(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- New Jersey Community Capital (NJCC), the state of New Jersey’s largest community development financial institution (CDFI), today celebrated the award of $985,000 from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) through the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit Program (NRTC). NJCC will utilize the funding to support ongoing programs managed by the East Trenton Collaborative (ETC), a community organizing and development initiative in the East Trenton neighborhood of Trenton’s North Ward. East Trenton residents drive the vision for this revitalization effort, which integrates physical and economic development with community building activities that meet the unique needs of the neighborhood.

“Through our incredible collaboration with community members and partners we are making great strides in East Trenton,” said Bernel Hall, President and CEO of New Jersey Community Capital. “We couldn't do this without the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit Program, and I thank the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and the contributing corporations for this critical funding. Thanks to their support, we will be able to move closer to realizing a shared vision for a thriving East Trenton community.”

This year’s award marks the sixth time NJCC has successfully secured NRTC funds for advancing the community vision of East Trenton. Through the ETC, NJCC will use the funds to acquire and rehabilitate three additional abandoned neighborhood homes. By purchasing these homes, NJCC can continue to promote homeownership, address abandoned properties in the neighborhood, improve the housing market and foster community cohesion. This funding will also support a grant program designed to assist homeowners in completing health and safety repairs on their properties. These home repairs not only improve the quality of life of East Trenton homeowners but also help to increase their property values for the overall benefit of the neighborhood.

Thanks to this award, NJCC can offer youth employment programming for a sixth year, involving 15 teenagers during the summer and 10 during the academic year. In partnership with UrbanPromise Trenton, this program is aimed at teens ages 14 to 18 interested in gaining workplace skills through on-the-job experience. Through the ETC, NJCC have been working since 2018 with resident leaders, the City of Trenton, and the Trenton-based firm Clarke Caton Hintz on a two-phase restoration plan for the historic East Trenton Library building. Once completed, the East Trenton Library Community Center will host community programs focused on job readiness, adult education, employment training, and entrepreneurial training among others, run by the City of Trenton, ETC, and other partners.

At the core of NJCC’s revitalization efforts in East Trenton are community participation, organizing, and events that foster relationships among residents in order to achieve their goals and continue implementation of the resident-driven plan. Throughout 2022, ETC’s four resident-led Community Organizing Committees will continue to engage with the City and other organizations to improve conditions in East Trenton on issues ranging from park conditions to traffic safety, environmental safety, and civic engagement. 

NJCC offers sincere thanks to the corporations that funded this year’s NRTC award, which include New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance (NJM), Customers Bank, NJCURE, NJ PURE, and Amerigroup NJ. We are grateful for your support of East Trenton residents and their vision.

New Jersey Community Capital (NJCC) is a nonprofit community development financial institution (CDFI) that provides an innovative toolkit of financial products, programs and services to advance equity and opportunity in underserved communities. NJCC supports the preservation and development of affordable housing and sustainable community development ventures that increase jobs, improve education and strengthen neighborhoods to ensure that communities can thrive.