Longtime Princeton Human Services Director Resigns

Cynthia Mendez (r) with Marge Smith (l), the first chair of the Princeton Human Services Commission.
Cynthia Mendez (r) with Marge Smith (l), the first chair of the Princeton Human Services Commission.

Cynthia Mendez, the director and lone employee of the human services department for Princeton, is leaving her post for a job with the Crisis Ministry of Mercer County, town officials have confirmed.

Mendez has worked in the human services department in Princeton for about two decades. The department provides services to youths and seniors and administers welfare to Princeton residents who qualify, saving Princeton residents the trip to the county human services office in Trenton.

Residents who have fallen on hard times and have had to apply for welfare praised her for her skills and described Mendez as a voice of compassion during tough times. “It is a big loss,” said one resident who described how Mendez worked to help her teens find summer employment through a program run by the human services department.

Mendez could not be reached for comment. Her last day on the job in Princeton will be April 10.

She will continue to work with people in need at the Crisis Ministry, a non-profit with offices in Princeton and Trenton that works to prevent hunger and homelessness in Mercer County.

“It has been a great opportunity to work in such a community,” Mendez wrote in a letter this week informing people of her resignation.”There is still work to be done and I know that you all will continue to address those issues for the most vulnerable in the community.”