Richard Cammarieri – 91��Ƭ

91��Ƭ Hosts Newark Convening of Building Healthier, More Equitable Communities Initiative

Michelle Lang — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 15:28:50 +0000

Photos by Tamara Fleming Photography.

91��Ƭ served as the host site for the Newark gathering of organizations and entities involved in the Building Healthier, More Equitable Communities (BHEC) initiative. The BHEC Newark Convening was held on Oct. 25 and 26 at Monsignor William J. Linder Plaza, 91��Ƭ’s corporate office location. The two-day event included participation from 91��Ƭ, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Rutgers University Distinguished Professor of Law Dr. David Troutt, Urban League of Essex County, University Hospital and a variety of other organizations involved in the BHEC initiative.

The BHEC initiative, led by the with funding from the , aims to address the social determinants of health through changes to the built environment and the community investment system in four New Jersey cities: Asbury Park, Camden, Newark and Paterson. Those involved in the city teams for the four areas meet at convenings at each of the cities to delve deeper into the work being done in each location. Urban League of Essex County and 91��Ƭ guide the Newark team.

91��Ƭ CEO Simone Gagneron welcomed the group to Newark and provided a brief history of NCC. She explained the progress the organization has made over the past 55 years thanks to partners like the Reinvestment Fund and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that support initiatives like BHEC.

“BHEC has helped us engage with partners in our work in the community, and begin to make the case to funders and policymakers for additional investment and support in the communities we serve,” she said.

Gagneron said gatherings like the BHEC Newark Convening allow for networking and for individuals to get a sense of the importance of their efforts.

“I hope you recognize that without you and the organizations you serve, the critical change work that needs to happen won’t happen,” she said.

President and CEO Vivian Cox Fraser discussed her organization’s efforts and how the BHEC initiative aims to have entities work together to tackle large issues.

“Through our collaboration, we seek to address the widening chasm of economic inequality, concentrated in generational poverty, poor health outcomes and intractable inequities in health and opportunities,” she said.

Dr. David Troutt, Distinguished Professor of Law and Founding Director of , served as the keynote speaker for the BHEC Newark Convening. He discussed CLiME’s work of addressing issues of structural inequality and systemic racism, which includes the report That research showed that about half of home purchases in Newark were made by institutional investors, primarily impacting neighborhoods with the highest proportion of Black residents and Black homeowners.

“It was driving up prices, it was driving people out, making it harder to enter as new homeowners and, of course, it was inextricably increasing rents because the whole model is a passive income model with steady gains,” Troutt said.

CLiME also looked into the issue of affordable housing for Newark and found that the city lacks an adequate number of affordable units.

“The local measure determines that affordability in the city of Newark based on household income for renters would be $763. And if that’s what affordable means, we need 16,000+ units,” he said.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka talked about how the lack of housing in New Jersey and nationwide is the source of many of the problems residents face.

“Housing is the number one issue in this country,” he said. “There’s just not enough of it.”

He said the lack of housing in the suburbs directly affects cities like Newark because those who grow up in the suburbs can’t find affordable housing options in their hometowns. Because of that, they move to cities like Newark which have cheaper housing options than where they grew up and often where they work. Those individuals then become part of gentrification, not because they’re looking to displace people but because they don’t have other options.

Baraka praised those in attendance for their efforts and said he hopes the work continues because Newark and cities like it need investment in housing, affordable housing and neighborhood health care facilities.

Dr. Colette Barrow Adams, Executive Director of Community and Population Health at , and Jill Crawford, Principal at , talked about the collaboration between the two entities to develop 78 units of affordable housing with an 8,000-square-foot health clinic on the ground floor. The project includes 16 units of supportive housing for those experiencing long-term homelessness or housing instability. University Hospital refers patients to the supportive housing units and will run the health clinic, which will be a medical practice open to all.

91��Ƭ Director of Community Engagement Richard Cammarieri moderated a panel discussion with Newark Deputy Mayor Allison Ladd, and President and CEO Marcus Randolph and and CEO Evan Weiss. The group discussed examples of collaborative and cross-sector strategies to advance equity that are happening in Newark.

Attendees of the BHEC Newark Convening also participated in group discussions to talk about successes and challenges they have experienced in their work as well as a bus tour of sites throughout Newark and a reception at , a Newark-based art gallery.

More information about the BHEC initiative can be found at .

Newark Homelessness Czar Tours Harmony House

Michelle Lang — Thu, 07 Jul 2022 15:08:59 +0000

Director of the Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services for the City of Newark Luis Ulerio toured Harmony House, 91��Ƭ’s transitional housing facility for homeless families, on June 22. Harmony House Director Yonette Fredericks showed him the private units where families live, which include a private bathroom, bedroom and living space. Fredericks and 91��Ƭ Director of Community Engagement Richard Cammarieri told Ulerio that families at Harmony House are provided with services to help them find permanent housing, further their education and find employment. Residents are referred to (NCCTI) to complete accredited post-secondary programs. Families are also offered mental health services through Family Service Bureau of Newark (FSB) and physical rehabilitation services at . NCCTI, FSB and Extended Care are all next door to Harmony House, allowing for easy access.

91��Ƭ Hosts Leadership Newark Class of 2023

Michelle Lang — Tue, 17 May 2022 15:51:01 +0000

Members of Leadership Newark Class of 2023 visited 91��Ƭ on May 11 as part of a session titled “The Intersection of Faith, Activism & Public Policy.” 91��Ƭ Director of Community Engagement Richard Cammarieri and Director of Mission Frances Teabout met the group at Monsignor William J. Linder Plaza and discussed the history of 91��Ƭ, the role religion played in its founding and its offerings to the community. Leadership Newark was established in 1998 to develop the skills and knowledge of a diverse network of established and emerging leaders who will collectively and individually enhance and strengthen the vibrancy and future growth of the greater Newark region.

91��Ƭ Director of Community Engagement Participates in Press Conference 91��Ƭ Who Owns Newark

Michelle Lang — Fri, 13 May 2022 14:17:52 +0000

91��Ƭ Director of Community Engagement Richard Cammarieri spoke at Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s press conference on May 4 regarding the issue of corporations purchasing homes in the city and converting them into rentals. The press conference was in response to “Who Owns Newark,” a research report authored by David D. Troutt, Director of the Rutgers Center on Law, Inequality and Metropolitan Equity (CLiME). The report found that almost half of all real estate sales in Newark were made by institutional buyers.

While legal, the ramifications of bulk corporate ownership are farreaching in the city, according to officials. Rents rise, homeownership decreases, affordable housing is less available and renters are displaced, all of which lead to less stable communities.

“Just because something’s legal doesn’t make it right. This acquisition, as the report points out, leads to a great deal of harm in our neighborhoods, particularly racially inequitable harms in terms of rents rising, displacing the residents, evictions and lowered opportunity for homeownership,” explained Cammarieri, who is also Chair of the Newark Community Development Network and a member of the Equitable Growth Advisory Commission. “These are all things that are harmful and thus they should be considered wrong, no matter how ‘legal’ they might be.”

In an effort to combat the effects of these purchases, Baraka outlined proposed policies, including making it unlawful to solicit offers without the residents’ permission, making sure LLCs provide contact information when purchasing properties, imposing fees on property owners and landlords who increase rents more than 5 percent year over year, adding a deed restriction to all city-owned and Land Bank properties to require them to be affordable and meeting with investors, developers of color and community development corporations to develop strategies to invest in under-invested and disinvested communities in Newark.

“In cities and even suburbs across America, institutional investors are eroding the American dream of homeownership as they convert owner-occupied homes into corporately owned rental units,” Baraka said. “In Newark, where we have worked hard for years to expand homeownership, we will do everything possible to combat this dangerous trend. The CLiME report signals that Newark must create stronger and more equitable laws, regulations and policies to ensure that residents share in the growth of our city.”

Deborah Smith Gregory is Vice Chair of the Equitable Growth Advisory Commission and is a homeowner in Newark’s South Ward. She said she has received phone calls about selling her home to investors and has seen many signs in her neighborhood advertising cash for homes. She also said she was unable to figure out the owner of a vacant home in her neighborhood that she was interested in purchasing for a family member.

While Smith Gregory said the actions of the investors aren’t illegal, she called them highly unethical.

“It is not a good feeling to feel like we’re prey,” she said.

Baraka said he would submit legislation to the municipal council for members to take action to combat the effects of corporate ownership and conversion to rentals.

NCC Director of Community Engagement Moderates Panel Discussion

Michelle Lang — Fri, 04 Sep 2020 13:54:23 +0000

91��Ƭ Director of Community Engagement Richard Cammarieri moderated a virtual panel discussion Aug. 24 entitled White Fragility: A Conversation of Allyship. The event was part of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) True Diversity Film Series, done in partnership with PSEG. The discussion was based on a film of author Robin DiAngelo reading from her book, White Fragility: “Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk 91��Ƭ Racism.”

The panel consisted of Mark Katz, Tobie Stein and Becca Zimmerman. Katz is a John P. Barker Distinguished Professor of Music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Founding Director of the hip hop cultural diplomacy program, Next Level. He is the author of “Build: The Power of Hip Hop Diplomacy in a Divided World.” Stein is a two-time Fulbright Specialist and a member of the Diversity Scholars Network at the National Center for Institutional Diversity, University of Michigan, and a member of the American Sociological Association. Zimmerman is a two-time Fulbright Specialist and a member of the Diversity Scholars Network at the National Center for Institutional Diversity, University of Michigan, and a member of the American Sociological Association.

The virtual panel discussion was held via Zoom and a recording can be found on the or on the .

NCC Security Efforts Help Reduce Crime

Michelle Lang — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 21:02:16 +0000

91��Ƭ’s Security Department has taken steps to help reduce crime within the organization’s footprint in Newark and those efforts are having an impact on the area.

Security Operations Manager John Wade explained that last year there were four hot spots for crime in Newark’s Central Ward located in NCC’s footprint.

“This year we have none because of some of the things that we’ve been doing and some of the things the police have been doing in this particular area,” he said.

Wade and NCC Director of Community Engagement Richard Cammarieri are involved with the Newark Public Safety Collaborative, which is part of the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice. The initiative aims to provide relevant crime statistics and information on what is contributing to crime in a certain area. The Newark Police Department is also involved and Wade said NCC received information about crime within its footprint.

“That’s how we ultimately came up with strategies to address some things in this particular area,” Wade said.

Members of the NCC Security Task Force now have a stronger presence during the day and have been focusing on quality of life issues including illegal parking, loitering and drug activity.

“John’s ability to reach out and get involved in bringing in new ideas and resources to NCC is paying off. We are committed to renovating our properties and partnering with our residents to provide a safe, secure and dignified living experience,” said 91��Ƭ CEO Richard Rohrman. “These efforts combined with additional Task Force officers, more lighting, security cameras and outreach have had a measurable impact on the quality of life on the properties.”

During the course of patrolling and investigating, Security personnel also evaluate factors that contribute to incidents. That includes environmental factors, some of which are being addressed with the ongoing renovation project. Landscaping changes, additional lighting and cameras are expected to further improve the area. If Security personnel find that tenants are engaging in activities affecting the quality of life, the department teams up with Property Management to address issues with the tenants. Some tenants have been issued warnings and those who don’t comply can be referred to landlord-tenant court.

In addition to internal investigations and policy changes, Wade said NCC has a good relationship with the Newark Police Department. While 91��Ƭ is private property, the organization has given members of the Newark Police Department the authority to come onto NCC properties and enforce motor vehicle laws and city ordinances.

This summer, one of Security’s key focus areas was the playground between the NCC Neighborhood Center and Manor Family at 72 Hayes St. Wade said he wanted parents to feel safe sending their children to summer camp at the NCC Neighborhood Center, as well as dropping them off and picking them up.

“It’s my understanding through some of the critiques they got at the rec center that we definitely made an impact,” Wade said. “So I was very happy about that.”

There were no shootings in the area this summer, which was an improvement, and police checkpoints that were present for several months last year have been removed.

While Wade said there is still room for improvement, he has noticed more residents out and about and parents allowing their children outside to play.

“It’s good to see people who can just come out and take a morning stroll. And walk to the store and get a cup of coffee,” Wade said. “When you see people are able to do that in this particular area, I think you know you’re making a little bit of an impact.”

While violent crime is down in the area, crimes of opportunity are occurring, particularly thefts from vehicles. Wade encourages residents and visitors to always lock their cars and not leave valuables or other items in plain sight. He said even umbrellas, sunglasses or loose change could be items of interest.

With cameras being installed, NCC Security has more tools to help with both criminal and internal investigations. New parking regulations and house rules will be released soon as well to help improve quality of life issues.

Wade hopes NCC residents embrace the changes and work with the Security Department.

“The officers need resident support in order to do their job. It’s going to take a team effort,” he said.

Remembering Founding NCC Board Member And Newark’s First Black Mayor Ken Gibson

Michelle Lang — Fri, 03 May 2019 13:35:37 +0000

Ken Gibson was a founding board member for 91��Ƭ, as well as Newark’s first black mayor. Photo courtesy of Tracey Battles.

Ken Gibson is best known for being the first black mayor of Newark, but he was also a founding board member of 91��Ƭ. He passed away March 29 at the age of 86.
“Ken Gibson was a groundbreaker and was associated with 91��Ƭ from its inception. He had a profound influence on the city and will be missed dearly,” said 91��Ƭ CEO Richard Rohrman.
91��Ƭ Board President Dr. A. Zachary Yamba said Gibson was very dedicated to the city of Newark. Yamba said Gibson put a high priority on employment and training and was instrumental in the push to keep Essex County College in Newark when others were trying to move it to the suburbs. Yamba also called him a gentleman mayor.
“His personality was such that he always welcomed you. He didn’t push you off when you went to see him,” Yamba said. “I really admired him for that. I appreciated that relationship and certainly his passing is a great loss for all of us.”
Gibson spent the early part of his life in Alabama. He moved to the Central Ward of Newark with his parents when he was 8 years old. He attended Central High School and Newark College of Engineering (which is now NJIT). He was an engineering aide for the New Jersey State Highway Department, an engineer for the Newark Housing Authority and the treasurer of the United Essex Civic Association.
He first ran for mayor of Newark in 1966. He lost the race, but received a sizable amount of votes, which was encouraging enough for him to run again in 1970, when he won. Gibson served as mayor until 1986. He is the city’s longest-serving mayor.
In between his first two bids for office, the Newark Rebellion took place in the summer of 1967. After that, 91��Ƭ Director of Community Engagement Richard Cammarieri said activists focused on two areas: electing a mayor and city council that reflected the makeup of the city and improving conditions so residents could thrive.
Cammarieri explained that Gibson was involved in both of those initiatives, with politics and as a founding board member for NCC, which was incorporated in 1968.
“In many ways Ken Gibson was at the intersection of these interrelated and complementary impulses: electoral political organizing and neighborhood-based community development,” Cammarieri said.
After Gibson became mayor and was no longer a board member for NCC, he still kept a strong relationship with the organization. Current 91��Ƭ Board Member Newton Richards said Gibson was instrumental in helping NCC further its goals.
“He was really indispensable to us. He helped in our early progress. He expedited our interests in making up for the shortage in affordable housing. And getting the first supermarket, which was Pathmark, built. Because he had contact with the state and federal government,” Richards said. “He was a fantastic guy.”
Current Newark Mayor Ras Baraka praised Gibson for his service both to the city and the African-American community.
“He led in a tumultuous and difficult time as the city tried to recover from the Newark Rebellion. He will be remembered in his effort to live up to his words, ‘Wherever the country is going, Newark will get there first,’” Baraka said in a statement. “He set the stage for every African-American elected official in this state. We stand on his accomplishment and grow from his challenges.”
Before his passing in 2018, 91��Ƭ Founder Monsignor William J. Linder wrote about Gibson and how he was tied to NCC long after he left the board.
“What 91��Ƭ was accomplishing made Mayor Ken Gibson very proud, considering he was an original board member. More importantly, under his leadership, 91��Ƭ had prospered and gained prominent recognition,” Monsignor Linder wrote. “Gibson and 91��Ƭ were a winning combination.”

NCC Joins Newark 2020 Initiative To Reduce City Unemployment

Michelle Lang — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 14:49:01 +0000

91��Ƭ Director of Special Projects Richard Cammarieri speaks during the launch of the Newark 2020 initiative June 26. Photo courtesy of the City of Newark.

91��Ƭ is a partner in the Newark 2020 initiative, which aims to reduce unemployment and poverty in the city by connecting residents to a variety of job opportunities in Newark.
The City of Newark, the city’s business community, higher education and medical institutions, clergy, philanthropies and workforce development programs have all come together for the cause, which aims to hire 2,020 Newark residents by the year 2020.
Anchor institutions, which have committed to hiring a certain number of Newark residents, include Audible, Panasonic, Prudential, PSE&G, Rutgers University and RWJBarnabas Health.
NCC’s role in the initiative is to connect Newark residents to jobs, which includes helping them get the skills to obtain employment. That’s where the 91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center comes in.
“Newark 2020 is a premiere opportunity to connect Newark residents to career opportunities and jobs that anchor institutions are recruiting for,” said Workforce Director Rodney Brutton. He believes Workforce can close the skills gap that exists as a barrier for some city residents to get gainful employment.
“If Beth Israel is hiring five nurse assistants, but they need to have certifications and if people don’t have the skills, that’s where we come in,” Brutton said.
The Workforce Development Center offers job training in Allied Health, Automotive Technician, Building Trades and Culinary Arts.
91��Ƭ Director of Special Projects Richard Cammarieri calls the Newark 2020 initiative “extremely ambitious” but is hopeful for its success because the process has been much more strategic than others like it in the past.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka is a big proponent of the initiative, which he announced at a press conference June 26 with many representatives from involved organizations, including NCC’s Cammarieri.

Partners in the Newark 2020 initiative at the launch June 26, including 91��Ƭ Director of Special Projects Richard Cammarieri. Photo courtesy of the City of Newark.

If successful, the initiative will not only help Newark residents find meaningful employment close to home, but Brutton said it will also benefit the Workforce Development Center.
“Newark 2020 will help Workforce with the marketing of programs and will help increase enrollment,” he said. “Part of the initiative is to market where people can go to get training.”
Cammarieri added that NCC will make sure all its residents and program participants are aware when hiring is happening through Newark 2020 so they have the opportunity to apply.
“The potential is great,” he said of the program.
The website has been set up as a place where interested residents can fill out a profile and upload a resume. A full launch of the website is expected this fall.
More than 100 people have already filled out information, with varying geographical locations and income levels, according to Cammarieri. Another goal of Newark 2020 is to have job offerings for various skill levels so residents can find entry level, mid level and high level positions.
“The bottom line for Newark residents is they have to see results. They have seen things like this before,” Cammarieri said. “The time is right. There’s good leadership. Hopefully this will work.”
Cammarieri is representing 91��Ƭ on the Newark 2020 Steering Committee, as well as the Subcommittee on Community and Faith Outreach and the Subcommittee on Policy and Workforce System Reform. Brutton serves on three Newark 2020 subcommittees: Training and Education, Job Placement and Career Pathways and Policy and Workforce System Reform.
Residents interested in learning more about the training offered by the 91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center should visit newcommunity.org or call 973-824-6484. Those interested in getting more information about the Newark 2020 initiative can visit .

Teenagers Spend Week Volunteering In Newark At 91��Ƭ

Michelle Lang — Fri, 11 Aug 2017 20:02:20 +0000

NEWARK – Ten rising juniors from spent a week volunteering with 91��Ƭ as part of the school’s annual immersion trip program.
The young men from the all-male prep school in Jersey City got firsthand experience of Newark, a city most of them knew little about.
The teenagers spent the week at different 91��Ƭ locations, performing a variety of tasks. They cleaned units at Harmony House, 91��Ƭ’s transitional housing facility for homeless families, and , the organization’s nursing home. They helped teach English at the Adult Learning Center. They learned what happens at the Automotive and Building Trades programs that are part of the 91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center. They worked with youth as part of the annual summer camp and at the two early childhood learning centers. They did landscaping work and also helped people access services at the Family Resource Success Center.
The students got a lot out of the experience. Tim Garcia called the trip enlightening. As a resident of Cranford, he said he didn’t know much about Newark before.
“This was a great experience. It really taught you about what life is like here,” he said.
Nick Gayle of Montclair said, “The trip showed me a place I didn’t know much about and proved the stereotypes you hear are not really true.”
His favorite part of the week was visiting the Automotive and Building Trades programs at the 91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center.
In addition to having fun working with the equipment, Gayle said, “The people there felt like they were really a family. It was like the brotherhood I have a Prep.”
The students also got a tour of 91��Ƭ and Newark with Director of Special Projects Richard Cammarieri. They met with CEO Richard Rohrman and 91��Ƭ founder Monsignor William J. Linder, who also graduated from Saint Peter’s Prep.
Linder ate lunch with the students on their final day and shared his experiences during high school all the way to the present. He talked about how 91��Ƭ came into existence after the turmoil in Newark of 1967 and said that violence of that sort stems from people wanting control over their lives. He told the group that people’s needs are what drives him to continue 91��Ƭ’s work and mission.
“This trip is inspiring for the students,” Linder said.
Saint Peter’s Prep has been sending students to 91��Ƭ as part of its annual summer immersion program since 2013. The students volunteered from Aug. 7 to 11.