. The casual evening will feature light food and drinks.
To date, Code Blue has placed four families into apartments who have come from an array of unfortunate situations, from bad credit to their homes catching fire. From living in cars, motels and even the woods, getting these families back on their feet often isn’t a simple fix when bad credit or insufficient funds for first and last months’ rent can cause landlords to turn them away. Babcock said once a person is homeless, it’s very difficult for them to find housing.
So, when someone contacted the Code Blue Facebook page and shared that a family of seven was living in a motel in Cinnaminson, Babcock wanted to help. She paid for a week at the motel. From there, she received information about more families in the area that needed help. She said motels can often end up costing more than renting an apartment, and once a family is behind, it’s hard to catch up. So Babcock has been working with someone, who asked to remain anonymous, who has helped her secure apartments for these families to rent.
“You’ve got to stop the bleeding,” Babcock said.
When they learn of a family in need, Babcock and her fellow board members do a little vetting and make sure the family or person is genuinely in need. From there, Code Blue has provided these families with first and last months’ rent to get them back on their feet. The families’ names are on the lease, and they are responsible for any payments once they are in their new home.
But Code Blue doesn’t just place the families and then leave them to fend for themselves. It puts a call out to the community for furniture, groceries, clothing and anything else these families may need. Babcock said the outpouring of support from the Code Blue community is always gratifying to see.
As for the response when they tell these families that they’re getting a place to live, the reaction is always moving, according to Babcock.
“They all break down and cry; it’s pretty emotional,” Babcock said.
While Code Blue will continue to collect donations, Babcock foresees the nonprofit taking on more and more homeless placement work. The plan is to transform the back building behind her and her husband’s business into a storage facility for donations.
“We’re changing our objective from putting a Band-Aid on these problems to having a real solution,” Babcock said.
Babcock said while there are some nonprofits that you donate to and wonder where your money is going, attendees at the Feb. 23 fundraiser can know that their money is going toward getting someone physically off the street and into housing.
Tickets for the event are available for purchase online at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/codebluecollaborative. Individual tickets are $35, while a three-ticket package, which includes name recognition at the event, is $125. For more information on Code Blue Collaborative, visit https://www.facebook.com/codeblueburlingtoncounty.
