Archive
GSECDC's blog is bringing you our latest information and updates on community and housing development, affordable first time home buyer opportunities, social services and supportive housing. Find out how we are Building Strong Communities.
Address: 98 Stevens Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07305
Eligibility Restrictions Apply
Garden State Episcopal CDC has completed another project in Greenville. GSECDC acquired a formerly foreclosed property, completed moderate rehabilitation and turned it into 4 units of housing. We think it is an improvement but we will let you be the judge.
Members of the Greenville Community Partnership (GCP) have reason to celebrate today after finding out their neighborhood plan entitled, “I Love Greenville Community Plan” has received $100,000 courtesy of Horizon Healthcare Services through the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs’ (NJDCA) Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC) Program. Last October, GCP’s neighborhood plan was approved by NJDCA to participate in the NRTC program. Funds are being administered by Garden State Episcopal Community Development Corporation (GSECDC), headquartered in Jersey City, to implement health and wellness programs for seniors, financial literacy and volunteer programs for youth, and to recruit Greenville entrepreneurs for business training courses to start local businesses. GSECDC will be partnering with local organizations, AngelaCARES and Rising Tide Capital to roll out these services.
GSECDC Executive Director, Carol Mori states, “GSECDC is proud to facilitate this process and commends all of the participants, particularly the residents and steering committee members, for their commitment to positive change in Greenville. Planning efforts like this command attention and funding and I sincerely thank Horizon Healthcare Services and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and all that support us in this effort.”
Over a 10-month period ending in December 2012, the Greenville Community Partnership brought together residents, business owners, local non-profits and other organizations to participate in extensive neighborhood planning process. During that time roughly 500 attended five public meetings and over 350 surveys were conducted door-to-door. The planning area stretches from Woodlawn Ave to Union St between Bergen Ave and Ocean Ave.
GCP Coordinator and Assistant Project Manager for GSECDC, Matt Ward says, “Implementation will not be easy. The challenges facing the Greenville Neighborhood did not develop overnight and they will not be resolved overnight. But by working together, bringing a unified voice to the needs of the community, the goals of the community can be realized.”
BACKGROUND: To date, GSECDC has completed the development of 240 units of affordable housing over 90 scattered sites, mostly in Greenville. Started in December 2011, the Greenville Community Plan is the agency’s first foray in the community organizing. The Greenville Community Partnership has over 15 steering committee members that include residents, churches, businesses and representatives from AngelaCARES Inc, College Preparatory Incentive, Friends of Lifers Youth Corp, Jackson Hill Main Street Management Corp, North Jersey National Action Network, Rising Tide Capital, Urban League of Hudson County and others. More information about the plan and its participants available at:
Today, GSECDC was notified that GCP's "I Love Greenville Phase One" proposal was accepted into the qualified project's pool for the 2014 NRTC program. Credits under to $975,000 could be headed toward GCP programs.
During the month of October, the GCP Steering Committee put together a strong application for high priority plan activities. Proposed programs or projects will include: Senior and Youth Services; Entrepreneurship Training, Community Liaison and Outreach, and Residential Development along Ocean Avenue. Now GCP is in wait to see if investors will invest in proposed activities for Greenville.
Today, the Greenville Community Partnership received a letter from Commissioner Richard Constable that their neighborhood plan was accepted by the New Jersey City Department of Community Affairs (NJDCA) into their Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit Program (NRTC).
The Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit Program (NRTC) is designed to foster the revitalization of New Jersey's distressed neighborhoods. NRTC offers business entities a 100 percent tax credit against various New Jersey state taxes. Credits are provided to business entities that invest in the revitalization of low- and moderate-income neighborhoods in eligible cities. Sixty percent of the tax credit funds must be used for activities related to the development of housing and economic development. The remaining balance may be used for complementary activities such as the provision of assistance to small businesses, removing barriers to self-sufficiency, and promoting the integration of mixed-income neighborhoods. A total of $10 million per year is available in tax credits.
NRTC funds are used by neighborhood-based non-profit organizations that have prepared, submitted and received approval from the Department for a revitalization plan for the neighborhood it serves. The funds must be used by the eligible organizations for projects and activities that will implement the goals and strategies of the approved neighborhood plan. The maximum amount per application is $1 million. NRTC rules and policies govern the number of applications and grants that an eligible organization may submit and receive.
All the work of the Greenville Community Partnership has been recognized by Hudson County.
Last month "I Love Greenville Community Plan" received a Smart Growth Award from the Division of Planning for Hudson County for Smart Planning and Policy. The 4th annual Hudson County Smart Growth Award Ceremony was held last night. In attendance will be GSECDC Executive Director Carol Mori, GSECDC Director of Housing and Community Development John Restrepo and GCP steering committee members.
From left to right: Evans Jones, Eric Mason, Carol Mori, Carolyn Oliver-Fair, and John Resrepo
Garden State Episcopal CDC has completed another project: Van Brunt Homes! This project involved the acquisition of several scattered site vacant lots from the City of Jersey City for the infill new construction of five two family homes (total of 10 units). This project generated $1,081,765 in mortgage activity.
The Van Brunt Homes are named in honor of GSECDC’s longest standing Board Member, Peter Van Brunt. He was the lead person responsible for the completion of our first housing project in 1993 which involved the adaptive reuse of an abandoned school building into 28 units of low income housing. Peter remains active with the organization and our affordable housing efforts.
What do you like best about your new home?
“The feeling of a dream come true, thanks to support offered from the personal of Garden State Episcopal CDC. The house is perfect for my family of 5, very well laid out and thinking about the best distribution of spaces.”
The Storms Avenue Community Garden (SACG) is collaboration between the Garden State Episcopal Community Development Corporation (GSECDC), Bergen Communities United (BCU), New City Kids (NCK) and community volunteers. The garden site is owned by GSECDC and is located
Read MoreThe “Jersey City Job Fever” event slated for Friday has signed on 40 hiring companies with hundreds of open positions, organizers announced yesterday.
The Hudson County chapter of the Jaycees is the driving force behind the event, and it has signed on the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, New Jersey City University’s (NJCU) Small Business Development Center and the Hudson County One-Stop Career Center as partners as well.
Zach Edelman, the Jaycees’ founding chapter president, says all employers have been pre-qualified and all are offering salaried or hourly wage paying jobs.
“This experience has brought out the best in people and has truly united the community,” he says in a statement. “The Jaycees will continue to provide this level of value to the Hudson County community.”
In addition to the hiring companies, there will be a number of career-development programs at the job fair. The Department of Labor and Workforce Development will host workshops on resume writing, interview skills suitable for today’s climate and government employment. A number of other local organizations — including Suits for Success, Inc./Dress for Success Hudson County, the Employment Pathways Initiative, the Garden State Episcopal Community Development Corporation, the Hudson County Workforce Investment Board and the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program — will have career-development initiatives at the event as well.
“The event is certain to be a big job-creator in Hudson County creating a positive snowball effect on the local economy,” Assemblyman Ruben Ramos — a charter member of the Jaycees — says in a statement. “It is exhilarating to see how much impact a group of like-minded volunteers can have.”
Even though the event is tomorrow, company registration is still open — and it is free. If your company has salaried or hourly-wage positions open, the Jaycees want to hear from you. Contact 347-735-4679 or jerseycityjobfair2011 (at) gmail.com.
THE DETAILS
Jersey City Job Fever; Friday, February 4 from 10 am to 2:30 pm; NJCU’s Michael B. Gilligan Student Union Building, 2039 Kennedy Boulevard.
The Garden State Episcopal Community Development Corporation (GSECDC) will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for what it is heralding as “the first new construction on Monticello Avenue in decades,” a seven-unit affordable condo development with ground-floor retail space.
Read MoreGarden State Episcopal CDC (formerly Jersey City Episcopal CDC) has been serving New Jersey communities since 1986. We are proven leader in community and housing development, social services and supportive housing. Our focus is Building Strong Communities.
Garden State Episcopal CDC | 514 Newark Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07306
