Yesterday, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs staff celebrated the ribbon cutting of a 14-unit apartment building in Ewing for working families of limited financial means and for homeless households.
The garden-style apartments are located on Sullivan Way in a residential neighborhood of multi-family rental properties and single-family homes.
Originally built in 1959, the two-story apartment building was renovated with updated kitchens and bathrooms; new appliances; upgraded hot water heaters, electrical wiring, pipes, and plumbing fixtures; new or repaired doors; and updated boilers.
Most of the apartments can accommodate large families. The apartment mix consists of six four-bedroom units, four three-bedroom units, three two-bedroom units, and one one-bedroom unit.
All the apartments are affordable to households below 80 percent of area median income (AMI), which is $71,900 for a family of four in Mercer County. Some of the apartments are affordable to families below 50 percent and 30 percent of AMI, which is $49,450 and $29,650 respectively for a family of four. Additionally, three of the units are set aside for transitional housing to help people who are homeless move into permanent, affordable housing.
“Decent housing in a stable neighborhood with good schools and access to green space and healthy food provides families with an opportunity to improve their lives,” Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver said in a statement. “For this reason, DCA is proud to have contributed significant funds to these affordable apartments. We consider it an investment in our most precious resource — our residents.”
DCA awarded $1.55 million in HOME Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) funds and $100,000 in Shelter Support grants for the project. HOME funding is designed to create affordable housing for low-income households and Shelter Support grants provide money to renovate and improve existing transitional housing and homeless shelters.
The funds for this project were awarded to Homes by TLC, Inc., a nonprofit agency. They partner with HomeFront, Inc., a nonprofit group focused on breaking the cycle of poverty and ending homelessness in Central Jersey. HomeFront will provide an array of support including job coaching and preparedness, daycare, a food and furniture bank, as well as life skills training and case management.
“This project is such a wonderful example of what can happen when government, corporations and private citizens come together to make a real difference in the lives of working families in New Jersey,” Connie Mercer, executive director of HomeFront, said in a statement.
A 14-unit apartment building in Ewing for working families of limited financial means and for homeless households recently opened on Sullivan Way. (Google Maps file photo.),
