Paterson Habitat for Humanity gets $50,000 state grant to create plan to revitalize Northside neighborhood
By Jonathan Greene
Published: September 5, 2020
Paterson Habitat for Humanity received a $50,000 grant on Wednesday from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs to create a plan to revitalize the Northside neighborhood.
Funds will be used by the nonprofit to update its neighborhood revitalization plan for the Northside neighborhood, which is known for blight and crime.
Elements of the existing plan, called “Building Pride in the Northside,” include building new homes, rehabilitating neglected properties, installing cameras to curb dumping, creating a park on Clinton Street, funding job training for young people through partnerships with the Paterson Explorers Post #1, CUMAC, and the Street2Street, construction job training for adults through St. Paul’s Community Development Corporation, a community garden run by Humble Beginnings, and a program to install lighting, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms and reflective numbers on homes to improve public safety.
Scott Millard, chief executive officer for Paterson Habitat for Humanity, said the updated plan will “strengthen and revitalize” the Northside neighborhood.
Grant funds were awarded through the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC) Program. Banks and other financial institutions that fund projects in NRTC neighborhoods can claim 100 percent tax credit for money provided to nonprofit entities carrying out comprehensive revitalization plans.
A total of $15 million per year is available in tax credits, according to the state.
“The NRTC Program helps turn the tide on some of New Jersey’s most distressed neighborhoods. The improvements that result from this program not only transform communities, but they also transform lives,” lieutenant governor Sheila Oliver said. “These planning grants are the first step in moving community revitalization efforts from concept to reality and turning abandoned spaces into community assets.”