| L-R Debbie Usgood Hopewell Valley CommunityBank, Anthony Marchetta NJ Housing & Finance Mortgage Agency, Pascal Seradainan, Delia Bass-Dandridge board President, Senator Shirley K. Turner, Mary Gay Abbott-Young CEO Rescue Mission of Trenton, Ann Marie Uebbing HUD, Colleen Velez Corporation for Supportive Housing, Vernett Sherrill City of Trenton |
On Sept. 28 at 9 a.m., the Rescue Mission of Trenton hosted  the official groundbreaking for a new 15-unit supportive housing complex at the corner of Perry and Carroll Streets. It took many years, but it is finally going to happen. Fifteen individuals, who were previously homeless and who have taken affirmative steps to remake and reshape their lives, will be getting brand new studio apartments and supportive services by the end of this year. The goal of the $3.5 million Perry Street Supportive Permanent Housing Project will be to assist residents in becoming self-sufficient. Case management services will be available on site.
In addition to the $50,000 pre-development loan from CSH, the Mission was granted $2,736,000 in Special Needs Housing Trust Funds from the New Jersey Housing and Finance Mortgage Agency (NJHMFA) to help finance the demolition of a long-vacant existing building and construct a new three-story apartment building at the corner of Perry Street and Carroll Street, a major entryway to the city of Trenton. The contribution by NJHMFA was the final piece in a complex funding puzzle that includes financing provided by the:
- Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care Program ($400,000)
- Federal Home Loan grant ($300,000)
- Regional Contribution Agreement funds provided by the City of Trenton ($300,000)
- Rescue Mission sponsor equity ($275,108)
- Capital grant from Hopewell Valley Community Bank ($3,000) who submitted the Affordable Housing Program application to the Federal Home Loan Bank.
Also, crucial were the financial support of Hutchinson Industries – the Mission’s most generous corporate supporter – which provided the funds to acquire the vacant building located at 503-505 Perry Street, and the willingness of Princeton Holdings, LLC (Interstate Outdoor Advertising Inc.) to convey a lot adjacent to the building (501-503 Perry Street) to the Mission for one dollar in 2003.
The Rescue Mission of Trenton works to serve people in need regardless of their financial or healthcare coverage situation through. Since the Rescue Mission’s founding in 1915 they have be the agency in the city of Trenton that serves the truly needy men and women who have no place to turn for shelter, food, and clothing.
