INCOME
Housing Alliance
Success Stories
High School Grad Overcomes Obstacles to Achieve Academic Success
Formerly homeless, Jeremy deGuzman credits public housing for providing the stability necessary to realize his goals.
United Way of Morris County applauds Jeremy deGuzman on being awarded the 2008 Stephen J. Bollinger Memorial Scholarship. Formerly homeless, Jeremy overcame tremendous personal obstacles to achieve academic excellence. During the summer of 2008, the Public Housing Authorities Directors Association (PHADA) honored Jeremy with the scholarship at their annual conference in New Orleans, La.
Jeremy and his family live at Peer Place in Denville, a low-income housing complex that is also home to the Peer Place Child Care Center, a licensed non-profit facility operated by United Way of Morris County partner agency Morristown Neighborhood House.
In an uplifting essay accompanying his scholarship application, Jeremy expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to enter public housing because it provided him, and his family, with the stability and security necessary to realize his goals.
“Stories such as Jeremy's highlight the importance of affordable housing in empowering individuals to succeed by providing them with a place to live, work, and invest,” said Michelle Roers, co-chair of United Way of Morris County's Housing Alliance and Director of Community Impact at United Way. “The Housing Alliance is proud of Jeremy for his accomplishments.”
Jeremy graduated in the spring 2008 with a 98.89 grade point average from the Morris County Academy of Math, Science, and Engineering, a magnet high school program associated with the Morris County School of Technology. He is a National Merit Scholarship finalist, Morris County College Fair scholarship recipient, and a member of the Math and Spanish Honor Societies.
He demonstrated further academic excellence, receiving perfect scores on both the Verbal and Math sections of the SAT, for an overall score of 2350, and a perfect five on the AP Calculus BC test.
Jeremy was offered a full scholarship through the College Match Scholarship program to Princeton University, a full scholarship to Stanford University, as well as early admission to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
“Jeremy’s story exhibits what one person can achieve when a community comes together to LIVE UNITED,” said John Franklin, CEO at United Way of Morris County. “By the community reaching out a hand to Jeremy and his family, Jeremy was given the opportunity to accomplish his goals and attain the skills needed for future professional success.”
In addition to his extraordinary academic achievements, Jeremy gives back to the community by repairing discarded computers and providing them to people in need. He is enrolled at MIT where he plans to pursue a career in aerospace engineering or computer technology.
United Way of Morris County and the Housing Alliance congratulate Jeremy on all of his personal achievements, and for his self-determination and perseverance.
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Housing Alliance Members Are Hard at Work!
Affordable housing opportunities are important to our community, especially as we continue to face a challenging economic environment. Members of United Way’s Housing Alliance have been hard at work to make these opportunities a reality throughout Morris County. Keep reading to learn more about projects that are underway!
NewBridge Services Breaks Ground at Former Headquarters
On May 5, 2010, NewBridge Services broke ground on an apartment building that will provide housing for 11 adults and families in Pequannock Township. The new units will also help the township meet its affordable housing obligations.
This 11-apartment project is an important step in NewBridge’s commitment to providing affordable housing for persons with special needs. It also brings NewBridge closer to its goal of developing 100 new affordable residential units within New Jersey.
Funding for the project came from United Way of Morris County, Pequannock Township Senior Citizens Housing Corporation, Pequannock Township's Affordable Housing Trust Fund, New Jersey Housing Mortgage Finance Agency's Special Needs Housing Trust Fund, and the Morris County Division of Community Development HOME funds. Predevelopment funding was provided by the Corporation for Supportive Housing.
Thanks to local and statewide support, these apartments will mark NewBridge’s completion of 40 new units, with 27 more scheduled to be developed in the near future.
Homeless Solutions Embarks on Green Project in Washington Township
Homeless Solutions recently broke ground on 10 affordable apartments in Washington Township. The three-building development is on course to be the first project in the state to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum certification. The building will have high efficiency heat pumps and tankless water heaters, Energy Star light fixtures, and high efficiency fiberglass windows, among many other green features.
The Morristown non-profit agency received funding from NJ DCA Balanced Housing Program, Washington Township’s Housing Trust Fund, Morris County HOME funds, the Federal Home Loan Bank of NY, and private fundraising to cover project costs.
Groundbreaking took place in May 2010. The project is anticipated to be finished within a year.
Morris Habitat for Humanity Builds a Four-Plex in Stanhope
In April 2010, Morris Habitat for Humanity completed a four-plex residential dwelling in Stanhope. The project was developed on land donated by the Stanhope Council, while Morris and Sussex County Habitat for Humanities joined forces to provide materials and labor.
The home is Energy Star certified. Volunteers also used green building techniques for smarter water use, used certified lumber, and recycled site waste in an effort to gain LEED certification.
The project was sponsored by Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, Lakeland Bank, sanofi-aventis, the Wachovia/John and Margaret Post Foundation, the Steven and Beverly Rubenstein Charitable Foundation, Bank of America, and TD Bank. The construction of this property was made possible by over 75 groups of 400+ volunteers working over 4,000 hours.
Congratulations to the Hemner, Chavez-Libreos, Vos, and Leatham families on their new home!
United Way applauds the Housing Alliance and its members for all of their hard work to make affordable housing a priority in our communities. Great work!
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First Home Purchase: From Dream to Reality
The Martinez family learns about affordable housing opportunities and financial planning to purchase first home
Within six years of coming to New Jersey from Peru, Maribel Martinez and her family were able to buy their own home in Morris County.
Maribel first came to the Housing Partnership for Morris County – a Housing Alliance member agency and United Way of Morris County funded program – in 2006. She knew that she wanted to own a home, and with the help of the resources provided by the Housing Partnership, she was able to achieve this dream.
One of the first things Maribel did was to complete Paso a Paso al Sueño Americano (Step by Step to the American Dream), an eight-hour homebuyer education program conducted in Spanish at the Housing Partnership. Here she learned about various important tasks pertinent to home ownership, including information about qualifying for a mortgage, reading a credit report, working with lawyers and real estate agents, and much more.
Armed with this information, Maribel plunged all of her efforts into becoming the ideal candidate for buying a home. She immediately started to work on building credit, and began to save for home ownership by joining the Housing Partnership’s Individual Development Account (IDA) savings program.
Within that first year of saving, Maribel was able to increase her credit score, and was also able to save $1,000, which completed her IDA. She was then eligible to join the First Home Club, a one-year savings program in which a member bank matches $4 for every $1 saved. During the next year, Maribel saved an additional $1,875 and received a match of $7,500 for down payment and closing cost assistance through Investors Savings and the Federal Home Loan Bank. She closed on her first home in October 2009.
“Maribel is a role model for others who aspire to home ownership,” said Susan Zellman, executive director of the Housing Partnership for Morris County. “She worked hard, was committed to her goal, and changed the future for herself, her husband, and two children.”
Maribel’s hard work and commitment were major assets on her journey toward home ownership, and it was an asset in other areas in her life as well. She has achieved many personal goals. She became a United States Citizen in 2008, completed schooling, and began a career as a medical assistant.
“Maribel’s successes, along with the purchase of her first home, show that one can achieve financial stability and self-sufficiency when opportunities for growth and development are available,” said Jodi Miciak, Co-Chair of the Housing Alliance and Income Community Impact Manager at United Way of Morris County.
United Way of Morris County and the Housing Alliance applaud Maribel and her family for the purchase of their first home and wish them the best of luck in the future.
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