Program Helped Single Dad Find Path to Home Ownership
Somerville, NJ, July 7, 2026 – Two years ago, Vito Dambra was living in a Somerset County hotel with his teenage son. An auto technician for nearly 30 years, he was unable to work due to a spinal injury. He had lost his wife in 2018 after a two-year illness. After falling behind on his bills, he had lost his townhome in Somerset and was homeless.
Thanks to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset’s Healing Homes transitional housing program, the 54-year-old father of three found a part-time job, paid off his debts, improved his credit score and saved enough money to buy a new home in Pennsylvania near his adult son.
“The Healing Homes program gave me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and put me back on the right track,” Dambra said. “I will be forever grateful.”
Launched in 2019 as part of RWJBarnabas Health’s Social Impact and Community Investment Practice, the hospital provides two homes in Somerville for Somerset County individuals or families who have an illness that has contributed to financial hardship and are unable to afford housing.
A case manager works with the families to refer them to resources to help them manage their health issues and address needs such as employment, transportation and social services, with the goal of helping them transition to permanent housing within 18 to 24 months. In addition to Dambra, a second family who participated in RWJUH Somerset’s Healing Homes program also moved into permanent housing earlier this year.
The two homes are now available for new Healing Homes participants. Applications for the program will be accepted through July 31.
“Having access to safe, stable housing is a contributing factor to an individual’s overall health,” said Deirdre A. Blaus, Chief Administrative Officer, RWJUH Somerset. “Through Healing Homes, we not only offer a place to live but are helping participants become financially independent and giving them the tools to take care of their health.”
“It has been so rewarding to see our Healing Homes’ families thrive as they pursue their personal goals, including employment, continuing education and permanent housing,” said Serena Collado, director, Community Health, RWJUH Somerset, who oversees the Healing Homes initiative. “We look forward to welcoming two new families to the program and to working with our community partners to guide them on the path to success.”
Representatives from the following organizations serve on RWJUH Somerset’s Healing Homes Taskforce: Affinity Federal Credit Union, Bonnie Brae, Central Jersey Housing Resource Center, EmPOWer Somerset, Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board, HOME of Somerset County, HomeSharing, Housing & Community Development Network of New Jersey, Norwescap, Raritan Valley Habit for Humanity, Safe and Sound, Somerset Community Action Program, Somerset County Board of Social Services, Somerset County Community Development, Somerset County Health Department and Housing Authority, Somerset County Human Services, Tri County CMO, United Way’s Alice Project of Northern New Jersey and Zarephath Christian Church.
To be considered for Healing Homes, participants must meet specific criteria, such as:
- have an illness that has contributed to financial hardship and impacts their ability to afford housing and /or basic cost of living
- have limited access to health care
- are employed with a steady income but earn below the New Jersey Housing and Urban Development (HUD) income guidelines
Additionally, participants in Healing Homes must demonstrate a willingness to achieve the goals identified with the case manager in their individual progress plan to improve their circumstances.
“It opens a lot of doors for you, but you have to work for it,” Dambra said. “I took advantage of all of the resources offered to me and I tried to absorb as much as I could.”
For more information about RWJUH Somerset’s Healing Homes program and for an online application form, visit www.rwjbh.org/somersethealinghomes
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset
Located in Somerville, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, is a nationally accredited, 343-bed regional hospital providing comprehensive emergency, medical/surgical, behavioral health and rehabilitative services to central New Jersey residents. As a designated teaching hospital of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the hospital maintains a family medicine residency program with 21 residents.
RWJUH Somerset has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety including the prestigious Magnet® Award for Nursing Excellence.
The Steeplechase Cancer Center at RWJUH Somerset is accredited by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. RWJBarnabas Health and RWJUH Somerset together with Rutgers Cancer Institute - the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center – provide access to the most advanced treatment options including clinical trials, cellular therapies and precision medicine, close to home.
For more information, visit www.rwjbh.org/somerset.
Contact: Kathleen Roberts
908-595-2319