NEWARK, NJ— Mayor Cory A. Booker, Jon Bon Jovi, and members of the community to cut the ribbon to open HELP Genesis JBJ Soul Homes at 60-68 Mt. Pleasant Avenue in the City’s North Ward.
Also attending were Municipal Council Vice President Luis Quintana, Council Members-at-Large Carlos M. Gonzalez and Donald M. Payne, Jr. and other local leaders.
This public-private partnership with Bon Jovi’s JBJ Soul Foundation and developer HELP USA has produced 51 new units of affordable housing with support services for low-income and special-needs persons. The residents includes environmentally-friendly “green” features such as a green roof, other components of New Jersey’s Green Futures program and qualifies for LEED certification. There will be a 2,500-sf community center as well.
Over the past four years, Mr. Bon Jovi and The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation have been instrumental in providing homes to more than 200 low-income individuals and families throughout the country. The estimated construction cost of the Newark project is $10.4 million.
The families residing at HELP Genesis JBJ Soul Homes will receive a continuum of services to promote family stabilization, case management, and employment services provided both by HELP staff and local providers. In addition, HELP’s community center will offer programs designed to meet the needs of both the HELP Genesis JBJ Soul Homes tenants and the residents of the North Ward.
Twenty-five percent of the apartments have tenants living with AIDS, making HELP Genesis JBJ Soul Homes the first residential facility in New Jersey to provide permanent housing that is fully integrated with the services of a post-acute care AIDS facility. In this case, the tenants were referred by Broadway House for Continuing Care, a post-acute care AIDS facility just a few blocks away in the North Ward. Broadway House staff will provide medical case-management and counseling on-site at HELP Genesis JBJ Soul Homes in order to meet the clients’ ongoing medical needs.
Led by the efforts of the Economic Development Department’s Housing and Real Estate Division, the City of Newark has provided planning and development support for the project, including “gap” financing in the amount of $1.4 million funded through the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Home Investment Partnership Program.
Elle Decor and designer Elaine Griffin have donated their time and resources to create a sample apartment at Newark Soul Homes. All furnishings have been provided by HomeGoods who in turn is donating gift cards to all 51 units for use in their stores.
HELP USA, a leading national nonprofit developer of supportive service housing for the homeless, low income families and special needs population - has developed the Newark project in collaboration with architectural services from George Marks of Kramer/Marks and financial and development consultant, Metro Company, LLC (Metro), and Claremont Construction Group.
City of Newark
www.ci.newark.nj.us
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