A proven leader in the nonprofit sector, Theresa Pringle has dedicated her life’s work to helping people escape homelessness and become self-sustaining individuals. Having personally experienced homelessness, she is devoted to educating and empowering her New Jersey community through training and educational opportunities, speaking engagements and more.
Inspired by a very intense personal experience, Ms. Pringle experienced several degrees of homelessness, including street homelessness, couch surfing and the shelter system. She notes she and her two underaged children fell through many unaddressed cracks within the system but overcame many barriers that many homeless individuals and families face daily. Desiring to start an organization to advocate and help those in desperate need of assistance, her goal was to assist other individuals and families avoid the systemic cracks and setbacks.
Putting her dreams into action, in 2019, Ms. Pringle established Pringle’s Pit Stop, an organization specializing in providing services to those experiencing homelessness or in imminent danger of experiencing homelessness in the greater Newark, New Jersey, metropolitan area. As founder and president, she works alongside her sons Jeri, Geri and Ieri and her daughters Keri and Aeri, helping individuals and families not only get back on their feet but stay on their feet. This goal is achieved through various innovative services, including mobile/remote and on-site case management, as well as daily living skills training for clients and consumers. For outside service providers, community organizations and their employees, Pringle’s Pit Stop provides training focusing on “The New Face of Case Management.”
Recently, Ms. Pringle collaborated with St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, to help her clients at Pringle’s Pit Stop continue their academic careers. St. Vincent College will guide interested individuals through the admissions process. In addition to her primary work, Ms. Pringle spearheaded her second business endeavor, Pringle’s Cleaning Services, in 2022. Specializing in commercial cleaning, she hires those currently experiencing homelessness or in imminent danger of homelessness, as well as those newly released from the prison system.
In addition to her work as an entrepreneur, Ms. Pringle is also backed by experience as a chaplain service information specialist and board member for the Center of Occupational Learning School. Earlier in her life, she had worked as a teacher, notary, typist and security personnel for Bridges Outreach Inc. She also has worked at Macy’s in Secaucus, New Jersey. Additionally, Ms. Pringle is a licensed and ordained minister focusing on intensive family restoration.
Reflecting upon her life and career experiences, Ms. Pringle considers being a public servant and serving on several committees and boards as highlights of her career. Currently, she serves as the community liaison for the board of the City of Newark Homelessness Coalition and as commissioner of Newark’s Homelessness Commission. She is also an active member and speaker for the National Alliance to End Homelessness and serves on the advisory board for Monarch Housing Associates. In addition, she is involved with the Health Housing and Justice Project and World Central Kitchen, along with other community organizations on local, county, and state levels.
To attest to her civic contributions, Mr. Pringle was recognized by the community for her efforts in meal delivery and for helping offset the costs of electricity bills. She attributes her success thus far in her professional work to her passion for helping others. Ms. Pringle believes that to overcome adversity, you must ask for and accept help from those willing to offer it. Through her tireless advocacy work and contributions to her community, she hopes to see the product of her efforts in the form of more people becoming productive and contributing members of society. Likewise, she hopes for the further growth of her two organizations in order to reach more people and provide them with the resources they need to become better citizens and succeed in life.
