Bruce Street – 91��Ƭ

91��Ƭ Introduces The Morris Housing Redevelopment Project

Michelle Lang — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 16:46:28 +0000

91��Ƭ hosted a Community Meeting at the NCC Neighborhood Center on June 5 to introduce The Morris, the organization’s latest housing redevelopment project. The Morris will be built on Morris Avenue in Newark at the former Homes Court site, which is next to the 91��Ƭ Property Management office and across the street from Gardens Senior. The Morris will offer 120 units for rent to families and will be 100 percent Section 8 subsidized housing.

91��Ƭ CEO Simone Gagneron called The Morris an exciting development project that will bring positive changes to the neighborhood. She also stressed the importance of community feedback.

“Your input is vital,” she said. “We are committed to a transparent and collaborative process. Let’s work together to shape a beautiful environment that our children can grow and thrive in.”

91��Ƭ Interim Board Chairman Edgar Nemorin thanked attendees for their participation in the meeting.

“This project is a labor of love and passion,” he said. “This is about you, the community.”

Retired 91��Ƭ CEO Richard Rohrman, who is working as a project manager on The Morris, talked about the uniqueness of constructing a fully subsidized housing facility in the city.

“Nothing like that has been built in Newark in many, many years,” he said. “We’re really excited.”

Associate Partner Anthony D’Agosta discussed the details of The Morris. The building will have 120 apartments. Twenty percent of the units will be one-bedroom, 20 percent will be three-bedroom and the remaining will be two-bedroom. There will be roughly 30 apartments per floor.

In addition to the apartments, The Morris will have a more than 4,000 square foot amenities space for tenants to use. D’Agosta pointed out that the minimum required size for an amenities space in this type of building is 1,600 square feet.

“Getting 4,000 square feet I think identifies the goals and commitment that NCC has for its projects and properties,” D’Agosta said. “They understand a project that has 120 families on-site needs to have some space to stretch their legs out.”

In addition to the indoor amenities space, The Morris will have a more than 8,000 square foot outdoor space for residents to enjoy.

The Morris will have an underground gated parking garage, accessible from Bruce Street, that will contain 130 parking spaces. There will be seven additional parking spaces outside. The building will have 24/7 security and tenants will have access to a Resident Services Coordinator.

D’Agosta explained that the plans include vibrant colors for the exterior of The Morris along with landscaping and the inclusion of natural light in the interior.

“We’re prioritizing welcoming families to this facility,” he said.

In addition to The Morris, 91��Ƭ is also working to construct five two-family homes in Newark for sale to first-time home buyers.

More information about The Morris and the two-family homes will be provided to the community as they become available.

91��Ƭ Assists with Newark Food Distribution Event

Michelle Lang — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 19:03:22 +0000

The City of Newark hosted a citywide food distribution event on May 5 along Bruce Street near 14th Avenue, right in the heart of 91��Ƭ’s footprint. Seven hundred boxes of food, which included items like chicken, potatoes and milk, were given away. Newark residents were able to drive up or walk up to receive the items. Members of 91��Ƭ’s Resident Services Department made sure that their residents were aware of the event and assisted them in receiving food items. Photos courtesy of Anibal Alvelo.

Extended Care RN Credits 91��Ƭ for Helping Her Achieve Success

Michelle Lang — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 18:45:17 +0000

Joyce Misiani has faced numerous challenges since coming to New Jersey from Kenya about 15 years ago. 91��Ƭ has helped her through difficult times and provided support that has enabled her to have a successful career in health care as a registered nurse.

Misiani first became involved with 91��Ƭ when she enrolled in the licensed practical nurse (LPN) program it used to offer. She was working a security job while living in Newark and decided she wanted to obtain a certification in the nursing field. 91��Ƭ’s program was the closest to where she was living, so she enrolled.

Shortly after joining the program, Misiani became homeless. She was staying in a friend’s basement with her daughters and her grades began to slip. Her instructor, Ellen Boddie, noticed something was wrong and questioned her about it. Although she resisted at first, Misiani eventually told Boddie what was going on. Boddie reached out to NCC Board Member and Outreach Coordinator Madge Wilson about the situation and they helped Misiani get placed at Harmony House, NCC’s transitional housing for homeless families.

From Harmony House, Wilson helped Misiani get an NCC apartment on Bruce Street. Even during the moves, Misiani continued attending the LPN program with encouragement from Boddie. She said her grades began to improve after she obtained permanent housing.

One of Misiani’s classmates told her she would be a good candidate for Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that helps families build and improve places to call home. She did her research and visited a local office to see if she would qualify. She did and was accepted into the program. For two and a half years, Misiani helped build her house, along with several others, using what Habitat for Humanity calls “sweat equity” for payment. At the end, she became a homeowner of a home in Irvington, where she lives today.

After Misiani completed the LPN program, she was hired at 91��Ƭ Extended Care. She was a good employee and dedicated to her work and the residents at the facility. Extended Care Administrator Veronica Onwunaka, who served as the Director of Nursing at the time, took notice.

“She cares about people and she shows a lot of dedication and that was why, when I saw and noticed that she could do more and she has the tools and the knowledge in her to do more, I spoke with Monsignor about training her to become a registered nurse,” Onwunaka said.

Monsignor William J. Linder, founder of 91��Ƭ, who lived the last years of his life at Extended Care, encouraged Misiani to return to school and become an RN.

“I couldn’t be what I am today if it were not for him,” Misiani said.

He insisted Misiani apply to colleges, even telling her that she had to take a day off work to complete applications. She planned to continue her education, but it was difficult as a single mother of four girls. Monsignor insisted and Misiani settled on Chamberlain University in New Brunswick. She received a scholarship from 91��Ƭ to attend.

Obtaining her bachelor’s degree certainly wasn’t easy. She continued working and felt guilty that she wasn’t spending as much time with her four daughters as she thought she should. But she said it was a sacrifice that was necessary to improve her family’s life. And she didn’t want to let anyone down.

“So many times I wanted to just quit. So many things happening,” Misiani said. “But then I kept saying, if I quit Monsignor really went out of his way. This is just too much to lose. It’s a lot of money. Just study hard.”

The hard work paid off. Misiani is now a registered nurse and is still working at Extended Care as an assistant unit manager.

“I said I have to come back. How else can you really say thank you?” she said. “NCC has really shaped me. Because if I weren’t here, I don’t know where I would be. I will always be grateful.”

Wilson said she was happy to help Misiani find an apartment and remembers providing her children with gifts for Christmas.

“She’s a good worker but she is also a mother who loves her four children. Even though she is a single mom, she takes care of her children,” Wilson said. “When I heard she had become a registered nurse, I was happy for her.”

Misiani is relieved that she has completed her studies and is now able to spend more time with her four daughters, who she said were extremely happy when she graduated. Her oldest daughter, who is 24, lives with her full-time and was a recipient of the Monsignor William J. Linder Scholarship for her high school education. Misiani’s three younger daughters, twins who are 13 and a younger girl who is 11, attend boarding school in Pennsylvania and are home for summers and holiday breaks.

“I feel like I’m so blessed. Because when you start, you’re so miserable, desperate. There are times you feel like you’re just nothing,” Misiani said. “I’m honored to be one of Monsignor’s recipients of the scholarship. I don’t know how to put it into words but I really thank God for everything.”