Rehabilitated Apartment Building Provides Supportive Community Housing for 12 Special Needs Individuals
 
MOUNT EPHRAIM, NJ – New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) Executive Director Anthony L. Marchetta today joined representatives of the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHS) to celebrate the grand opening of Jack’s Place, a three-story, 12-residence, rehabilitated apartment building. This affordable permanent supportive rental residence, located at 105 North Black Horse Pike, provides housing for 12 individuals with mental illness who may be homeless.
 
Jack’s Place involved the moderate rehabilitation of an existing three-story masonry building containing 12 one-bedroom apartments. Eight of the units were funded through the HUD Section 811 Supportive Housing program, while four of the units were funded through the NJHCPP DMHS program. The HUD Section 811 project based housing subsidies provide rental assistance for extremely low-income persons with disabilities. Jack’s Place, located in Mount Ephraim Borough, is in the south central portion of Camden County, near public schools, a library, police, and volunteer fire and rescue services.
 
The developer acquired the existing building in as-is condition; no renovations were made to the community room and kitchen. The laundry room was renovated with barrier-free upgrades. One unit financed by the NJHCPP DMHS program received a new kitchen. All common areas were made accessible and the egress stair was altered to exit directly to the front lobby. Renovations included all new railings; a new fire suppression system; upgraded electrical system for new loads; improved emergency lighting; exit signage; fire alarm system to current codes; and new elevator sump piping. All units were repainted and received new VCT flooring.  Exterior upgrades include new planting at the front elevation, new water line for fire suppression, and new vinyl privacy fencing along the parking lot. The existing pedestal mail box was relocated to the side entrance and new entry doors and a card reader system were installed.
 
“HMFA is so pleased to contribute to the financing for Jack’s Place,” said HMFA Executive Director Marchetta. “By providing funding from the Agency’s NJHCPP DMHS Program Fund we are able to ensure safe, decent housing for 12 more of Camden County’s special needs individuals – some of whom may be homeless – with the critically needed support services that will help them in their day-to-day living.”
 
The Olmstead Initiative is the New Jersey Department of Human Services’ plan for moving people with disabilities in institutional settings who do not have community housing options into integrated community settings. The Olmstead Initiative’s goal is to move 1,850 residents from its seven developmental centers into the community over eight years.
 
Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey, Inc., (CSPNJ) is the developer and social service provider for Jack’s Place.  CSPNJ will provide a comprehensive support service program including financial services and assistance with education, employment, and community activities. All prospective residents will develop their own individualized supportive services plan, which could include assistance securing access to community-based services such as medical treatment, food stamps, legal advice, and transportation services; assistance with household management skills, including cleaning, recycling, and basic home maintenance to help them maintain their homes; and access to the CSPNJ van service as needed. The goal is for CSPNJ to help tenants make arrangements for the community-based services to assist them with wellness and recovery, peer support and community services within a consumer’s immediate housing, community and culture.
 
CSPNJ is especially pleased to dedicate this building to the memory of Jack Bucher, CSPNJ’s much-loved and missed former executive director and consumer advocate.  Bucher followed the development of each and every housing project developed by CSPNJ and was always especially proud of the agency's commitment to providing mental health peers with decent, stable, and affordable housing.
 
CSPNJ has been providing housing and support services to people with disabilities in New Jersey since 1989. CSPNJ’s supported housing program focuses on the development of small, scattered site housing that is integrated into local communities. Since its inception, CSPNJ has developed over 106 scattered sites that the organization owns or sponsors, and administers over 317 housing vouchers, supporting or providing more than 550 mental health consumers with supportive housing in New Jersey.
 
The HMFA, an affiliate of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), provided nearly $400,000 in construction and permanent financing from the New Jersey Community Housing Partnership Program Component (NJHCPP) of the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHS) Program Fund, along with funding from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development Section 811 Supportive Housing Program.
 
The nearly $500,000 development cost of this residence provides affordable housing opportunities for New Jersey’s developmentally disabled residents, and will continue to have a positive economic impact on the Camden County community. HMFA estimates that the Jack’s Place rehabilitation project generated approximately $792,000 in one-time economic output, defined as the total value of industry production, such as sales and business revenues. During construction, the project supported approximately four direct and indirect/induced full-time equivalent jobs, and generated approximately $29,000 in state and local taxes. Now complete, the project will continue to add value to the community by providing approximately $88,000 in ongoing economic output and approximately $5,000 in state and local taxes annually.
 
Economic Impact Analysis figures were estimated using multipliers derived from a 2013 study entitled “Economic and Fiscal Impacts of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency’s Investment in Affordable Housing,” conducted by HR&A Advisors, Inc., a real estate and economic development consulting firm.
 
For more information, please call 609-278-7400.