Carrie Radice has a wealth of experience working with homeless individuals and in affordable housing. On April 1, she became the Director of Harmony House, New Community’s transitional housing facility for homeless families.
Radice started her career in domestic violence, working in a safe house. She later served as the Director of Family Promise of Sussex County, a homeless shelter. She also ran a veteran program in Newark and worked in property management for a decade.
Helping others has always driven Radice. She is a licensed social worker and has lived experience that helps her relate to clients.
“I was raised by a single mom of four and when the rent went up, we moved. Depending on the definition of homelessness at the time, we were either considered couch surfers or homeless a lot of times as children,” she said. “It’s always been a passion and something I understood.”
New Community CEO Simone Gagneron sees Radice as a great asset to Harmony House.
“I’m thrilled to welcome our newest team member to the New Community family. Carrie’s passion for making a difference and dedication to our mission is truly inspiring,” she said. “I’m confident she’ll make a significant impact in the lives of those we serve.”
Radice enjoys seeing clients improve both their situation and their outlook.
“To see their success and to start to believe in themselves. To see the dullness go to a spark,” she said of her favorite part of her work.
Radice sees having the entire network of New Community services available for the clients as very beneficial.
“It’s a concept that should be within every agency that I worked for,” she said. “To have everything in-house is brilliant.”
She also likes the setup of Harmony House since it offers apartments to families with private bathrooms and kitchens, which helps reduce some stress during a time of unrest.
Radice attended county college before earning a bachelor’s degree from Ramapo College. She then earned a master’s degree in social work from Rutgers-Newark. She lived in upstate New York for a short time as a child but has mainly resided in New Jersey, in a variety of counties.
Radice currently lives in Sussex County and has two daughters and a grandson. In her free time, she enjoys playing trivia on a team, playing the tambourine, listening to live music, spending time on the beach in the summer and spending time with her grandson.
Radice sees the work at Harmony House as essential for helping families get back on their feet.
“You can’t focus on anything else if you don’t have a roof over your head,” she said.
