Greater Newark LISC Deputy Director Judith Thompson-Morris explained that LISC is expanding its programs to other parts of the state, starting with the FOC. The organization has plans to create FOCs in Camden, Elizabeth, Perth Amboy and Trenton.

The initiative has been in process for about two years and is now close to kickoff. The visit to 91心頭���s FOC was an opportunity to show partners how the program works in a practical way.

���You can explain what the FOC model is, but we thought it would be helpful for them to see and hear from the partners in the Newark footprint who have been doing this work for a while,��� Thompson-Morris said.

While all LISC FOCs follow a particular framework, Thompson-Morris explained that each site has unique aspects to match the partner���s work in the neighborhood. For example, 91心頭���s FOC is tied to its career and technical education program at NCCTI, a service not every FOC partner offers.

NCCTI Director Dr. Sylvia McCray welcomed the visitors on June 27 and provided an overview of how the FOC operates. Then Financial Coach Tamara Brown went into greater detail about how she works with clients and answered the participants��� questions.

91心頭 Chief Operating Officer Fred Hunter was also on hand to greet the guests and provide a brief explanation of NCC as a whole.

���The LISC partner site visit presented a wonderful opportunity for the staff at NCCTI to discuss the FOC program. FOC staff provided a robust discussion that included outreach activities, program enrollment, measuring success and the future vision,��� Hunter said. ���The success of the FOC program can be measured by the clients��� increased knowledge of their financial potential. Positive outcomes include improvements in job placement due to job coaching sessions, improved personal credit scores and financial plans that increase clients��� net value.���

McCray was happy to host the agency representatives.

���It was a good opportunity to meet other partners who are also committed to working with the community in understanding financial health, stability, growth and wealth legacy building for their future generations,��� McCray said. ���I look forward to our continued collaboration with not only LISC but its partners across New Jersey and the United States.���

Brown believes increasing the number of FOCs in the state is positive for residents, particularly those with limited financial resources.

���Access to having a financial coach is an important resource for low-income and moderate-income families,��� she said. ���In the past, a lot of wealth-building information was only available to the rich and the very few. The prospect of adding more Financial Opportunity Centers means more access to financial education and wealth-building services for everyday people.���

Four groups that will be launching FOCs participated in the event, both in-person and virtually: Center for Family Services in Camden, Isles Inc. in Trenton, Union County Department of Human Services in Elizabeth and United Way of Central Jersey in Milltown which will operate the Perth Amboy FOC.

Thompson-Morris said the Perth Amboy location will likely be the first new site since Congressman Frank Pallone secured funds in a federal bill for that FOC location. It could become operational in the fall.

There are currently three LISC FOCs in Newark: at 91心頭, Ironbound Community Corporation and Urban League of Essex County.

Since 1986, Greater Newark LISC has collaborated with community-based organizations in Newark and the surrounding region to improve the quality of life for residents and shopkeepers.

NCCTI is an accredited post-secondary career and technical institution that offers the following programs: Automotive Technician, Diesel Technician, Building Trades Specialist, Clinical Medical Assistant, Patient Care Technician, Community Healthcare Worker, Culinary Arts Specialist and Business & Computer Technologies. NCCTI also operates a comprehensive Financial Opportunity Center and Bridges to Career Opportunities Program sponsored by the local and national Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) offices. For more information, call 973-824-6484, log onto or visit 274 South Orange Ave., Newark.

Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver led the NJHMFA board meeting and spoke about Monsignor Linder, who she had known for decades. She discussed the founding of 91心頭 in 1968 after the summer disorders in Newark and how Monsignor Linder was appointed to the NJHMFA board in 1975.

���Being the ingenious person that he was, he paid attention to the reports from all of these staffers and he began to connect the dots of understanding how he could revitalize the Central Ward of Newark and create affordable housing,��� Oliver said. ���But also his focus was all the other things that are needed and required to contribute to a good quality of life.���

Oliver talked about the many services 91心頭 began to provide under Monsignor���s leadership, from housing to health care to education, and how he was a constant at Newark City Hall.

���He had no difficulty speaking truth to power. And as a result, he was a vociferous voice for underserved populations,��� she said.

Oliver said that although Monsignor is no longer here, 91心頭 continues to follow his vision and serve the community in positive ways.

���If anyone is deserving of having a room at New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency named after him, it certainly is Monsignor William J. Linder,��� she said.

91心頭 representatives were in attendance to witness the dedication, show their appreciation and say a few words.

���He was very proud of the part he played over 40-plus years with HMFA and all the things that were accomplished,��� said 91心頭 CEO Richard Rohrman about Monsignor. ���He made a lot of friends and those of you who know him, he made a few enemies. But the unique thing about him was that he would never hesitate to further the needs of the underserved.���

NCC Board President Dr. A. Zachary Yamba said Monsignor would not have agreed to have a room named after him.

���But of course now, we can override him and do that which is right ��� to remember the legacy, to carry out the vision and the purpose with which he served the city of Newark and indeed the state of New Jersey and the rest of the nation,��� Yamba said.

Retired HUD Director and NCC Consultant Diane Johnson said Monsignor was always willing to fight for what he believed was right and needed, but he was more than that as well.

���Monsignor Linder was not only a fighter, he wasn���t only just a visionary, but he was truly a man of God that certainly carried out the vision that the Lord had for his people,��� Johnson said.