March 16th Community Meeting Scheduled in Bergen-Lafayette at 4 Jackson Square
JERSEY CITY – Mayor Steven M. Fulop joins the Division of Community Development (DCD) to announce a public hearing on March 16, 2023, to garner feedback from the community on the disbursement of $18 million in federal funding to enhance opportunities in key community development areas including low-income housing, sustainability, resiliency, and quality of life.
“Involving our residents has become common practice for my administration, because we recognize the value of acquiring and incorporating community feedback to ensure we prioritize each neighborhood’s unique needs in all that we do,” said Mayor Fulop. “We are going directly to the source, our residents. As we saw during our recent Participatory Budget Program, promoting civic engagement and involvement in the budgeting process is an innovative way to maximize these opportunities to benefit the community most.”
To encourage residents to participate in developing the DCD’S Annual Action Plan and the assessment of fair housing, a public hearing will be held this Thursday from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. inside the Holloway Building Board Room located at 4 Jackson Square along MLK Drive.
Every year, the City of Jersey City receives entitlement funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the following grants:
• CDBG – Community Development Block Grant
• HOME – HOME Investment Partnerships
• ESG – Emergency Solutions Grants
• HOPWA – Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS
By federal law, the City is required to prepare an Annual Action Plan detailing how the funds will be utilized. As the lead entity, the Division of Community Development provides a concise summary of the actions, activities, and specific federal and non-federal resources that will be used each during the program year to address the priority needs and specific goals in the community.
The overall goal of Community Planning and Development Programs is to develop viable urban communities by providing quality housing and expanding economic opportunities primarily for low‐ and moderate‐income residents.
Below is an outline of the City’s goals for the PY 2023 Annual Action Plan:
Public Services
- Provide support to public service agencies’ operating programs that benefit low- to moderateincome persons.
Affordable Housing
- Increase and preserve affordable housing opportunities for very low- to moderate-income renters, homeowners, first-time homebuyers, and those experiencing homelessness, including removing blighted properties.
Housing Rehabilitation
- Provide construction and rehabilitation assistance for very low- to moderate-income homeowners, rental property owners, and the Jersey City Housing Authority.
Fair Housing
- Provide funding for activities that affirmatively further fair housing, including fair housing education, counseling, outreach, and referrals.
Economic Development
- Provide funding for projects which create decent paying jobs with benefits for persons from lowto moderate-income households.
Public Facilities and Improvements
- Provide public facility and infrastructure assistance, including handicap accessibility, energy efficiency improvements, and removal of blighted properties to provide a suitable living environment.
CDBG Blight
- Provide funding to remediate properties negatively affected by blighted conditions. This will include clearance with the end goal of providing affordable housing opportunities and/or public facility improvements.
“These grant dollars are essential in our efforts to support residents who need it most,” concluded Deja Anderson, Director of the Division of Community Development. “As the most diverse municipality in the State, we know that the more diverse feedback we receive, the better the outcome will be for everyone.”
Public comments on the DCD’s 2023 Annual Action Plan can also be made by emailing jccplan@jcnj.org or call 201-547-6910. The public comment period ends on April 15, 2023.