New Senior Lunch Site Offers One-stop Services for Older Adults & Veterans with Newly Renovated Kitchen, Dining Area, Game Room, and Community Meeting Space
View today’s live stream here.
JERSEY CITY, NJ — Mayor Steven M. Fulop joined Jersey City’s senior residents alongside City Council members to cut the ribbon on the first new senior community center to open in Jersey City in 40 years. Located along Central Avenue in the Heights, the new Joseph Connors Senior Center is a modern facility designed to meet the evolving needs of Jersey City’s senior residents with a safe space to stay active, socialize, and thrive.
The new senior lunch site will also serve as a one-stop hub for Health and Human Services with on-site staffing from the city’s offices of Immigrant Affairs, Senior Affairs, and Veteran Affairs.
“We wanted to create an inviting and vibrant place with even more senior programs to offer and expanded services all in one place. What we are opening here today is exactly that and more,” said Mayor Fulop. “With this building, we now have a one-stop Human Services Hub for senior-specific services in a public-facing atmosphere that is accessible and welcoming.”
To complement the Fulop Administration’s initiatives promoting healthy eating and healthy living, a food pantry and vertical farm on the first floor will provide free, nutritious food to those in need. Additionally, a commercial kitchen was built in the new center across from the large dining room to provide seniors with daily lunch. The former Parking Authority building has been transformed into an open, accessible layout, which also includes a newly renovated multipurpose room and game room.
“We have space for The Hope Center to bring their extras for a food pantry. We decided it was best to relocate our Divisions of Veterans Affairs and Immigrant Affairs to this building. We are also relocating our headquarters for Senior Affairs here to establish a one-stop location for seniors to easily access critical services and resources they regularly rely on,” Stacey Flanagan, Director of the Department of Health and Human Services, remarked at today’s event.
“We can do a lot of direct services for seniors in this new location. We will have new classes, organized activities, exercise classes, and even computer literacy training in the new computer lab in partnership with the Jersey City Free Public Library. This is going to be a great place for seniors in so many ways,” said Joan Eccleston, Director of the Division of Seniors Affairs.
“This project marks another milestone in our continued effort to establish more convenient one-stop shops throughout the city. We started with HEDC and Public Safety, and today we are proud to inaugurate this new one-stop entity for Jersey City seniors,” adds Business Administrator John Metro. “This would not have been possible without our nonprofit and trade partners, who helped turn the city’s vision into reality.”
“This project started with a vision that the Mayor had to provide a much better facility for our seniors. We were charged with building a usable space that is designed to meet everyone’s needs and abilities. We also successfully retained much of the tin ceiling and wall tiles, an architectural element of the original building dating back to 1880,” said Barkha Patel, Director of the Department of Infrastructure.
“This is a big day for Ward D. I see this as the Ritz Carlton of senior centers. It is so beautiful, and it is something that our seniors deserve. A huge thank you to Mayor Fulop for making this happen,” concluded Ward D Councilman Yousef Saleh.