FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, May 1, 2017

 

More than $2.4 Million in Grants Helps Three Nonprofits Revitalize Camden Lutheran/North Camden, East Camden and Cooper Plaza Neighborhoods in Camden 

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ – New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Charles A. Richman today announced $2,419,250 in grant awards through the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC) program to The Cooper Health System, Camden Lutheran Housing, Inc. and Saint Joseph's Carpenter Society located in Camden. The NRTC program is administered by the Division of Housing and Community Resources and allocates corporate funding for implementing neighborhood revitalization plans to community-based nonprofit groups.   

Corporations that help 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. Funds were contributed by Horizon Healthcare, NJM Insurance Group, Campbell Soup, PSE&G and M&T Bank. 

The Cooper Health System was awarded $919,375 for activities associated with revitalizing the Cooper Plaza V neighborhood. The grant will assist two nonprofits in rehabilitating two homes for resale, provide neighborhood cleanup seven days per week to reduce litter, trash and graffiti in the neighborhood and assist with community garden improvements. Residents will also benefit from a new workforce development training program that will located in a new “Success Center,” a currently abandoned home in the neighborhood that will undergo rehabilitation for this purpose. 

Camden Lutheran Housing, Inc. will use $914,875 in NRTC funding to improve North Camden. The grant will be used for multiple activities including but not limited to, the rehabilitation of four vacant homes, park improvements and the maintenance of abandoned homes and neighborhood lots. The grant will also be used to provide auto technology training to men and women who are interested in becoming certified auto technicians and teach how to manage and operate an auto repair facility for those seeking further employment in the field. 

Saint Joseph's Carpenter Society has five initiatives that will benefit the East Camden neighborhood. The $585,000 grant will be used to construct eight single-family homes, assist up to 20 homeowners with repair of their homes, and maintain the cleanliness of the commercial corridor through the Clean and Safe Program. It will also provide funds to plant trees throughout the neighborhood and fund events to increase the use of underutilized neighborhood parks. 

Other communities that have benefited from the NRTC program this year include, Salem, Orange, Jersey City, Paterson, Trenton, Elizabeth and New Brunswick. 

The Cooper Health System is a nonprofit health care organization, which includes Cooper University Hospital, the Children’s Regional Hospital and the clinical campus of the University of Medicine and Dentistry/ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. An approved NRTC plan has been in place for the Cooper Plaza neighborhood since 2009. Additional information about the Cooper Health System can be found at www.cooperhealth.org.  

Camden Lutheran Housing, Inc. is a nonprofit, community-based organization whose mission is to rehabilitate and newly construct housing in the City of Camden for low- and moderate-income individuals and families. An approved NRTC plan has been in place for the North Camden neighborhood since 2009. More information on Camden Lutheran Housing, Inc can be found at www.clhi.org/index_ie.html. 

Saint Joseph's Carpenter Society was founded in 1985 to help families improve their quality of life and to create safe neighborhoods through homeownership in Camden, New Jersey, through homeowner education, housing development, and community organizing. An approved NRTC plan has been in place for the East Camden neighborhood since 2013. More information about this organization can be found at www.sjcscamden.org/. 

NRTC funds must be used by their recipients in accordance with the following requirements:  at least 60 percent for housing and/or economic development activities (including construction and rehabilitation of housing units, creation of commercial facilities, assistance to small businesses, employment training and child care provision); and the remainder (not exceeding 40 percent) for supportive services and other activities that are complementary to neighborhood revitalization (including infrastructure and open space improvements, providing social and community services, recreation activities, crime prevention activities and community outreach activities). 

The Division of Housing and Community Resources strengthens and revitalizes communities through the delivery of affordable housing, supportive services and the provision of financial and technical assistance to communities, local government and community based organizations. For more information on the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit program, visit, www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/dhcr/offices/nrtc.html.

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