Christie Administration Marks Grand Opening of Sawtelle Emmans Home in Roxbury Township

Rehabilitated Ranch Home Provides Supportive Community Housing for Four Individuals with Developmental Disabilities

Flanders, NJ – April 28, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) Executive Director Anthony L. Marchetta recently joined representatives of the New Jersey Department of Human Services’ Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD), Our House, Inc. (OHI), and Youth Consultation Service (YCS) Inc. to celebrate the grand opening of Sawtelle Emmans Home, an affordable permanent supportive rental housing project in the Roxbury Township, Morris County.

The HMFA, an affiliate of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), provided $243,100 in construction and permanent financing from the Special Needs Housing Partnership Loan Program (SNHPLP), a partnership between DCA, HMFA, DDD, and municipalities to provide capital financing necessary to create permanent supportive housing and community residences for individuals with developmental disabilities.

“Sawtelle Emmans Home will provide permanent supportive housing opportunities for New Jersey’s residents with developmental disabilities following the Olmstead Initiative,” said DCA Acting Commissioner Charles Richman, who also serves as Acting Chairman of the HMFA board. “Homes like this help integrate the special needs population into communities throughout the state, and move people who require emergency community residential placements into appropriate housing more promptly than before.”

The Olmstead Initiative is DDD’s plan for moving 1,850 residents from its seven developmental centers into the community over eight years, beginning in 2007, thereby expanding living options for people with developmental disabilities.

Sawtelle Emmans Home, a moderately rehabilitated ranch home, is comprised of four bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a living room, dining room, eat-in kitchen, laundry facilities, patio, attached garage, and a backyard. Each resident will have his own bedroom and will share the common areas. The scope of the rehabilitation work included installing hard wood floors in the common areas and ceramic flooring in the foyer, installing a new insulated fiberglass door in the new basement and at the front of the house, creating a laundry closet and an enclosed breezeway between the kitchen and the office, fully renovating the bathrooms, paving the driveway, and replacing the existing kitchen base with a new ceramic tile floor and base. The units will be reserved for individuals with developmental disabilities at or below 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI).

Sawtelle Emmans Home is located on a quiet tree lined street in a suburban neighborhood in the Roxbury Township, which has many amenities available including restaurants, shopping, parks, schools, library, banking, and public transportation. Roxbury is a diverse and thriving Township with a mixture of both rural and suburban life. The township contains many acres of open space and parkland, thoughtfully planned communities, with exceptional parks, trails, schools and neighborhoods.

Youth Consultation Services will provide customized supportive services to the four residents with developmental disabilities, designed to meet each resident’s needs. The training and support to residents will emphasize developing skills that will enable them to be self-sufficient. Furthermore, the individuals will receive one-on-one training in the goals listed in their Individualized Habitation Plan.

“HMFA is so pleased to contribute to the financing of Sawtelle Emmans Home,” said HMFA Executive Director Anthony L. Marchetta. “The Special Needs Housing Partnership Loan Program that helped finance the project is a nationally recognized financing mechanism that helps integrate people with special needs into the community, and enables municipalities to utilize the monies in their Affordable Housing Trust Fund accounts to create housing for those with developmental disabilities.”

Following the SNHPLP Guidelines, loan proceeds are used for the acquisition and rehabilitation of existing 3-4 bedroom single-family houses and first floor 3-4 bedroom condominiums, with acquisition and all rehabilitation to be completed within six months of the mortgage closing.

“People with and without disabilities are enriched when they are co-located because they learn from each other, broaden their perspectives and share in the community of a neighborhood or town,” said Janel Winter, Director of Housing for the Department of Human Services. “We are incredibly happy for the new residents of Sawtelle Emmans Home and we’re grateful for the assistance of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency.”

The project, which costs approximately $513,000 to develop, will not only provide permanent supportive affordable housing opportunities for four individuals with developmental disabilities, but will also have a positive economic impact on the greater Morris County community. HMFA estimates that the project has generated approximately $814,000 in one-time economic output, 6-8 direct and indirect/induced full-time jobs, and over $29,000 in state and local taxes during construction. Now completed, the project will continue to add value to the community by providing approximately $91,000 in ongoing economic output, and 6-8 direct and indirect/induced full-time jobs. Other funding sources for the development of Sawtelle Emmans Home included Roxbury Township, DCA, and DDD.

The project developer, Our House, Inc., is a private, nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization that provides residential, employment and recreational services to individuals with developmental and other disabilities, and strives to promote a high quality of life for these individuals and help them to become productive members of the community.　

For more information on the SNHPLP visit the HMFA website at http://www.njhousing.gov/ or call 1-800-NJ-HOUSE or (609) 278-7400.