CSH joined Newark Mayor Cory Booker, city officials, representatives of St. Clare Homes Property, Inc., an affiliate of AIDS Resource Foundation for Children (ARFC), and the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA) to celebrate the grand opening of St. Clare’s Residence, a supportive housing community in Newark for individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS. The project involved the demolition of two existing properties and the construction of two three-story residential buildings that contain a total of 16 apartments, as well as office and community space.
Financing for the project was provided through the NJMHFA Special Needs Housing Trust Fund, City of Newark HOME program, Essex County HOME program, New Jersey Department of Health, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), as well as pre-development financing and technical assistance from CSH. Project based rental assistance was provided by the Newark Housing Authority and HUD Shelter Plus Care for all 16 supportive housing units.
Social services for residents will be provided onsite by the AIDS Resource Foundation for Children and its affiliate, the St. Clare Home for Children. Funding for these services will be made possible by the NJ Department of Community Affairs Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) program and the NJ Department of Health’s Division of HIV/AIDS, TB and STD Services. Social services include case management, mental health services, substance abuse counseling and an overall comprehensive development assistance program to meet each resident’s needs with the goal of helping them to sustain their housing. CSH Director Alison Recca-Ryan congratulated Executive Director Dr. Terry Zealand on “the development of much needed units for persons and families who have been homeless and in addition are dealing with living with AIDS, as well as the improvements that the permanent supportive housing provides to the surrounding community.”
St. Clare Homes Property, Inc. was established by AIDS Resources Foundation for Children of Newark Essex County, a non-profit organization founded in 1985 to provide resources to assist homeless children with HIV/AIDS. The Foundation presently owns and manages 52 scattered-site homes, as well as permanent supportive housing in the City of Newark and the surrounding municipalities.
