Good Counsel Inc

Since Chris Bell was inspired by Father Benedict Groeschel to put his considerable talents and energies to this task, the program has continued to grow and thrive. It is one of the very few charities which consistently uses donor funds to the maximum advantage through the use of volunteer and community resources. When you feel the urge to give and share your bounty with others, I strongly recommend you put Good Counsel at the top of your list.

Great Nonprofits has asked for a follow-up review of GOOD COUNSEL, INC. I continue to receive mail from them and I donate when I can, although my limited funds prevent me from donating as much as I would like.
GOOD COUNSEL HOMES continues to provide HOPE, SECURITY, ENCOURAGEMENT, AFFIRMATION PEACE, food, clothing, shelter, community, education, job training, child care, and WELCOME to women in crisis pregnancies who otherwise might have nowhere else to go and who otherwise might be deceived into thinking that abortion is their only choice.
GOOD COUNSEL doesn't only talk the pro-life talk, but, more importantly, they walk the pro-life walk, because they walk women in crisis pregnancies (and any other children they may have) through their pregnancy and delivery and continue to welcome them and provide for them as long as they need to stay afterwards and help them get on their feet and prepare them to live and care for their child/children independently. They do this in a loving, faith-filled community.

I have been blessed to know the founders Fr. Benedict & Chris Bell for over 20 years. I have worked with Fr. B and met Mr. Bell several times. Meet them for yourself and you will see that Good Counsel is a true charity. If you want to make sure that your money helps a mom & child in need, give to Good Counsel. As God is my witness, this organization will use your funds to love your neighbor.

My comely bride once opened the first pregnancy counseling center in Manhattan, almost a quarter century ago. She had a lot of volunteer help, including even me on occasion, and the stories I learned from her then were often often fairly terrifying, but more often deeply moving.

Most all of these latter didn’t include many fireworks, but were steady and simple things; the small ways that people would go out of their way to help somebody else, like the woman who went after midnight to what was then a pretty scary Harlem, to bring a mother there some diapers for her newborn.

I don’t recall exactly when Good Counsel came into the picture, though I do remember that it did so soon, and, soon enough, regularly. I still know Good Counsel’s work only in the most general way, which is that it provides a haven to live for women with children, and pregnant women, when they have no place to go.

But I have tried to imagine what it would be like to be pregnant with no place to go, and no one willing to help except the abortion provider, which then wouldn’t mean much of a choice. Since Good Counsel has been around for a long time now, it has been able to provide such a choice for surely hundreds and maybe even thousands of women and their children; but though that reads as a fine statistic, I keep coming back to that one woman, feeling helpless and alone, maybe wanting to love her child, but – well, having no choice. And then, because of Good Counsel, discovering as though it were a miracle that she has a choice after all, and hope too.

Due to the warm and focused environment at the Good Counsel homes, it’s probably not a surprise that the miracle these women experience there has also helped most of them to get their lives back on track. Helped many even to become happy I expect, maybe not least because of the children they now love, that almost didn’t make it.

All this stands on its own it seems fair to propose. But also fair to suggest it worthy of recognition in the non-profit world, and the world at large.

Good Counsel, Inc. is more than a pregnancy care center; it is a place for a woman in crisis to find a home. When a pregnant mom comes to Good Counsel, she receives more than shelter; she receives medical care, parenting classes and job training assessments. She becomes part of a "family" that longs to see her succeed. When her baby is born, the mom can stay for a year or more, working on the parenting skills, the life skills, and the job skills that she needs to be a contributing part of society. She is helped to find a place to live and a job. Programs continue after she leaves, giving her a lifeline to continue her progress and a safety net to steady her.

From the moment I first leared about Good Counsel, the organization communicated clearly by word and action who they are and what they do. Good Counsel demonstrates a singularity of purpose and a commitment to the most vulnerable of our society - pregnant, homeless women and their unborn. I was convinced from the very beginning that the endeavors of Good Counsel were badly needed. What impressed me about Good Counsel is that is not only provided for the physical needs of needy women and babies but has a structured program for education, parenting skills and counseling. Clearly, Good Counsel works tirelessly to make life better for homeless women. I have met the co-founder, Chris Bell, whom I came to know as a devoted man who is personally involed on all levels of helping those in need. Good Counsel is an organization to which I want to contribute my time, talent and treasure. Wish I lived closer to one of the Good Counsel Homes so I could be a volunteer.

I am amazed to witness the impact that Good Counsel Homes, Inc. is making in our area. They are making such a positive change in the lives of pregnant women who have no place to go and have no support. Not only does Good Counsel help them with shelter, but with educating them about their choices. I am a proud supporter of Good Counsel Homes and I believe in their cause.

Good Counsel Homes is a home for the homeless Mom. This is sorely needed is today's society where we are experiencing a great deal of economic hardship.

I have counseled young pregnant women and those who choose abortion because they thought they had no other option. Many were afraid they would be trown out of their homes or abused by the father and were told that abortion was their only optioned. This started a downward spiral in their lives. All they wanted was support and a different option which Good Counsel home could have provided for them if only it was open in South Jersey. Please Support this alternative for women facing an unplanned pregnancy. Mary Anne B. Serra RN, ADN, BA

If the Good Counsel homes didn´t take the pregnant women who are homeless, both lives are endangered. The comprehensive care of Good Counsel Homes doesn´t just rescue, it provides a network of support and hope the the mother and child´s futures--both of them. What a blessing in our risk-filled world, and a wonder to behold in action. I invite all to visit a Good Counsel home in operation and witness the work. I may not give any names, but you will see the happiness and hope.

Good Counsel homes is a family for these scared ,alone young women who make the decision to keep their babies amidst the abortion culture we live in. They give them shelter, schooling babysitting - they are amazing loving people.

This is a magical place, full of acceptance, love, compassion and most of all......Good Counsel is a place for women to go when no one else will help them. This is one of the most beautiful ministries in all of America.

I have been helping to start a Good Counsel Home in southern New Jersey, and have visited a home in the Bronx, NY. Good Counsel fills a much-needed gap in helping the homeless: women who are pregnant and want to keep their child. I was very impressed with how well the home is run, and all the services provided. I have met several residents who have REALLY turned their lives around, and highly recommend Good Counsel Homes to any woman in this predicament.

I like the fact that Good Counsel South Jersey Home helps single pregnant women and their babies with a place to live as well as providing them with necessary job skills and training after their baby is born.

My Wife and I have been supporting Good Counsel Home for several years. It is obvious to us that there is a great need in our area for a home for women who find themselves in need. We've watched women who seem convinced there is no option, choose to abort their child. The beauty of Good Counsel Home is that it provides an option. It meets not only the immediate needs for these women but also provides the kind of ongoing support that will give them the best chance at a successful life, both finantially and spiritually.

Good Counsel Homes fills a much-needed gap in services available to pregnant homeless women, who choose to keep their babies. Often, the bureacracy of state-run social service organizations prevents these women from gaining access to much-needed services during and after their pregnancies. At Good Counsel homes, these women are welcomed immediately and provided with food, clothing, shelter, education, and spiritual guidance from the moment of the first contact. If there is no opening available, the women are placed at another Good Counsel home, or they can be placed with a family until a spot opens up. After these women deliver their babies, they may continue to live with their children in the Good Counsel home, which provides day care and transition services.

Have worked as an event coordinator on several projects involving fund raising activities.

I have supported this oganization finacially because of the excellent work they have done with women needing shelter, education, life skills training and many other things. Lives are literally being saved because of Good Counsel Homes.

Good Counsel Homes is one of the few charities my husband and I have continued to support since having to tighten our belts in this economy. We believe very much in what it has to offer to its clients -- women and their children (born and unborn) who may have nowhere else to turn. They are truly a blessing to the community and we pray that they continue to expand far and wide to help more women in need. God bless Good Counsel Homes!

This is a great organization, working to help pregnant Mom's, and their children both born and unborn. I know many of the peopl who have worked for years at Good Counsel and their dedication is amazing. Most of the women and their children stay for months at Good Counsel, learning the basics on running a household and raising their children. I couldn't more highly recommend Good counsel.

Imagine being a teenage girl--pregnant, not married, scared, confused, but not wanting to have an abortion. Her parents have deserted her, her boyfriend abandoned her. No money, no skills, nowhere to turn. This story plays out hundreds of times every year here in southern New Jersey. Through volunteer work at my church, I have met several girls in such situations. Finally, there is now a place that offers hope to young ladies such as these. Good Counsel Homes of South Jersey. Good Counsel provides homeless pregnant women and their children: food, housing, medical care, parenting and life skills, spiritual nourishment, linkage to other social services, an opportunity to develop family and financial stability. Those who work in Good Counsel Homes are fiscally responsible, committed and compassionate. They have access to added organizational experience and support under the umbrella of Good Counsel Homes based in New York and northern NJ which has operated similar homes for many years in these other northern regions.

This charity is so wonderful. They help women who are pregnant and find themselves with no place to go. Good Counsel homes helps them to become caring moms and productive members of society. There are several homes in NY and northern NJ. I am so grateful there is now one opening up in southern NJ. !! There is a big need for this.

Good Counsel is a save and loving home for homeless unwed moms and their children. I have personally been to the Bronx home and the staff truly care about the women and children. It is a charity I am proud to support.

When I was in a crisis pregnancy as a Senior in High School I felt I had no where to go, no one to help. I was so scared and went to the school psychologist who told the father and I abortion was the right option. I never want anyone to suffer what I have suffered. Everyday for 37 years I ache. I cannot go back in time and save my baby, but I can help a great organization that does what I needed so long ago.

I am a sidewalk counselor at the Cherry Hill Women's Center. Women come to the clinic for abortions because they feel they have no other choice. They are scared and in crisis. Many have been told by a parent or boyfriend that if they continue with the pregnancy they will be kicked out of their homes. Good Counsel Homes is a place these girls can go to be safe. If they choose to keep their babies, they can take advantage of classes that will help them be better prepared to become parents. They are welcomed, not judged. They find acceptance. They learn to stand on their own two feet. Good Counsel Homes also offers post-abortion healing for those who are suffering due to a past abortion.

I found myself alone and pregnant. Life was extremely difficult. If I only had an organization as wonderful as Good Counsel, all of the worry, fear, and struggling would have been eleviated. May God Bless their work always.

This is a great charity, they help women who are pregnant or have a child that have no where to go, They also give emotional support and well has housing goof, and loving environment!

God Bless the Members of Good Council Homes for the work that they do ... giving mothers, babies and families a second chance. Please support this worthwhile cause in all ways ... physically, monetarily and spiritually.

Good Counsel Homes is a much needed organization of inestimable value in our present culture. I have known pregnant women, young and not-so-young, who have been put out on the streets by parents or significant others because they would not agree to abort their child. Good Counsel Homes provides a safe home and so much more for these desperate mothers-to-be. In addition to shelter and provisions for them and their child(ren), they are given emotional support and the opportunity to learn skills to become good mothers and providers for themselves and their child(ren).

I've had the opportunity to experience the efforts of Good Counsel Homes by assisting with the walk a thon and simply asking associates, friends & family members if they would contribute to this cause. Once they heard of the Good Counsel, they were more than happy to help out. I do what I can to spread the word as hearing the stories... and seeing the results - this should continue moving forward!!! There are so many lost mommy's & mommy's to be out there and don't know where to turn... Here is where you turn !!

I was at the rectory of St. Mary 23 years ago where Chris Bell met with angry community members filled with fear that this "Group Home" would bring trouble. With the calmness and serenity of St. Francis, Chris assuaged their fears and the anger melted away like butter in the palm of his hand. I have since visited this Staten Island many times helping with door locks and trim, washing machines and other needs as well as annual Masses and have always seen a clean, happy home, that would be the envie of any similar organization. Time and consistency must count for something. Saving the very lives of mothers and babies is the worthiest of causes and no one does it better than Mr. Christopher Bell. Go, Chris, Go! Christopher Pearson Staten Island RTLC

I worked as a House Director in a Transitional Home for Women in Crisis pregnancies. When I learned about Good Counsel and how they operate their homes, their philosophy, and their Christocentric Attitudes I have been an avid supporter ever since. Good Counsel conducts itself as an upstanding community organization while remaining faithful to Christ's Gospel message. They welcome women from all backgrounds and circumstances with open and loving arms. I have also been continually impressed by Good Counsel's various programs to help their client's succeed and establish themselves - both as mothers and in a workplace. Their transitional program that helps women move on to being self sufficient is well planned and executed.

There is a great need for what the Good Counsel Homes provide today. If we can provide a loving and non-judgemental place for women in crisis pregnancies to go, we are really caring for the woman AND the child, not just counseling them against abortion. I know many women who would NOT have had abortions if they had had one such home to go to during their time of despair. Thank you Fr. Groeshel and Good Counsel Homes for your mission.

This is a great grass roots organization that doesn't have many layers between your contibuted dollar and the mothers and children they help. I have visited the Bronx outreach home and seen first hand what is being done. Anyone considering giving in my opinion should do the same if they are close enough to one of the Homes. I have heard many of the mothers speak that have been helped and it is very moving. Good Counsel is a good investment of your donor dollar.

We throw a baby shower each year for the women staying at the various homes. They are invited for lunch and some bring their babies. It is so wonderful to hear their stories about how Good Counsel Homes made a difference in their lives. The women are so appreciative of everything we give them. I am so glad that there is a place for these women to go so they and their babies can be safe and warm. God Bless Good Counsel Homes!!

The entire staff, from the Director to the office receptionist, is very knowledgeable of the services of the organization and supportive of both the volunteer staff and the mothers and babies they care for.

As a former consultant and current donor, I know the staff at Good Counsel. They are genuine and all focused on the needs of the mothers and babies in their care. Truly, the main goal of Good Counsel has not changed since they opened their doors---to make expectant and new mothers feel safe with their families as they build their own self-esteem and skills so that they can go out on their own.

I have made Good Counsel my charity of choice, as the people there truly fulfill the beatitudes in the love they give moms and babies in need. I volunteer and tithe to this organization as they not only save lives, they show women the dignity that God has bestowed on them. The love and works performed by all the staff makes a difference in the lives they serve, as well as generations to come, as it gives skills and confidance to the clients served, so they can go out and be happier, healthier and produce a stable environment for themselves and their children. I've seen moms who have completed the programs at Good Counsel, and are in the Exodus program, speak of the help they receive on everyday things like learning how to cook or budget their money; as well as the love they felt for the first time in their lives. They finally feel part of a family.

I have been donating to Good Counsel for years and have only found the charity to be an inspiration to one and all. Innovative yet true to its ancient roots in the Catholic Church. Chris Bell and Father Benedict Groeschel (the founders) are each in their own ways profoundly faithful people to the love of God and the love of the poor. Stories abound of formerly homeless mothers arising from poverty to self-sufficient and productive lives. A donation to Good Counsel is leveraged many times over in this life and infinitely more in the world to come.

It's one thing to be a homeless person, it's another thing to be homeless and pregnant, and to decide to do the right thing and keep your baby. Unfortunately, that is a choice that is not only very hard to make, it is very hard to do. Good Counsel is a homeless shelter for pregnant women. What I love about the program is it gives the women a new chance at living a normal life and becoming great mothers who not only care for their babies, but contribute to society. The fact that they are a shelter for a woman who is down and out is one thing, but what they do is teach the woman how to be a good mother to their baby. Then they educate them to prepare them to support themselves and their baby in the workforce. Then they help them get an apartment and begin to live life on their own. What a turn around from a life on the streets! This organization astonishes me because it takes a totally helpless woman and turns them into a productive member of society and instills religion in their life as well, which is crucial for maintaining the struggle with everyday problems.

I have known Chris Bell since before he began Good Counsel 25 years ago, and he is one of the most committed, sincere, and trustworthy persons I know. In helping Good Council with their video communication needs, I have come to appreciate even more the essential service Good Counsel does for young mothers and babies, and the quality, professionalism and dedication of the staff. They truly provide a healthy and home-like setting for those they serve.

Good Counsel homes are homes for homeless unwed mothers and mothers-to-be. It is a home where women and children are welcomed, loved and cared for. There are currently four homes. There is even a home for moms who are not only homeless and pregnant, but also have a mental illness and may have an addiction. We are volunteers in their Bronx home but we love them all the same. Good Counsel really gives these girls the tools to become independent. We started spending time with a lovely young girl and her daughter from the Bronx home. Good Counsel was her home for over two years before she came to live with us for a few months. She is now living on her own and is engaged to a wonderful man who loves her and her daughter. He got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. She always tells us that if it wasn't for Good Counsel she doesn't know where she would be now. We think of her as our daughter and her daughter is like our grandchild. Being involved with Good Counsel made us realize that not everyone is blessed to have wonderful parents and friends. The residents of Good Counsel are blessed to call this HOME .

I called good counsel because I needed to do a college paper on a place that deals with crisis. I really didn't know exactly what they dealt with, but they came up in my google search. When I got there, I was a little nervous because I didn't know how I would be receieved. I have heard some horror stories. Well I must say they were great. The staff were very polite and they made me feel very comfortable. I talked to them about good counsel for almost 2 hours. I was also able to speak to one of the women that live there and to my surprise we had a very similar situation and felt a lot of the same pain and confusion. Good counsel is a very needed service. If you read their site, don't think it is theory or what they would like to accomplish. Good counsel is making a very big difference in the lives of a forgotten group of women. I loved the atmosphere, it was very homely. The resources they provide not only helps the women, but teaches the women how to help themselves. Being that the program is not restricted to a particular time frame, the women can stay there and continue to better themselves until they can successfully go out on their own. I think this place is amazing. I will be volunteering my time at this agency in the near future and hopefully for years to come.