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Thursday, September 23, 2010

Faith Bricks & Mortar sets ground-breaking for Stimulus-funded project


Map of a portion of Plainfield's foreclosures, May, 2008.
Plainfield housing nonprofit Faith Bricks & Mortar will break ground Friday (tomorrow) on the first of its Stimulus-funded 'Neighborhood Stabilization' projects.

The event is set for 951 West 3rd Street between 1:00 and 3:00 PM, according to the agency's executive director Horace Baldwin.

Faith Bricks & Mortar was among 24 agencies and governmental entities to receive $49.4 M in fund in May, 2009.

FB&M received $2.5M to be used to stabilize West End neighborhoods threatened by the subprime mortgage crisis that erupted in 2007. The grant is expected to allow the renovation of 10-12 homes.

While the legislation was enacted in 2008 and the grant made in 2009, it took time for the agencies involved to provide direction to grant recipients of guidelines for executing the grants and making the grant funds available. According to the original terms of the grant, funds must be expended by May 2013.

The public is invited to join with elected officials and other figures in the groundbreaking event. Info: (908) 756-5884.

[DISCLOSURE: Dan was a founding board member of FB&M and its second president. The organization grew out of the response of Plainfielders to the 1991 Rodney King beating, as a result of a meeting called by the Rev. Margot Campbell-Gross, minister of the First Unitarian Society, who became the founding president. FB&M formally incorporated itself as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 1993. During Dan's term, the group finally was able to launch its first two rehab projects -- on Arlington Avenue and West 3rd Street.]


-- Dan Damon [follow]

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1 comments:

Pat said...

Dan: I assume these properties go back on or remain on the tax rolls,
unlike Home First and a number of other agencies in town.