County Executive, Freeholders Announce More Than

$400K in Community Development Funds

Emerson, Woodcliff Lake, Center for Hope & Safety, North Jersey Friendship House, & Greater Bergen Community Action to Receive Funding

HACKENSACK – Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco and the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders have announced that more than $400,000 in grant funding has been approved for two municipalities and three nonprofits after adoption by the Freeholders at their meeting held on March 14.  The source of funds are Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) which is administered by the Bergen County Division on Community Development.

Under one of the grants, the Borough of Emerson will receive $100,000 to alleviate drainage problems in the vicinity of Emerson Woods in the eastern portion of the Borough.  Combined with a $40,000 grant awarded to Emerson in 2017, the borough will be able to improve drainage and resurface roadways on Sullivan Drive, Pine Drive, and Emwood Drive between Eagle Drive and George Road, benefitting approximately 534 homeowners in the vicinity.  Drainage infrastructure will be replaced or repaired including storm drain pipes, inlets and manholes, road asphalt and curbing, and replacement of mulch and topsoil.

“We are excited we can use targeted CDBG funds to assist in these types of projects across the County,” said Freeholder Chair Pro Tempore Mary J. Amoroso, who chairs the Community Development Committee.  “Improving drainage in this area of Emerson will improve traffic and reduce the deterioration of roads due to flooding and standing water.  Working together and pooling resources with municipalities and other non-profit agencies allows us to help more people more efficiently, which is what Community Development is all about.”

Another grant awarded Wednesday will replace the roof at the Education and Training Center operated by Greater Bergen Community Action, Inc. (GBCA), one of Bergen County’s largest anti-poverty agencies, in the City of Garfield.  The site houses a multi-service campus incorporating a federally qualified health center for low-income families, adult education programs that include green technology and computer labs, and pre-school education for Bergen County students through the Early Head Start program.  The facility improvements will also include re-installation of existing solar panels onto the building to help mitigate utility costs.

Other Community Development Block Grant funding awarded by the County at the March 14^th meeting includes:

• Funding for the Center for Hope and Safety (formerly Shelter our Sisters) to provide victims of domestic violence assistance with security deposits to obtain new safe housing options
• Replacement of a wheelchair lift at North Jersey Friendship House in Hackensack, a clinical treatment and vocational training center for individuals with varying physical and developmental needs
• Installation of ADA-compliant doors at the Tice Senior Center in the Borough of Woodcliff Lake which will improve accessibility and help improve safety

“Bergen County is always looking for ways to help municipalities and nonprofits improve their infrastructure for the benefit of our communities and residents,” said County Executive James J. Tedesco.  “Our community investments are most successful when we partner with groups that are already embedded in the local fabric.  These community development funds will go a long way toward helping thousands of Bergen County residents improve their quality of life.”

The Bergen County Division of Community Development’s mission is to collaborate with towns, agencies, and citizens to improve Bergen County’s quality of life by using federal grant funding to advance key initiatives that revitalize neighborhood roads and facilities, build local economies, bolster social services, upgrade housing, and create access and opportunity for those in need.

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