May 28, 2012

Jenai

Housing Services Coordinator

On Friday night, the residents of Orchard Commons and Robert’s House headed to the Knights of Columbus in Rochelle Park to watch an East Coast Wrestling match. The residents cheered on their favorite wrestlers. They ended the night at the local Dairy Queen to talk about the highlights. Everyone was happy that the good guys dominated the night!

On Saturday, the residents continued the fun with a field trip to the movies in Ridgewood, where they watched The Avengers. They were accompanied by the Allendale Woman’s Club. It was a fun filled weekend!

A new home in Clifton

By Eamon Bencivengo

   I arrived at the Bergen County’s United Way offices on Tuesday morning with one objective; completing the application for municipal approval in the construction of a new special needs home in Clifton.  The construction site is a municipally owned lot on Arthur Street, a narrow one-way road in the Botany Village neighborhood of Clifton.  As an abandoned home currently exists on the site, the BCUW proposed home will provide a residence for special needs individuals and benefit the visual appeal of the surrounding neighborhood.  This proposed residence will be a two-story structure with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, dining area, and a small living room.  In addition, a driveway will be located at the front of the house to provide parking for one vehicle.  Not to mention, the future residents of this home will be within walking distance of downtown Botany Village and all of its amenities.  In addition to this description of our proposed home, I included a project budget, along with the BCUW/Madeline resume, into the application.  After submitting the application to the Clifton City Hall, we now wait and see if Clifton decides to welcome a BCUW/Madeline special needs home!       

Our first "Ranch House" project is underway!

By Tom Tornoto

President

Bergen County's United Way

 

Thanks to the support of the Borough of Demarest, I’m happy to report that our first “ranch house” project for individuals with developmental disabilities will soon be underway.  BCUW/Madeline is a NJ Department of Community Affairs qualified developer for this program and is working along with Advance Opportunities who is the supportive services provider.  We anticipate that renovations to the four bedroom home will be completed this summer.

Funding is provided through a program called the Special Needs Housing Partnership.  It’s a joint initiative launched by the NJ Departments of Community Affairs and Human Services in partnership with municipalities to create by 2013 – 600 affordable, supported-living opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities.   The State’s goal is to help integrate people with special needs into the community whenever possible.

We hope to complete two similar projects in other communities by the fall.

We are proud of our residents!

Diana Stolfo, a resident at Orchard Commons has become an outspoken advocate for individuals with developmental disabilities.  She was recently invited to appear on NBC Nightly News along with the National Down Syndrome Society Vice President of Marketing Julie Cevallos to talk about World Down Syndrome Day.  Diana is a featured speaker at the event at the United Nations; speaking about achieving her dream of living independently. Click here to see the NBC video.

Expanding to Plainsboro

By Eamon Bencivengo
Despite the ominous Ides of March, on March 15^th I accompanied Tom and Shari down to the pastoral landscape of Plainsboro, NJ.  Our task for the day was to meet with the Plainsboro Director of Planning and the Borough Administrator to discuss the potential for constructing a special needs housing project in their municipality.  Our interest in Plainsboro arose in the same manner of many of our other projects: through the collaboration with an active parent of a special needs child living in the community.  Maintaining a healthy collaboration with such parents is a vital component of creating a successful project because municipalities are much more receptive to approving the project if it is supported by local taxpayers.  Therefore, as Tom, Shari, and I walked into the Plainsboro Town Hall, we were accompanied by the mother of a special needs child.  Our meeting with the Borough Administrator and the Director of Planning was very positive, as they were impressed with the renderings of our previous projects and our reputable resume.  Surprisingly, however, we were informed that Plainsboro has large areas of protected land and therefore does not have many parcels of land available which are suitable for new construction.  Yet after the meeting, Tom, Shari, and I identified a few properties potentially suitable for rehabilitation.  Also, the parent who accompanied us to the meeting located some sites of open land that could suit our project needs. So, despite the minor setback, the potential for a special needs housing project in Plainsboro is still strong!  

Defending our Home Application

By Eamon Bencivengo

On Tuesday March 12^th, Shari and I drove south to Monmouth County.  We were not headed to the beach, but rather to Freehold to defend our HOME Application to the Monmouth County Planning Board.  Back in January we had submitted an application for the Monmouth County HOME Grant Program to secure funding for our upcoming special needs housing project in Colts Neck.  With our presentation time set for 1:15, Shari had made plans with Vince Scanelli, who was to accompany us in the presentation, to meet for lunch at noon to prepare and review our materials.  Vince is the President of Someone Special Needs You, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to providing social activities for special needs children.  Someone Special Needs You, Inc. is currently designated as the owner of the Colts Neck Project and will maintain ownership after its completion.

            Over sandwiches at a local café, we reviewed our notes and speaking points for the presentation.  By 1:15 we were standing in front of a ten-person review committee.  With the project renderings mounted behind us, Shari answered questions regarding the development of the project, while Vince educated the committee on the desperate need for permanent housing for special needs individuals.  As I glanced around the room, I saw several positive and interested expressions on the faces of the committee.  Hopefully, those expressions will mean that we will be awarded funding for the project!

The Suburbanite Interview

By Jenai - United Way Housing Coordinator

“I’m so proud of him.”  That’s what Brian’s mom said after he finished an interview with The Suburbanite earlier this week.  The paper interviewed two of the residents living at The Roberts House in order to paint a picture for local residents where group homes will be rehabbed as part of the DCA/DDD Special Needs Housing Partnership Loan Program.  The converted ranch homes will house 4 individuals with developmental disabilities.

Brian and John spoke about what it’s been like to be living on their own for the past 16 months. They also talked about how they share chores, and what types of hobbies they enjoy when they aren’t working.

The BCUW/Madeline Partnership is collaborating with Advancing Opportunities to rehab a second home.  Advancing Opportunities will be the service provider, helping the new residents to integrate into the community.

Look for the article and photographs in the paper this week.