New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency

Christie Administration Announces Grand Opening of Supportive Housing Community in Bergen County

For Immediate Release:
September 20, 2012
Contact:
Lisa Ryan
609-292-6055
10 Permanent Housing Units Are Created for Individuals with Special Needs

RIDGEWOOD, N.J. – Partnering with the private sector to provide housing for people with special needs, New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) representatives today joined local officials to celebrate the grand opening of a supportive housing apartment program developed by West Bergen Mental Healthcare, Inc. The HMFA, an affiliate of the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), provided $1 million in construction financing for the project from the Special Needs Housing Trust Fund.

“The Christie Administration is committed to increasing housing availability for all segments of the population, including individuals with special needs,” said DCA Commissioner Richard E. Constable, III, who is Chair of the HMFA. “I extend sincere congratulations to the development team at West Bergen Mental Healthcare for recognizing the need for supportive housing in their community and working hard to transform the project from vision to reality.”

West Bergen Mental Healthcare acquired and demolished existing structures in order to construct a three-story building for its Supportive Housing Apartment Program. Ten apartment units will provide permanent housing opportunities for individuals with Asperger’s related disorders and the entire building is fully accessible to people with disabilities. Amenities include a community room, storage room, outdoor terrace, lounge area, and laundry facility.

The mission of West Bergen Mental Healthcare Inc., which was founded in 1963, is to promote the psychological health and personal growth of clients and their families through counseling, therapy and education. It will provide case management services to people in the Supportive Housing Apartment Program.

“West Bergen Supportive Housing is a wonderful example of the good that can come from federal, state, local and private enterprise working together to build quality supportive housing for people who need it most,” said HMFA Executive Director Anthony L. Marchetta. “Individuals in need of supportive services often find it difficult to make ends meet. This is why the HMFA works day in and day out to assist projects like this one through financing.”

Through the Special Needs Housing Trust Fund, HMFA provided $1 million in construction financing for the West Bergen project. The Trust Fund, which is administered by the HMFA, provides capital financing to create permanent supportive housing and community residences for individuals with special needs. The purpose of the fund is to develop special needs housing and residential opportunities as alternatives to institutionalization or homelessness for those who would benefit from these programs and to ensure the long-term viability of such housing.

Additional funding for the West Bergen project came from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Bergen County HOME Funds, Bergen County Community Development Block Grant, and Federal Home Loan Bank of New York. The Village of Ridgewood and Atlantic Stewardship Bank also participated in the project.

For more information on HMFA programs, please call 1-800-NJHOUSE or log on to www.njhousing.gov.