August 18, 2020 - DCA Staff Celebrate Groundbreaking of Affordable Housing in Mercer County

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Today's Lynwood Avenue groundbreaking ceremony in Hamilton. From left to right: 
Homes by TLC Executive Director Celia Bernstein,
DCA Division of Housing and Community Resources (DHCR) Administrator James Lordi,
DHCR Director Janel Winter, and HomeFront NJ Founder and CEO Connie Mercer.

 Lynwood Avenue Project to Provide 16 Affordable Rental Units to Families in Need

Hamilton Twp., NJ – New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) staff celebrated a groundbreaking ceremony today, marking the start of development on an affordable rental complex in Mercer County. The new construction will provide 16 affordable rental units to qualifying low-income individuals and families.  

“This new rental housing complex in Hamilton answers the call for much-needed affordable living options for New Jersey’s working families,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, who also serves as DCA Commissioner.  “Governor Murphy and I commend our partners at Homes by TLC, HomeFront, Hamilton Township and community stakeholders for getting this project off the ground. We look forward to seeing the results of this public and private partnership.”  

The formerly vacant property was acquired in May for the housing complex. It will be made up of seven duplex and two single-family structures, producing a total of 16 affordable rental units for families. The project will consist of 5 two-bedroom and 11 three-bedroom units. All units will be compliant with the Uniform Housing Affordability Controls (UHAC) and be affordable to individuals or families below 80 percent of the area median income (AMI).  

“We are so glad to be bringing truly affordable housing to the rental market in Hamilton Township again. DCA’s continued support for our programs over the past 20 years has made it possible for us to create affordable work force housing for the families we serve. We are grateful,” said Celia Bernstein, Executive Director of Homes by TLC.
The total project is estimated to cost $5.4 million and will primarily be funded with $2.5 million from DCA HOME Housing Production Investment Funds. The DCA HOME award will help fund 11 of the 16 units. The remaining costs will be funded by Hamilton Township affordable housing funds, a bank mortgage and private funding.  

HOME is the largest federal block grant to state and local governments designed exclusively to create affordable housing for low-income households. Each year the federal government allocates approximately $2 billion of block grant funding among the states and hundreds of localities nationwide.  

Prospective tenants will be homeless and/or families at risk of homelessness with at least one child under the age of 18. Tenants will pay 30 percent of their income for rent and utilities. Case management and life skills coaching will be available to all tenants.  

The developer, Homes by TLC, Inc., has completed two other projects using DCA HOME funds in the past. To date, they have 20 projects in Mercer County. Construction is anticipated to be complete next year.  

The mission of DCA’s Division of Housing and Community Resources is to strengthen and revitalize 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 in New Jersey.

DCA was established in 1967 and today offers a wide range of programs and services, including energy assistance, housing vouchers, affordable housing production, fire and building safety, community planning and development, local government management and finance, and disaster recovery.

 For more information about DCA, visit https://nj.gov/dca/ or follow the Department on social media: