Phil Murphy tours a homeless center and calls for a 'culture of service' in New Jersey

Phil Murphy, saying he was “feeling good” on the eve of his inauguration, on Monday toured a nonprofit in Lawrenceville that is dedicated to ending poverty and said there was a need for a “culture of service” in the state.

The governor-elect and his son Sam took part in a “day of service” to honor Martin Luther King Jr. The pair, and dozens of other volunteers who wore “Inaugural 2018” T-shirts, helped the staff at HomeFront, a Mercer County-based organization providing an array of services for homeless families.

“I’m incredibly humbled and honored to be at the precipice of becoming the governor of the state, let there be no doubt about that,” Murphy said.

Murphy is set to take the oath of office on Tuesday as New Jersey’s 56th governor at the Patriots Theater at the War Memorial in Trenton.

“The responsibility comes clearer and clearer into view the closer you get,” he added.

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At HomeFront, Murphy helped the staff by laying out mittens for families to collect for their kids and by painting frames that would be used to hold photos of children who live at the facility. Staff members said the frames would be distributed to families on Valentine’s Day.

The soon-to-be Democrat governor, succeeding two-term Republican Chris Christie, also spoke with families who live at the 42,000-square-foot campus. HomeFront can provide accommodations for 38 families along with childcare, job training, food and counseling, among other services.

Resident Shaquana Milton said she and her family became homeless after a house fire in December. Milton said she talked to Murphy about her time at HomeFront and said that she planned to return as a volunteer once she was “on her feet.”

“He wished me luck,” she said. “It was genuine.”

Murphy said that government “on its best day” wouldn’t be able to address all the needs of homeless families in the state, which is why service organizations are critical.

“We need a culture of service in this state, whether it’s from companies, churches or faith-based institutions, schools, nonprofits,” Murphy said. “The culture of service and being all-in together can be amplifying.”

Toward the end of his time at HomeFront, Murphy reflected briefly on his upbringing in a struggling middle-class family in Massachusetts.

“When I was growing up I didn’t have any money, but the government was there sort of to put a little wind in your sails,” he said. “I think government on its best day can do that again, but it can’t do everything by itself.”

Email: carrera@northjersey.com