Rep. Norcross Announces More Than $4.3 Million in Funding for South Jersey Community Projects

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Donald Norcross (D-NJ-01) released the following statement upon passing the Funding for the People Act (H.R. 2471), an omnibus package of 12 fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills and supplemental funding that includes $4.325 million for 10 community projects in New Jersey’s 1^st Congressional District.

“South Jersey voters sent me to Congress to fight for working families, and I am very proud today to announce over $4.3 million in federal investments that will do exactly that. These community projects run the gamut between helping to reduce food insecurity to monitoring illegal dumping. What these varied projects have in common is simple: they will improve the health and quality of life for South Jersey families,” said Congressman Donald Norcross.

“Providing a continuum of care to address the needs of our clients is central to our core mission and to their ability to lead self-fulfilled, independent lives when they leave us. The funds secured by Congressman Donald Norcross brings telehealth to our shelters allows us to strengthen that continuum and increase the well-being of our state’s most vulnerable residents. This program ensures that there are no barriers to effective, quality healthcare regardless of a person’s circumstances,” said Daniel L. Lombardo, president and CEO of Volunteers of America Delaware Valley.

“I am incredibly grateful to Congressman Donald Norcross for always fighting for critical funding which will help to improve the quality of life in Camden. Illegal dumping is an ongoing battle in our city. The City’s Department of Public Works, our residents, our businesses, and our stakeholders must deal with the damaging effects daily. In many cases, this dumping is coming from individuals who live outside of Camden. They are illegally dumping trash, construction materials, hazardous waste, or other harmful items which not only cause blight in neighborhoods but also compromise the health and safety of the entire community. The cameras will give Camden another tool in the apprehension and prosecution of violators,” said Camden City Mayor Vic Carstarphen.

“Acenda is so proud to once again partner with Congressman Norcross in helping to ensure the health and wellness of the communities we serve. This funding is an important additional step in bringing healing to individuals and families who have been negatively impacted by the pandemic and who deserve barrier-free access to necessary care and supports,” said Dr. Anthony DiFabio, chief executive officer of Acenda Integrated Health.

“The workforce training program we have developed with our partners will have a far-reaching impact on the industry well beyond South Jersey. We will provide job pathways in partnership with Rowan College of South Jersey from pre-apprenticeship technicians to degreed engineers and scientists in related trades and science and technology fields. No one is offering this breadth of education in support of wind energy. Thanks to Congressman Norcross’ support, New Jersey will become the leader in wind energy jobs and training,” said Ali A. Houshmand, president of Rowan University.

“This grant will greatly expand the ability for hundreds of seniors throughout the district to age-in-place with dignity. Post-pandemic these services will allow those who remain physically isolated to gain training and support to better access, via technology, appointments with medical professionals and social workers along with friends and family members,” said David Snyder, chief advancement and community relations office for the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey.

“We are thrilled to have Congressman Donald Norcross as a partner on our work around lived equality in Camden, NJ. LGBTQ people, particularly LGBTQ people of color, are statistically more likely to experience what we call adverse childhood experiences, like being exposed to violence, poverty, and substance abuse. To address these disparities, Garden State Equality and community partners are working in Camden County on a healing-centered community model focused on empowering those most impacted by trauma to be leaders in their own community healing. We are thankful for Congressman Norcross for seeing the importance of this work and working with us to help ensure all those in Camden County have a shot at experiencing lived equality,” said Christian Fuscarino, executive director of Garden State Equality.

“Congressman Norcross went to the mats for us to protect Camden’s oldest property and to revitalize tourism along the County’s planned Cooper River Trail. We are forever grateful for his fight to preserve history in South Jersey so we can tell the story of our critical role during the American Revolution,” said Chris Perks, president of the Camden County Historical Society.

“Receiving this $500,000 grant is a game-changer when it comes to our mission here at the Joint Health Sciences Center, which is to advance the education of health care professionals, workforce development, and medical research. The employment demand over the next 10 years is forecasted to be centered around health care, which provides us with a unique opportunity to educate and train the next generation of nurses, doctors, and medical professionals right here in Camden City. We plan to use this funding to purchase a super-resolution microscope and simulation equipment, both of which are instrumental to our medical research and will aid in preparing medical and nursing students for their careers in the health care field. We are so grateful to Congressman Donald Norcross for seeing the value of the work we do here at the Joint Health Sciences Center and choosing to invest in the future of health care,” said Dana Redd, chief executive officer of the Rowan University Rutgers-Camden Board of Governors.

“We thank Congressman Norcross and the New Jersey delegation for fighting for this funding that will allow Cooper’s trauma experts and their military counterparts to train and have the field hospital equipment to save lives in emergency situations,” said Kevin O’Dowd, co-CEO of Cooper University Health Care.

Community Funding Recipients and Project Descriptions:

• Volunteers of America Delaware Valley ($500,000)
  • The project would increase telehealth capacity at shelter sites for homeless men, women, children, and veterans to access necessary health care, mental health, and substance use services. The project will provide improvements and upgrades to infrastructure to support telehealth services at four shelter programs located in Camden and Gloucester counties.
• Camden County Police Department ($500,000)
  • The project would install a citywide camera network to pinpoint the areas of the city of Camden where illegal dumping is a chronic issue. The objective of the project is to use the citywide camera network to address public health and safety incidents in real-time and to prevent such incidents before they happen.
• Acenda Integrated Health ($300,000)
  • The project would launch a community-level network to identify residents at most risk for food insecurity and health-related issues. It would reduce stress on public health systems by directing services and resources to residents in need. The project will provide kiosks in locations across the three counties as well as an online link accessible via smartphones to provide direct access to health screening tools that will be available in multiple languages. Once information is received, community members will follow up and ensure resources are provided based on the needs provided.
• Center for Family Services ($600,000)
  • The project would support the ability of the Center for Family Services to provide much-needed services for community outreach, workforce development, and training and counseling to residents, thereby advancing their efforts on behalf of South Jersey’s vulnerable populations. The project is providing funding for capital rehabilitation of existing owned property where CFS provides services.
• Rowan University ($500,000)
  • This project would support a wind energy workforce training program, developing pathways from pre-apprenticeship to Ph.D. in related trades and science and technology fields. The program will be offered at an affordable cost through jointly developed four-year programs in shared facilities across the campuses as well as onsite experiential opportunities at the port with the industry partners.
• Jewish Federation of South Jersey ($250,000)
  • This project would educate seniors on the use of technology to help them meet basic needs, communicate, socialize, and maintain their health remotely. This would provide the necessary support to those aging in place and will assist seniors who are living alone during the Covid-19 pandemic to meet basic needs by providing them with the equipment, internet connection, and training to be able to successfully navigate technology.
• Garden State Equality ($175,000)
  • This project would educate and empower South Jersey residents to address adverse childhood experiences through a self-healing community model focused on education, social support, stress reduction strategies, and resilience, thereby improving mental health outcomes for community youth. The project will provide funding for continued education and services to combat adverse childhood experiences.
• Camden County Historical Society ($500,000)
  • The project would restore the Benjamin Cooper Inn into the American Revolution Museum of Southern New Jersey. This will encourage tourism in Camden, NJ, and will become a trailhead for the 33-mile Camden County Circuit Trail, drawing cyclists, runners, and walkers from throughout the Greater Philadelphia region and Southern New Jersey.
• Cooper University Health Care ($500,000)
  • The project would support the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine’s call for integrating military and civilian trauma care systems to achieve zero preventable deaths after injury by providing funding for capital field hospital equipment, including anesthesia machines, defibrillators, EKG machines, electrosurgical generator systems, portable x-ray machines, and ventilators. This funding will support integrated care and training opportunities.
• Rowan University/Rutgers-Camden Board of Governors ($500,000)
  • The project would advance collaborative research projects that use public health, population health, or population medicine to directly improve health outcomes. This effort will provide capital equipment such as a super-resolution microscope to advance medical research and stimulation equipment for nursing students to further equip Southern New Jersey with the tools necessary to build capacity and promote health equity.

Background

Under guidelines issued by the Appropriations Committee, each U.S. Representative may request funding for up to 10 projects in their community for the fiscal year 2022 – requested funding is not guaranteed. Projects are restricted to a limited number of federal funding streams, and only state and local governments and eligible non-profit entities are permitted to receive funding. Additional information on the reforms governing Community Project Funding (CPF) is available here.

In compliance with House Rules and Committee requirements, Congressman Norcross has certified that he, his spouse, and his immediate family have no financial interest in any of the projects he has requested.