The Princeton Area Community Foundation awarded a grant to help the Trenton families displaced by a devastating fire that ripped through seven homes in the city last month.

The grant, from the Eleanor V. Horne Special Community Needs Fund was awarded to Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton, which is assisting the families whose homes were destroyed in the blaze that killed an 18-year-old Trenton Central High School student.

The fire broke out shortly before 11 pm on Sept. 19 on the 1200 block of North Olden Avenue, in Trenton near the Ewing border, displacing 22 people. Joseph Kokulo, a JROTC cadet, was killed and several other people, including a firefighter, were injured in the blaze, according to NBC10 Philadelphia.

Two Ewing police officers helped rescue some of the residents, and one elderly woman escaped by jumping through a window, the mayor told the news station.

The Community Foundation grant will support an additional three weeks of temporary housing for the families, after which time Catholic Charities expects to be able to place the families in permanent homes through its Rapid Rehousing program.

The City of Trenton provided initial emergency funding to house the families in a hotel immediately after the fire, while the American Red Cross, New Jersey Region assisted residents with other immediate needs.

Catholic Charities is now working closely with the families to help them find permanent housing and to ensure they can successfully transition into these placements.  The organization is also helping residents replace essential items, including furniture and household goods.

“We want to thank the Community Foundation for its willingness to stand with these families during such a difficult time,” said Marlene Lao-Collins, Executive Director of Catholic Charities. “The grant is deeply appreciated and demonstrates to these families that they are not alone during this traumatic time.”

The Community Needs Fund was created in 2018 to allow for immediate, non-competitive grants for emergency and unusual situations in Greater Mercer County. It was named in honor of Eleanor V. Horne, Community Foundation Trustee Emerita and a longtime volunteer in the region.