Interfaith Neighbors, Inc.
810 Fourth Avenue, Asbury Park, N. J. 07712-5982
Telephone (732) 775-0525   FAX (732) 775-5422
E-mail:  info@interfaithneighbors.org
www.interfaithneighbors.org
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Annual Report 2010

Rental and Mortgage Assistance Division

With the state of the economy and the stimulus packages that have passed through Congress, Interfaith Neighbors has served more families than ever before through our Rental and Mortgage Assistance program. Some new funds made available to Interfaith Neighbors have been able to help families facing eviction, foreclosure or homelessness who would never have been able to receive prior assistance.

This division provided rental and mortgage assistance to over 250 working poor families, which converts to approximately 700 individuals, most of whom are children.  It expended over $360,000 in assistance.  Our average level of assistance has skyrocketed in the last three years to $1,750 per family. In addition it distributed dozens of holiday gift baskets and hundreds of toys for Christmas through our annual “Adopt-a-Family” program. 

Interfaith Neighbors was also the recipient of a grant from the United Way of Monmouth County for a new “Financial Stability Initiative”. This new program will provide intensive case management for select families while providing wrap around services to help families on the brink of homelessness to become stable and self-sufficient.

Nutrition Division (“Meals on Wheels”)

Approximately 405,000 meals were prepared, served and delivered to over 4,000 seniors and disabled persons living in Monmouth County.  As a result of our increased numbers, Interfaith Neighbors instituted a waiting list for new meal recipients. At the end of 2010, Interfaith Neighbors was awarded a grant from the Merck Foundation that effectively eliminated this waiting list of approximately 100 individuals. Meals are delivered to homebound seniors and are served in our eight congregate settings. This year, the volunteer unit coordinated the activities of over 600 dedicated volunteers working throughout Monmouth County, recording over 75,000 hours annually in volunteer service. These volunteers prepare meals for distribution, deliver meals to our homebound seniors, and serve meals in our congregate settings. The organization has been the sole operator of the Monmouth County nutrition program since 1991. 

Affordable Housing

Housing activities in 2010 were focused mainly on the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and redevelopment of vacant properties obtained from the City of Asbury Park in the STARS redevelopment area. The NSP Project is a collaborative effort involving Interfaith Neighbors, the Affordable Housing Alliance and Coastal Habitat for Humanity to improve the affordable housing inventory on the West Side of Asbury Park. In all, this project will result in the development of a total of 30 affordable housing units on the West Side of Asbury Park including 22 homeownership units in the STARS neighborhood and 8 units of affordable rental housing on the third floor of the Springwood Center building. In 2010, Interfaith Neighbors constructed three new houses, marking the completion of our 26^th home.  These houses were equipped with energy star rated kitchen appliances including stove, microwave oven, dishwasher and refrigerator. Other green features include bamboo flooring, an on-demand, tankless water heater and high efficiency furnace and air conditioning units.

Two initiatives from the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit Program, Project #1, were finally nearing completion.  The Police Athletic League Boxing and Fitness Center, located on the second floor of the Asbury Park Department of Public Works building was completed in November. This facility will provide an opportunity for the City Recreation Department and the PAL to offer a range of recreational opportunities for the young people of Asbury Park. The installation of the security camera system has largely been completed. Police Chief Mark Kinmon indicated that the system should be fully up and running by the end of February, 2011.

Project #2 initiatives also continued to grow in 2010. The Young Adult Minority Men of New Jersey Initiative (YAMMI) run by Father William McLaughlin at Holy Spirit Church in Asbury Park offers training in basic carpentry skills, in basic electrical circuit construction and in computer and keyboarding skills. Last year they were able to offer 14 men this opportunity and each received a course completed certificate which outlined the skills they were taught.

We continued to work with the West Side Community Center as they work to rebuild their Board and return the center to more solid financial footing.  Working with the NJNG Commercial Services Division and with the assist of CDBG funding from the City of Asbury Park, we helped complete the installation of new HVAC equipment in the Center’s gymnasium building, replacing the original heating system, now some 47 years old.

ArtsCAP, using the support that the NRTC funding provides, worked with the drama department at Asbury Park High School to produce another spring musical.  2010’s offering was a production of “Grease”.  This collaboration of ArtsCAP and the high school, made possible with NRTC funding, has been able to reintroduce a viable drama program to the high school.

In late 2010 we broke ground on construction of the Springwood Center building.  This project – the construction of a 27,000 square foot, three story mixed use building at the corner of Springwood Avenue and Atkins Avenue – is the most ambitious construction project Interfaith Neighbors has taken on. When finished, the building will have four commercial units at grade. One of these units will be a permanent work location for two units of the Asbury Park Police Department. The second floor will be the permanent home for the Asbury Park Senior Center and the third floor will consist of eight units of affordable rental housing.  The project is scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2011.

New Jersey Youth Corps Program

We are currently in our fourth year of operating the Monmouth County chapter of the New Jersey Youth Corps Program. Youth Corps is a year-round, voluntary program which engages young adults (ages 16-25) in full-time community service, training, and educational activities.  In return for their efforts to restore and strengthen communities, Corps members receive education development in basic skills and preparation to obtain a GED or locally issued Adult High School Diploma; life skills and employability skills instruction; and personal and career counseling to build self-esteem, clarify values, and develop leadership skills while they are developing their career portfolio.

We have continued to see much success in the past year. Interfaith Neighbors Youth Corps program was awarded a grant to employ a recruitment and retention specialist to provide outreach to area youth and to improve enrollment. Seven Corps members have earned their GED, while many others are showing dramatic improvement in their reading and math skills. Corps members have also provided countless hours of community service this year (see insert). A total of 32 youth have come through the program since July, 2010, and we are on track to meet our quota of 60 youth enrolled by June 30th.

Additionally, our Youth Corps members developed a new street outreach program in the form of a mobile soup kitchen to feed the homeless. The “Need to Feed” program received a grant from the Wachovia Emerging Leaders Program (now Wells Fargo). Staff members from our nutrition program as well as an intern from Monmouth University helped to launch and administer this program with the Youth Corps.

General Information

The organization has 45 employees and offers health and dental benefits, a 401K plan with company participation and life insurance for its full-time staff. 

The organization received support from approximately 40 faith-based congregations and over 250 private donors.  It received government grants from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, the N. J. Department of Labor, the Monmouth County Department of Human Services and the Monmouth County Community Development Office, and it was also awarded grants from the following corporations and/or foundations:

Ayco Charitable Foundation	Monmouth Park Charities Foundation
Bike and Build, Inc.	New Jersey Natural Gas
Community Hope Fund, Inc	PNC Foundation
Donation Line, LLC	Prudential Foundation
ExxonMobile Foundation	Shrewsbury Foundation
Faith & James Knight Foundation	Sovereign Bank Foundation
Foundation Source	United Way of Monmouth County
Gannett Foundation	Vanguard
Fidelity Charitable Foundation	vAuto, Inc.
Jersey Central Power & Light	Wachovia Regional Foundation
Kurr Foundation	Whelan Foundation
LB & TD Foundation	William Gross Charitable Foundation
Merck Company Foundation	The Wright-Hager Foundation, Inc.
Monmouth County Community Foundation	Wells Fargo

Joseph J. Marmora
Executive Director

Paul L. McEvily
Associate Executive Director

Click to view 2008 Annual Report

Click to view 2007 Annual Report