91��Ƭ Board Approves Four New Members

Michelle Lang — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 19:36:06 +0000

New NCC Board members Diane Johnson, Anthony Marchetta, Ingrid Rasmussen and Jerome St. John, left to right.

The 91��Ƭ Board of Directors has four new members: Diane Johnson, Anthony Marchetta, Ingrid Rasmussen and Jerome St. John.
The expansion to 11 board members is part of ongoing board development. NCC Board President Dr. A. Zachary Yamba is excited to move forward in 2019 with a larger board.
“We are delighted to have dedicated and qualified individuals who have agreed to join the board to help carry out the mission of NCC,” he said.
Several of the new members have long histories with 91��Ƭ and all are committed to the organization’s mission: To help residents of inner cities improve the quality of their lives to reflect individual God-given dignity and personal achievement.
“We have been very fortunate to have attracted four accomplished and well respected new board members to NCC. Each has a specific skill, experience and contacts to help propel NCC into its bright future,” said 91��Ƭ CEO Richard Rohrman. “We have a rich mix of skills and community involved leadership in our board that will be a benefit for years to come. This is a major step in positioning ourselves to be a force in Newark’s future and I am thankful for their commitment to our mission.”
Johnson, who is the retired director of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Newark Field Office, interacted with 91��Ƭ and Founder Monsignor William J. Linder for decades in that role. She became a consultant for NCC in 2015.
“I joined the board because I’ve always believed in the mission and the programs of 91��Ƭ and the various activities that they do to assist residents in the city of Newark,” Johnson said. “Whether it is families or seniors or children, 91��Ƭ has touched the lives of all facets of those individuals.”
Marchetta, who formed and currently serves as the principal of ALM Consulting Group, worked with Monsignor Linder when he was the executive director of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA) from 2010 to 2017. Monsignor Linder was a board member of NJHMFA for 43 years and 91��Ƭ also worked with NJHMFA on several projects.
“I’m honored to be part of this organization, which is legendary, and I’m happy it’s taking place with their financial house in order and with the town that they’re based in starting to see progress moving towards a more stable and positive future,” Marchetta said.
St. John is a retired judge, having served 10 years as a New Jersey Superior Court Judge, five of those years in the Appellate Division. He was also a councilman and mayor of Essex Fells and has been a volunteer for 91��Ƭ since 1985. He and his family became close friends with Monsignor Linder over the years.
“When I was asked to join the board, I knew that Monsignor was looking down on me and I couldn’t turn it down,” St. John said. “I want to continue Monsignor’s vision for 91��Ƭ and do whatever I can to keep that vision going.”
Rasmussen is more of a newcomer to 91��Ƭ. She is the vice president of Finance and Operations for the Heron Foundation, a private foundation based in Manhattan with the mission to help people and communities help themselves out of poverty. As a Jersey City resident, she was interested in volunteering for an organization closer to where she lives so she contacted the Victoria Foundation, which put her in contact with 91��Ƭ.
“My day job is nonprofit finance, but it’s what I do in my free time as well because I just really enjoy it,” she said. “Being able to work with good organizations and be helpful in whatever way I can has always been my goal and in this case in particular, I really wanted something that was closer to home.”
The 91��Ƭ Board of Directors is made up of the following members: Barry Baker, Fernando Colon, Diane Johnson, Anthony Marchetta, Migdalia Martinez, Edgar Nemorin, Ingrid Rasmussen, Newton Richards, Jerome St. John, Madge Wilson and Dr. A. Zachary Yamba.

91��Ƭ Hosts Grand Opening Of Housing Facility For The Chronically Homeless

Michelle Lang — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 20:38:46 +0000

NEWARK — 91��Ƭ hosted about 100 people Oct. 18 for the grand opening of its new supportive housing facility for the chronically homeless, which is also New Jersey’s first HUD Safe Haven model development.

Called A Better Life, the facility will house chronically homeless individuals, many who suffer from mental illness. They will live in studio apartments at 101 Fourteenth Ave. in Newark that include a private bathroom that is handicapped accessible and a kitchen area with a stovetop, microwave and refrigerator. A Better Life also has an engagement center, library, dining area, laundry room and common areas. Residents will have access to supportive services on site.

The grand opening was a culmination of six years of work. The $8 million project was the vision of 91��Ƭ Founder Monsignor William J. Linder.
At the grand opening, Linder said A Better Life is a beautiful facility for residents.

“One elected official said to me when we started 91��Ƭ that 91��Ƭ homes were too good for poor people. The housing should look poor. No, it shouldn’t look poor. It should look how much we love,” he said. “It’s a sign of our love, not their condition.”

CEO Richard Rohrman said throughout its 50 years, 91��Ƭ has always helped the most vulnerable and housing the chronically homeless is another piece of the puzzle.

“This is a group that requires our help. It requires much more than this. This can only just be the very beginning. The issue that we’re facing of homelessness is much larger than this,” Rohrman said. “We’re hoping that by doing this it can be replicated with more and more of this in the city and elsewhere.”

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo said the county has more than 3,000 homeless people. “So that’s a very, very high number. Being part of the 91��Ƭ family and being part of this, people that are here will be involved in all the other programs and services that are offered so it’s giving them a second chance and that’s what we should be doing,” he said.

Congressman Donald Payne Jr. said he was delighted to lend his support. “It’s not radical to propose that everyone have a home,” he said. “Our veterans, our citizens are in need and it’s incumbent upon us to do everything we can to eradicate that need.”

Federal Home Loan Bank of New York Community Investment Research and Outreach Specialist Brian Loeb said A Better Life meets people where they are to help them. “These 20 of the most vulnerable people in Newark are going to have a bed. And more than a bed, a place to call home,” he said.

Red Stone Equity Partners Managing Director of Acquisitions Richard Roberts said the solution to homelessness is simple. “It is supportive housing. It is the bricks and mortar with the services on site. Not around the corner, not down the block, not downtown,” he said. “And if we muster the resources and the political will to commit more money, time and energy to projects like this, a problem which harms so many people could be solved.”

New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency Executive Director Anthony Marchetta said the Christie and Obama administrations were involved in the completion of A Better Life. “We got half of the resources for this facility from the Sandy Special Needs Housing Trust Fund. That’s a combination of both the state and the federal government,” he said.

University Hospital’s emergency care system will refer individuals for placement at A Better Life. Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care will be providing 24/7 supervision and support for the residents.

Rosemarie Rosati, who recently retired as COO of Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care and was heavily involved in the planning and completion of A Better Life, said, “This program represents the best types of services that I worked to develop over my 38-year career in mental health.”

She said the building has been specially designed to serve the chronically homeless. “The services are tailored to engage folks because it’s difficult to just move off the streets to a structured program,” she said.

Former director of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Newark Field Office Diane Johnson served as the emcee of the grand opening. She talked about the many offerings of 91��Ƭ, including two early childhood learning centers; education and youth services; the Adult Learning Center; Workforce Development Center; 91��Ƭ Federal Credit Union; Harmony House, a transitional housing facility for homeless families; housing for families in Newark and Jersey City; senior housing in Newark, Orange and Jersey City; Extended Care, a nursing home; the Family Service Bureau, which provides behavioral and mental health services; and the Family Resource Success Center, which links individuals to services they need.

A Better Life is a joint project led by 91��Ƭ in collaboration with a number of funders and partnering agencies: New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, an affiliate of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs; Red Stone Equity Partners; Essex County HOME Program; Newark HOME Program; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York. Chelsea Construction Company, a subsidiary of 91��Ƭ, managed the project and Claremont Construction served as the general contractor. The facility was designed by lwdmr Architects.

Anthony Marchetta – 91��Ƭ

91��Ƭ Board Approves Four New Members

91��Ƭ Hosts Grand Opening Of Housing Facility For The Chronically Homeless