TRENTON, NJ – The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) today announced the phase out of the Atlantic City Initiatives Project Office (ACIPO), which was created in December 2018 to help the Department and the City of Atlantic City address chronic social challenges in the city. Over the next several weeks, ACIPO will wind down its projects or hand them off to organizations and other government offices to continue.  

“The Atlantic City Initiatives Project Office has served the city well and carried out its mission of helping develop initiatives to support the city’s revitalization with distinction,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, who serves as DCA Commissioner. “I thank the people who so ably and professionally staffed the office over the years – Mike Epps, India Still, Elijah Langford, and Rosa Farias – and the people who freely contributed their time, talent, and ideas to the office to help Atlantic City move forward. Their work is a testament to their love for and dedication to the Atlantic City community. While ACIPO will soon close, efforts to strengthen the city will most assuredly continue.”  

The Atlantic City Restart and Recovery Working Group, which was created during the pandemic for stakeholders in government, the private sector, non-profit organizations, and philanthropic institutions to help the city stay on its positive trajectory, will continue to meet and will absorb the work of the Atlantic City Executive Council.  

Additionally, DCA’s Division of Local Government Services has in-house skilled technical advisors who are available to assist the City of Atlantic City whenever necessary. The advisors have spent decades working in their respective areas of expertise such as police, fire, revenue and finance, public works, and management. They are using their knowledge, industry standards, and best practices to ensure City departments are efficiently operating and to build the capacity of City staff. 

ACIPO was instrumental in developing an implementation plan [r20.rs6.net] for critical elements of the Atlantic City Transition Report [r20.rs6.net], which was issued in September 2018 to provide the City and State with a roadmap for tackling the city’s longstanding challenges. The office also helped to:  

·     Launch the Neighborhood Coordination Officers Program, an initiative that is bringing a more complete community policing approach to each of the city’s six wards and to the Tourism District;

·     Reestablish the Atlantic City Latino Festival in 2019 after a 12-year hiatus;

·     Create the Atlantic City Citizens Advisory Board, whose purpose is to provide citizens with a regular channel for communicating with the Atlantic City Police Department;

·     Make city services such as vital records, parking permits, and landlord registration accessible on the city’s website;

·     Conduct a survey of Atlantic City youth and train people working with the city’s youth on how to use the survey findings to improve youth programs in the city;

·     Strengthen STEM education and career pathways for Atlantic City residents by leading the city’s effort to join the South Jersey STEM & Innovation Partnership (SJSIP); and

·     Bring the Mark Cuban Foundation’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Boot Camp to Atlantic City last year to introduce underserved students in grades 9 through 12 to basic AI concepts and skills. 

“We appreciate all the work undertaken by the Atlantic City Initiatives Project Office and the positive impact it has had on families who live in the city,” said Jacquelyn Suárez, director of DCA’s Division of Local Government Services. “Undoubtedly, these projects have helped strengthen Atlantic City and will continue to pay dividends in the years to come.”  

DCA has oversight over the City of Atlantic City under the Municipal Stabilization and Recovery Act (MSRA), which sets forth a procedure for the State to step in and assist municipalities facing financial instability. This oversight began in November 2016 and continues today with the passage of legislation last year that extends the State’s authority for an additional five years. 

In addition to local government management and finance, DCA offers a wide range of programs and services, including affordable housing production, rental assistance, fire safety, building safety, community planning and development, and disaster recovery and mitigation. 

[r20.rs6.net]