NJHMFA Celebrates Freedom Village at Town Center South Grand Opening

Providing 72 Affordable and Accessible Apartments in Robbinsville, NJ

ROBBINSVILLE – Mayor Dave Fried, New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA) Executive Director Melanie R. Walter, and Project Freedom Inc. representatives, joined by state and local officials, today celebrated the grand opening of Freedom Village at Town Center South, a new accessible and independent living community serving persons with disabilities and mobility impairments.

Project Freedom Inc. (PFI) opened the first Project Freedom neighborhood in Robbinsville in 1991.  This project is located on Hutchinson Road in Robbinsville Township and has 30 accessible units.  All the tenants in this community are people who have a disability.

Today, Project Freedom proudly opens its 2^nd Robbinsville community which is called Freedom Village at Town Center South. This new community is conveniently located in Robbinsville’s Town Center area and has 72 units of affordable and accessible apartments. This new Project Freedom neighborhood is fully integrated and welcomes tenants who have disabilities and tenants who do not have disabilities.

PFI, the developer of Freedom Village at Town Center South, is a 36‑year old organization dedicated to empowering people with disabilities to live independently through housing and related support services.  People with physical disabilities and other advocates started the organization.  They saw the need to build a barrier‑free apartment complex with support services to meet their collective needs.

“Building accessible, affordable and stable housing in the heart of our town centers is a way to lift differently-abled people up by integrating them in their communities and providing them a more active and better quality of life,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, who serves as DCA Commissioner and NJHMFA board chair. “We applaud Project Freedom Inc. for their commitment and multifaceted approach to development and supportive services and welcome this excellent addition of affordable housing in Mercer County.”

“Robbinsville is home to the very first Project Freedom, and we could not be more proud to continue supporting services such as recreation, training and the advocacy this wonderful organization continues to provide”, said Dave Fried, Mayor of Robbinsville Township. “The new development allowed us to meet our lawful affordable housing requirements both now and well into the future, making Robbinsville one of the leaders in affordable housing throughout New Jersey – a distinction we are extremely proud of. Congratulations to the entire Project Freedom family on their beautiful, new home in Town Center South.”

All units are affordable to persons making less than 50% of the area median income. 10 units are set aside for individuals who are developmentally disabled through the Division of Developmental Disabilities and 8 units to individuals who are referred by the Division of Mental Health.

“The creation of barrier-free, affordable rental housing is essential to mobility and inclusion,” said Melanie R. Walter, Executive Director, New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency. “We are honored to provide capital funding to increase the supply of affordable and accessible housing to help empower all of our community members.”

NJHMFA, a statewide and national leader in providing and advocating for affordable housing, provided a 9% federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) award for the project. The syndicator for the project was Enterprise Community Investment, Inc.  This development was also made possible through funding from TD Bank, the construction lender, Mercer County HOME Funds, the Robbinsville Township Affordable Housing Trust Fund, and Investors Bank as the permanent lender.

“Robbinsville is a welcoming hometown community. The Township used its resources to build this affordable housing community so that the residents of Freedom Village at Town Center could enjoy the benefits of living in a beautiful affordable community,” said C. Herbert Schneider, Chairman of the Project Freedom, Inc. Board of Trustees. “I am proud to call Robbinsville Township my hometown.”

Project Freedom Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that develops affordable housing designed for people with disabilities and their families to empower them to live independently in their communities.

NEW JERSEY HOUSING AND MORTGAGE FINANCE AGENCY (NJHMFA)

NJHMFA, an affiliate of DCA, is a statewide and national leader in providing and advocating for affordable housing and homeownership. The Agency provides financing to developers to create quality homes and provides mortgage loans and down payment and closing cost assistance to help homebuyers achieve their dream of homeownership. For more information about NJHMFA programs, visit njhousing.gov.