FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, June 2, 2016

 

Grant Totaling $212,453 Will Help to Revitalize Unity Square in New Brunswick

TRENTON, NJ – New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Charles A. Richman today announced a $212,453 grant award through the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC) program to Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen for activities in the Unity Square neighborhood of New Brunswick. The NRTC program is administered by the DCA’s Division of Housing and Community Resources and provides community based non-profit groups with funding provided by corporate contributions intended for neighborhood revitalization projects.  Since the creation of the NRTC program, 34 corporations have contributed $88,081,000 to fund 29 neighborhood revitalization plans in 15 urban municipalities throughout the state.

“The NRTC program has seen more demand as the program has matured and become more competitive over the years,” said Commissioner Richman. “We’ve fully allocated $10 million in tax credits every year since 2010 and over the last five years seen a significant increase in the number of contributing corporations. Through NRTC, we will continue to support nonprofits and the increased need for economic development resources, including entrepreneur training and employment placement assistance.”

Catholic Charities will use $212,453 in grants funds to implement housing and community programs.

  • Two distressed residential properties will be acquired, rehabilitated and sold partnering with the assistance of Community Asset Preservation Corp.
  • A one-stop-shop housing resource center will provide education and individualized counseling on housing-related matters.
  • The local Fire Department will ensure all neighborhood units have smoke detectors.
  • Improvements will be made to older gardening sites, which may include artistic, cultural and athletic spaces. Safety concerns that discourage use will also be addressed. Residents will be offered gardening training workshops.
  • There will be a focus on community outreach, crime and safety through the hosting of neighborhood meetings and events, promoting community identity through the arts, partnering with the police in bilingual crime watch meetings, and making security improvements to community-identified crime hot spots.
  • Community and Health Promotion Programs will be aimed at both youth and adults to promote good health including nutrition, healthy cooking, raising healthy children, management of common health conditions.

Funds for these initiatives were contributed by PNC Bank, PSE&G and Thomson Reuters. Corporations that fund the program receive a 100 percent tax credit against various state taxes for their investments in revitalizing low-and moderate-income neighborhoods in eligible cities.

The nonprofit organizations agree to allot at least 60 percent of the funds to housing and/or economic development activities.  The remainder may be used for complementary activities such as supportive services, improvements to streetscape and public open space, and community outreach activities. NRTC has approved 113 grants to date to implement neighborhood plans totaling $88 million in funding.

Other communities that have benefited from the NRTC program this year include Jersey City, Newark, Orange, Asbury Park, Trenton, Camden, Paterson, Salem, Elizabeth and Millville.

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen incorporated in 1982, is a non-profit Agency dedicated to service, quality and outreach for members of the community, especially those who are poor, devalued and in need of help. Additional information on Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen can be found at http://www.ccdom.org/. Catholic Charities Diocese of Metuchen has had an approved NRTC plan since 2007 for the Unity Square neighborhood of New Brunswick.

More information on the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit program, visit http://www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/dhcr/offices/nrtc.html.

CONTACT:
Tammori Petty
Emike Omogbai
(609) 292-6055