2000 Best Practice Awards

1526 Capital Area Housing Resource Center (CAHRC)
Trenton, New Jersey
Contact: Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills (609) 396-8400

The CAHRC is a housing information, education and referral service for low and very low income residents of the city of Trenton, NJ and Mercer County NJ. Critical to its success is that it is created and guided through a working partnership of members representing the public, private and community sectors.

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2862 The Education Enhancement Program
Milville, New Jersey
Contact: Dale P. Gravett (856) 825-8860

The Millville Education Enhancement Program § In partnership with the Millville Housing Authority’s EDSS Program, Millville Public Schools, Cumberland County College and the Millville Community Police, the MHA PHDEP is sponsoring the Education Enhancement Program that has recruited 10 public housing youth to use the Plato Learning System to enhance education and boost self-esteem. § The MHA EDSS Program had established a computer learning center (The Center for Educational Enrichment) for adult GED preparation and basic computer classes, MHA PHDEP designed a program to utilize the center to help enhance education for public housing youth. 1. All interested public housing youth must get signed permission to attend the classes held Monday – Thursday 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM. Parents must also sign a release form allowing Millville Public Schools to release a copy of the child’s report card and an academic and behavior progress report filled out by the teacher. 2. The information is turned over to an instructor from Cumberland County College who administers the testing on the Plato System and case manages the academic progress of the youth. 3. The youth utilize their time in the center to complete modules on the Plato System and they receive a reward for each modular they complete and a certificate of achievement for each grade level they pass on the system. 4. The Millville Community Police regularly attend the learning sessions to act as support and mentors for the children. The program is designed to do various things for low-income public housing youth that include the following: § Decrees the digital divide by giving low-income public housing youth regular access to computers and instruction in computer use. § Helps boost self-esteem, which could impact on academic levels and behavior in the classroom. § Increase knowledge to reduce long term use of the welfare system and multigenerational dependence on public housing. § Give children an alternative activity to decrease the use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs. § Create a learning activity that is fun and continues during the summer months when vulnerable children lose academic skills. § Increase parental participation in healthy activities. § Give children access to other agencies that may have an impact on their future.

2433 Summer Youth Training/ Transportation Program
Bridgeton, New Jersey
Contact: Jerry Velazquez (856) 459-1700

A public/private partnership will be created between Wawa Inc., and the local workforce development organization (county) to train and provide transportation funding for local Empowerment Zone youth.

3087 Tri-County Community Action Agency
Camden, New Jersey
Contact: Howard Motley (856) 757-5091

Tri-County Community Action Agency launched a major initiative in increase housing opportunities for the Nine County Southern New Jersey Community. The initiative was billed as the "Southern New Jersey Mortgage Summit". It brought attention to a pressing problem which identified many obstacles and impediments to successful homeownership and at the same time garnered support to develop effective strategies for future collaborative efforts to increase substantially the region's affordable homeownership rates, particularly among minorities

2489 Hulme St. Affordable Housing Demonstration Project
Mt. Holly, New Jersey
Contact: Kent R. Pipes (609) 261-4571

This project involves the creation of three to six new innovative affordable housing units using a combination of elements: land donated by a private individual; donated material; donated professional architectural and engineering services; inmate labor from the NJ Dept. of Corrections in an on-the-job training program; "green" technology and materials for environmental friendliness; and innovative design for low-skilled labor force to construct units in a cost-effective manner using steel framing.

671 The Annie E. Casey Foundation Neighborhood Transformation/ Family Development Initiative
Baltimore, Maryland
Contact: Carole Thompson (410) 223-2933

Camden is one of 22 cities participating in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Neighborhood Transformation/ Family Development Initiative. Through this initiative, the Foundation is committing half of its grant making to the participating cities in an effort to help challenging neighborhoods become places where children and their families can flourish. Through the right mix of incentives, investments, and opportunities, this initiative hopes to help transform neighborhood conditions in ways that support families and bolster children’s chances of succeeding.

The first stage of this initiative, in which Camden is currently involved, is called "Local Learning Partnerships" and is designed to build relationships among community leaders and collect the neighborhood level data necessary for them to make sound policy decisions. The second stage of the initiative, called "Making Connections," will use the data to generate a critical mass of people, activities, resources, and attention around improving neighborhood conditions for families. The focus will be on developing three broad kinds of support in the target neighborhoods: opportunities to work and build assets; close ties to friends, neighbors, kin, faith communities, and civic groups; and accessible and responsive services close to home.

1169 New York/ New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA)
New York City, New York
Contact: Steve J. Avarese (212) 264-8000

HIDTA is a partnership of over 100 federal, state, local and non-profit agencies in the NY/NJ area dedicated to eliminating the distribution and use of illegal drugs. This involves anti-drug activities including education and other preventative measures, the establishment of recreation programs and venues and preventing the distribution and sale of illegal drugs interdiction of illegal drugs.

251 Promote Opportunities for Accessible Housing
Collingswood, New Jersey
Contact: David Lazarus (973) 275-1175

The program was designed to assure that residential construction is accessible to persons with physical disabilities and to dismantle municipal obstacles such as restrictive zoning ordinances, that hinder the siting of community residences, including group homes, for persons with disabilities.

3124 Resident Security Assistance

The Resident Security Assistants was formed in August 1999. The goal of the program is to provide a sense of ownership and maintain a safe environment to the residents of the high-rises who were in need of security services. In doing so, it was the CHA's intent to motivate self-esteem in the residents, as well as, giving them self-purpose. Five to seven residents selected by the President of each high-rise provide security services to its residents. The RSA's work a four-hour shifts for a total of 20 hours per week to provide coverage around the clock. When guests arrive they are required to show identification and sign their names along with answering other information required on the sign-in Sheet. Guests are expected to leave the building by midnight and if staying overnight, occurrences are to be no more than 14 per year. If more than 14 times, residents must have prior approval from the building manager. The RSA's see who comes in and out of the building on a daily basis by providing security services every day. They get to know who are the regular visitors and who are not. They monitor overnight visitors, reporting all information to the building manager. To assist with keeping problem quests out of the building, a "Banned List" was created and is maintained at each high rise building. The list is comprised of individuals who have created problems in the past are not allowed to return. As situations arise, the list is updated. Also, problems not foreseen by the building manager or director of the RSA Program and recognized by the RSA's are also documented to be discussed. To distinguish themselves from the other residents and guests' recognition, the RSA's wear blue identification with their pictures on it. The RSA's look out for one another by calling down to check on the conditions of the staff member and building, as well as, coming downstairs physically to check on things. Off duty RSA's inspects floors and stairwells assisting with security measures, at all times. With the allowance of RSA's receiving rent rebatements (having no rent) or receiving $200.00 stipend per month for their services adds greater incentive for a high work performance.

1675 Penn Village Apartments
Merchantville, New Jersey
Contact: Linda Amoroso (856) 299-1989

Penn Village Apartments has developed a Learning Center which offers numerous activities to project and community residents. The following classes/services are provided: Children: daily after school activities including computer assistance (games/school projects), tutoring, chess club, environmental club, first aid and CPR training, debate team, drug counseling, arts and crafts. Adults: welfare to work job training, GED preparation, parenting programs, computer classes and tutoring. Senior Citizens: bingo parties and walking clubs are planned.

711 Scattered Site Transitional AIDS Housing

The AIDS Coalition of Southern NJ provides 20 different types of services for program participants. The Coalition covers 4 counties that are predominately rural, except for Camden City. Through the collaboration of an AIDS service organization and an AIDS housing corporation they purchased property and now own 5 transitional homes and lease 3 apartments for persons with AIDS. One house is for women, 3 houses are for men, and one house and 3 apartments are for families. Properties purchased are in most cases, residential/commercial properties in the center of towns. Varied sources of creative funding resulted in 4 fully owned properties and 3 leased apartments and 1 leased house. All residents have drug and alcohol, mental health and employment professionals to support them in their goal of permanent housing and productive life as a community citizen.

2332 Section 8 Program Resident Advisory Board
Trenton, New Jersey
Contact: Roy Ziegler (609) 633-8105

BACKGROUND: Public Housing Agencies (PHA's) that administer the Section 8 Housing Program must establish a Resident Advisory Board to assist and make recommendations regarding the development and significant modifications to the PHA Plan. The PHA must consider the recommendations of the Resident Advisory Board in preparing or modifying the plan. The Board must provide for reasonable representation of families receiving tenant-based assistance in the PHA's jurisdiction. The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs administers a statewide Section 8 Housing Program that currently assists 16,000 families in 21 counties. Priority is given to persons with disabilities and to families enrolled in welfare-to-work programs. Further selection priority is awarded for families who are homeless, living in substandard conditions, paying more than 50% of income for housing costs or who are involuntarily displaced through government action or domestic violence. When preparing to assemble a Resident Advisory Board the Department of Community Affairs' objective was to include all of its jurisdiction (twenty-one counties), and representation of the various types of families participating in the Section 8 Program. RECRUITMENT OF RESIDENT ADVISORY

BOARD MEMBERS: In October, 1999 the Department of Community Affairs sent notices to nearly 16,000 active Section 8 Program participants announcing plans to establish a Resident Advisory Board (RAB) and inviting participants to express their interest in participating in the formation of the Board. Some 900 families responded indicating an interest in the Board. Following the responses received from the residents, the Section 8 Program scheduled public meetings in each of New Jersey's twenty-one counties in November and December, 1999 for participants. Notices of the meetings and locations were sent to the 900 families who had responded. Approximately 200 residents attended the initial meeting in their respective counties.

INITIAL RESIDENT ADVISORY BOARD RECRUITMENT MEETINGS: The initial meetings were designed to provide a thorough explanation of the purpose and function of the RAB. This included a discussion of the Board member's responsibility with regard to assisting in the planning and making recommendations concerning the development and modification of the PHA Plan. The housing needs as specified in the State Consolidated Plan were reviewed. The process used to select members of the Resident Advisory Board was presented. Those residents who attended the meetings in each county would be asked to elect a delegate and an alternate delegate to the Board. Following a lengthy "questions and answers" segment, team building exercises were conducted by representatives of the New Jersey Association of Public and Subsidized Housing Residents (NJAPSHR), Inc., a tenant-organizing and advocacy agency with many years of experience with residents of public housing in New Jersey.

2694 New Jersey Housing And Mortgage Finance Agency (NJFHMFA) Homeownership for Permanency Program
Trenton, New Jersey
Contact: Gregory W. Adkins (609) 278-7457

New Jersey has now placed home ownership within the grasp of more families seeking to provide permanent homes for children in foster care. The Home Ownership for Permanency Project creates affordable home ownership opportunities for low-and moderate- income potential adoptive families and relative care givers to reduce the number of special needs children in foster care. This $4 million project is the first of its kind to address the needs of lower income adoptive families and was created through a partnership of the New Jersey Housing Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA) and the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS). The Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund Commission provided half of the program funding through a $2 million matching grant. Under the Home Ownership for Permanency Project, NJHMFA provides home buyer mortgages at below market interest rates of 1% to 4%, with 100% financing if needed, for low- and moderate-income adoptive parents and relative care givers faced with inadequate or unaffordable housing. Financing for home improvements, rehabilitation and refinancing to enhance or enlarge a current home to accommodate new family additions is also available. The children adopted through DYFS are mainly children who were removed from their birth parents due to abuse or neglect. Many of the children have special needs, such as behavioral and emotional problems or developmental disabilities. Some have physical disabilities as well. We are pleased to nominate the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency Low-Income Home Ownership for Permanency Program (Home Ownership Financing for Adoptive Families) for a HUD Best Practices Award. New Jersey has now placed home ownership within the grasp of more families seeking to provide permanent homes for children in foster care. The Home Ownership for Permanency Project creates affordable home ownership opportunities for low-and moderate- income potential adoptive families and relative care givers to reduce the number of special needs children in foster care. This $4 million project is the first of its kind to address the needs of lower income adoptive families and was created through a partnership of the New Jersey Housing Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA) and the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS). The Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund Commission provided half of the program funding through a $2 million matching grant. Under the Home Ownership for Permanency Project, NJHMFA provides home buyer mortgages at below market interest rates of 1% to 4%, with 100% financing if needed, for low- and moderate-income adoptive parents and relative care givers faced with inadequate or unaffordable housing. Financing for home improvements, rehabilitation and refinancing to enhance or enlarge a current home to accommodate new family additions is also available. The children adopted through DYFS are mainly children who were removed from their birth parents due to abuse or neglect. Many of the children have special needs, such as behavioral and emotional problems or developmental disabilities. Some have physical disabilities as well.This program qualifies for special consideration in that it addresses two or more of HUD's six Strategic Goals within the same project or effort. HUD's six Strategic Goals are: · Fighting for fair housing · Increasing affordable housing and homeownership · Reducing homelessness · Promoting jobs and economic opportunity · Empowering people and communities · Restoring public trust · Use newly developed concepts, technology and/or resources to significantly improve the delivery of housing and community development services, or · Demonstrate the effective use of multiple HUD programs and resources, as well as private resources, to significantly improve the quality of life throughout the community. To meet HUD standards, a Best Practice must be replicable in other areas of the country, region, or local jurisdiction and generate a significant and demonstrable positive impact on those being served or managed. The nomination must also demonstrate at least one of the following characteristics; Effectively use partnerships among government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private businesses; · Creative problem solving; · Overcome serious obstacles to program implementation; or, · Demonstrate efficiencies achieved (i.e., time saved, resources saved, etc.).The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency Low-Income Home Ownership for Permanency Program (Home Ownership Financing for Adoptive Families) meets these standards in the following ways. Best Practices Criteria How the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency Low-Income Home Ownership for Permanency Program (Home Ownership Financing for Adoptive Families) meets the criteria Best Practices Criteria: Demonstrated a Positive Impact on those Served Does the Best Practice have a quantitative or qualitative impact (examples of benefits the Best Practice created – number of jobs created, number of dollars saved, etc.)? The total dollar investment ($4 million) in homeownership for adoptive parents through this program can easily be quantified. Its qualitative impact in terms of children saved from the foster care system is difficult to measure in a conventional sense but easily expressed in anecdotal terms. Does the Best Practice help restore the public trust in HUD? This program could help to restore public trust in HUD, if replicated by HUD, by providing funding in a creative way to solve a longstanding socially vexing problem, how to meet the needs of children in foster care. Was the Best Practice achieved through clear, reasonable expectations and the effective utilization of the resources necessary to meet them? This program was achieved through clear, reasonable expectations and effective utilization of NJHMFA funds and Catastrophic Illness funds to meet housing needs. Does the Best Practice measure specific performance? Performance for this program is easily measured by tracking adoptive parents through the home financing process. Best Practice Criteria: Able to Be Replicated in Other Areas through a Clear Methodology, Tool, Program, Project or Model Are similar resources available in other communities? This program is replicable in other areas of the country, region, and local jurisdiction. All of the following components necessary for replication currently exist in other areas of the country, region and local jurisdiction. The program uses state housing finance agency funding, which is available to every state in the country. There are other sources of funds available to provide matching funds similar to the Catastrophic Illness fund. Has the technique employed been clearly documented and is it replicable? The step-by-step procedure for providing this home financing is clearly documented in a project plan that is publicly scrutinized and monitored for compliance with Federal and State regulations. It is packaged to be clearly replicable by other states. Can the Best Practice be applied to a different environment? The procedures employed in this program can be applied in any environment where foster care and adoption is a high priority issue. These projects succeed in market and subsidized environments and can exist in for-profit or nonprofit mode. Does the Best Practice have the ability to be institutionalized with the Department? This program can be easily institutionalized within the Department by creating a new program area within HUD or engaging a partnership between HUD and HHS to encourage replication. Does the Best Practice serve as a benchmark for other projects, programs, models or techniques throughout the Department? The program could easily serve as a benchmark for creating a funding source to resolve housing issues for special populations from non-Federal or private sources. Best Practice Criteria: Exhibited Creativity in Addressing the Problem Does the Best Practice identify and abandon outdated procedures and fundamental assumptions that underlie current operations, ignoring what is and concentrating on what should be? The program abandons the common assumption that HUD must increase funding in order to capitalize new ideas. This initiative requires no new HUD funds but instead relies on making better use of funds available from other sources (including private investment) to increase housing opportunities for special populations. Does the Best Practice modernize or integrate outdated procedures within the Department with more effective procedures? This program modernizes the outdated procedure of creating program silos or categorical grants with a more contemporary approach of adding incentives for merging housing and non-housing program ideas consistent with HUD goals. Best Practice Criteria: Overcame Challenges in Established Programs, Functions or Regions Has the Best Practice overcome barriers in an established process, creating opportunities for Department-wide success in similar processes? The most commonly encountered barrier in most processes is the lack of financial resources to fully implement new ideas. This program overcomes that barrier by adding significant leveraged resources to the process from non-Federal sources. Does the Best Practice refocus and revitalize HUD procedures to carry out HUD missions and goals? This program refocuses and revitalizes the effort to carry out HUD mission and goals by bringing HUD missions and goals clearly to the forefront of the issues facing adoptive parents. This increases the funds available to accomplish HUD missions and goals and markets HUD program goals to the private sector. Has the Best Practice overcome process or program fragmentation and problems in organization or duplication, bringing focus to better performing functions needed to serve the customers and the community? New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency has addressed program fragmentation by merging objectives home ownership programs with the needs of adoptive parents and children in foster care. Best Practice Criteria: Demonstrated Effective Use of Partnerships Does the Best Practice employ the assistance (financial, technical, etc.) of non-governmental and governmental entities in creating the Best Practice? One of the successes of this program is the employment of financial assistance from governmental entities (state housing finance agency) and technical assistance from children’s protective services programs (DYFS) in concert with the adoptive parents own economic resources (ability to repay the loan). Does the Best Practice illustrate institutions, including governments, churches, universities, etc., working together and becoming more interdependent, more market driven and customer driven? The program illustrates institutions (churches as non-profit counseling providers, governments (state housing finance agency, local governments, HUD, HHS, etc.) working together to create opportunities for children in foster care to be adopted and placed in a permanent home environment. Does the Best Practice empower the communities and citizens to work towards their own solutions with the Federal Government acting as a partner? The adoptive parents use their own income to solve their children’s home space issues. The government (or other mortgage provider) acts as a partner contributing technical assistance and financial assistance to finance the home purchase or rehabilitation. Does the Best Practice help refine HUD strategic goals, priorities and objectives based on customer feedback? This program gives HUD a perfect opportunity to respond to customer needs with programming that uses unconventional partnerships to solve longstanding social issues. Best Practice Criteria: Exceeded the Expectations of HUD Customers Does the Best Practice serve as an example of HUD’s desire to meet the needs of the community? By creating an opportunity for adoptive parents to bring children home from foster care, this program allows HUD to demonstrate "outside of the box" thinking to meet the needs of the community. Can the Best Practice be held up to other program areas, functions or regions as a standard towards which to work? This program offers an excellent opportunity to be held up to other program areas as a standard toward which to work. Similar strategic program goals can be merged with alternate funding sources, particularly private sector funds, to create new resource opportunities and unconventional partnerships. Can the Best Practice be marketed to other government and non-government agencies as a positive example of government at work? This program provides an excellent example of government at work. The child protective services programs sometimes have a controversial reputation in the community. This program allows those offices to join in positive partnerships with housing agencies to meet the needs of adoptive parents and children in foster care. The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency Low-Income Home Ownership for Permanency Program (Home Ownership Financing for Adoptive Families) is a perfect positive example of government working at its best. Does the Best Practice establish performance-based systems or procedures for HUD programs or procedures for HUD Programs, operations and employees? Total dollar investment by non-HUD sources in initiatives related to HUD goals is a strong measure of success in a performance-based system. This program’s total dollar investment by non-HUD sources in HUD initiatives can be easily quantified and gives HUD an excellent "bang" for its performance "buck". Taking on the difficult issue of foster care and adoption in a creative, positive and straightforward way is a performance plus for HUD.

02 Family Investment Center - Job Retention Program
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Contact: Terri M. Robinson (609) 347-7218

The Family Investment Center is a one stop system of services that provides case management and support services to our residents. The goal is to assist residents to reach and maintain self-sufficiency. All ACHA families are eligible for services from the FIC Program. However, all residents who receive public assistance - County welfare (TANF), and City Welfare will receive first priority for job readiness and job placement services. The services provided through the Family Investment Center are case management, addiction services, information & referral, job readiness and placement, computer skills and follow-up on all client services. The Job Retention Program component of the FIC addresses the TANF Hard to Serve population. The goal of the Job Retention Program is to secure employment for TANF hard to serve participants. Services include: employment follow-ups, participant follow-ups, collateral visits, counseling, home visits, facilitating peer meetings, budgeting, time management, childcare, transportation, employee/employer relationships, addiction services, stress management, tenant/landlord conflict, life skills, computer training, job skills training, job placement, and linkages to existing supportive services.

1955 Clay Street Learning Center
Newark, New Jersey
Contact: Kathie R. Leverette (973) 622-7900

The HA of the Borough of Princeton constructed a learning center by utilizing CIAP funding. The Goal was to hire a program director to develop self help and self sufficiency programs to our residents and surrounding low-income families.

625 State of New Jersey - Fair Housing Activities
Trenton, New Jersey
Contact: Roger Hoeh (609) 6286

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1583 NJHMFA Home Buyers Information Fair
Newark, New Jersey
Contact: Stuart Mindes (973) 622-7900

The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency has been sponsoring a series of Homebuyer Information Fairs in New Jersey's urban areas. Over the past year, Fairs have been organized in Asbury Park, Lakewood, Trenton and Neptune, NJ. The NJHMFA is an FHA approved lender and a HUD Housing Counseling grantee. Recent fairs in Asbury Park, Lakewood and an upcoming Fair during Homeownership Week in Neptune, NJ have been co-sponsored by HUD. The Fairs are unique in that the NJHMFA has made it possible for attendees to receive free credit counseling by a HUD approved Counseling Agency counselor at the Fair. The NJHMFA pulls a credit report at the Fair for anyone interested and directs the attendee to a housing counselor at the fair for a free one-on-one credit counseling session. The fairs have also been co-sponsored by the municipalities in which they are located and provide local officials with an opportunity to highlight local initiatives of interest to first time homebuyers.

3207 The Family Self Sufficiency Program (NJ)
Washington, DC
Contact: Kajsa Reyes (202) 708-1027

Content Archived: April 20, 2011