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GSECDC's blog is bringing you our latest information and updates on community and housing development, affordable first time home buyer opportunities, social services and supportive housing. Find out how we are Building Strong Communities.
Garden State Episcopal CDC has completed another project in Greenville. GSECDC acquired a formerly foreclosed property, completed moderate rehabilitation and turned it into 4 units of housing. We think it is an improvement but we will let you be the judge.
Members of the Greenville Community Partnership (GCP) have reason to celebrate today after finding out their neighborhood plan entitled, “I Love Greenville Community Plan” has received $100,000 courtesy of Horizon Healthcare Services through the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs’ (NJDCA) Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC) Program. Last October, GCP’s neighborhood plan was approved by NJDCA to participate in the NRTC program. Funds are being administered by Garden State Episcopal Community Development Corporation (GSECDC), headquartered in Jersey City, to implement health and wellness programs for seniors, financial literacy and volunteer programs for youth, and to recruit Greenville entrepreneurs for business training courses to start local businesses. GSECDC will be partnering with local organizations, AngelaCARES and Rising Tide Capital to roll out these services.
GSECDC Executive Director, Carol Mori states, “GSECDC is proud to facilitate this process and commends all of the participants, particularly the residents and steering committee members, for their commitment to positive change in Greenville. Planning efforts like this command attention and funding and I sincerely thank Horizon Healthcare Services and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and all that support us in this effort.”
Over a 10-month period ending in December 2012, the Greenville Community Partnership brought together residents, business owners, local non-profits and other organizations to participate in extensive neighborhood planning process. During that time roughly 500 attended five public meetings and over 350 surveys were conducted door-to-door. The planning area stretches from Woodlawn Ave to Union St between Bergen Ave and Ocean Ave.
GCP Coordinator and Assistant Project Manager for GSECDC, Matt Ward says, “Implementation will not be easy. The challenges facing the Greenville Neighborhood did not develop overnight and they will not be resolved overnight. But by working together, bringing a unified voice to the needs of the community, the goals of the community can be realized.”
BACKGROUND: To date, GSECDC has completed the development of 240 units of affordable housing over 90 scattered sites, mostly in Greenville. Started in December 2011, the Greenville Community Plan is the agency’s first foray in the community organizing. The Greenville Community Partnership has over 15 steering committee members that include residents, churches, businesses and representatives from AngelaCARES Inc, College Preparatory Incentive, Friends of Lifers Youth Corp, Jackson Hill Main Street Management Corp, North Jersey National Action Network, Rising Tide Capital, Urban League of Hudson County and others. More information about the plan and its participants available at:
Just five days after the Certificates of Occupancy were issued by Jersey City, We are proud to announce that all four of the homes at 291-297 Halladay Street are under contract.
We are still accepting applications for other upcoming properties created through the NRP program.
Below is a list of projects still under development or about to start. GSECDC's Division of Housing and Community Development is hard at work making these projects a reality. With a pipeline of $13,068,000, GSECDC will create 64 units on 31 sites serving 210 people. All of these projects are expected to be complete by the end of 2015. Garden State Episcopal CDC is building strong communities.
To date, GSCDC has completed the development of over 240 residential units, turning over 90 abandoned properties into quality housing for over 630 people through a $40-million investment in emerging markets.
GSCDC is a premier, affordable housing non-profit developer in Jersey City with over two decades of experience in building quality housing. The Division of Housing and Community Development is responsible for carrying out GSCDC's mission providing quality affordable housing opportunities to families that cannot comfortably afford to rent or buy in the private market.
Today, GSECDC was notified that GCP's "I Love Greenville Phase One" proposal was accepted into the qualified project's pool for the 2014 NRTC program. Credits under to $975,000 could be headed toward GCP programs.
During the month of October, the GCP Steering Committee put together a strong application for high priority plan activities. Proposed programs or projects will include: Senior and Youth Services; Entrepreneurship Training, Community Liaison and Outreach, and Residential Development along Ocean Avenue. Now GCP is in wait to see if investors will invest in proposed activities for Greenville.
Every autumn, the days get shorter and the nights get longer. As we warm our homes for the holidays, it gets colder on the streets. For people with nowhere to live, life gets harder and harder. At Garden State Episcopal CDC, we are working to change that.
We need your support for our Longest Night Campaign: Ending Homelessness, One Life at a Time. We will launch this season of giving on November 21st, 2013 at 6 pm at Casino in the Park, 1 Nunda Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07304. This event will kick off one month of raising awareness on the plight of homelessness, raising funds to end this crisis and collecting much needed supplies, all culminating in our annual Homeless Memorial Service which will be held during the week of December 21st, 2013 – the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, and the national homeless memorial.
In order to make this effort a success, we are asking for support and assistance from the entire community. You can help by becoming an event sponsor, purchasing an Ad for our program that will reach hundreds of business and community leaders, donating items for our silent auction, and purchasing a ticket to attend this event.
On behalf of the Longest Night Campaign Committee, our Honorary Committee Chair, Hudson County Executive Thomas A. DeGise, and those with no place to call home, thank you.
Today, the Greenville Community Partnership received a letter from Commissioner Richard Constable that their neighborhood plan was accepted by the New Jersey City Department of Community Affairs (NJDCA) into their Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit Program (NRTC).
The Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit Program (NRTC) is designed to foster the revitalization of New Jersey's distressed neighborhoods. NRTC offers business entities a 100 percent tax credit against various New Jersey state taxes. Credits are provided to business entities that invest in the revitalization of low- and moderate-income neighborhoods in eligible cities. Sixty percent of the tax credit funds must be used for activities related to the development of housing and economic development. The remaining balance may be used for complementary activities such as the provision of assistance to small businesses, removing barriers to self-sufficiency, and promoting the integration of mixed-income neighborhoods. A total of $10 million per year is available in tax credits.
NRTC funds are used by neighborhood-based non-profit organizations that have prepared, submitted and received approval from the Department for a revitalization plan for the neighborhood it serves. The funds must be used by the eligible organizations for projects and activities that will implement the goals and strategies of the approved neighborhood plan. The maximum amount per application is $1 million. NRTC rules and policies govern the number of applications and grants that an eligible organization may submit and receive.
Construction Progress at 291-297 Halladay Street. Exterior facade and vapor barrier is going up. Check out the nice brick work. Next up, walk through of the interior. We are accepting applications for presales. To apply click here.
Garden State Episcopal Community Development Corporation (GSECDC) is proud to have held a ribbon cutting event for the Bergen Court Apartments. After the building sat vacant for 10 years, GSECDC successfully partnered with HMFA, Jersey City, Hudson County and New Jersey Community Capital to substantially rehabilitate this facility. The project located at 242 Bergen Ave, Jersey City includes 12 affordable housing units, eight two-bedroom units with rents below 60% of the area median income and four one-bedroom units that are set aside for chronically homeless individuals with disabilities.
Read more about the project on the Together North Jersey website.
Garden State Episcopal CDC (formerly Jersey City Episcopal CDC) has been serving New Jersey communities since 1986. We are proven leader in community and housing development, social services and supportive housing. Our focus is Building Strong Communities.
Garden State Episcopal CDC | 514 Newark Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07306
