Monarch Housing’s Blog!

Pictured above left to right in the top row - Taiisa Telesford [Email address: ttelesford #AT# monarchhousing.org - replace #AT# with @ ], Sharon Levy [Email address: slevy #AT# monarchhousing.org - replace #AT# with @ ] and Peggy Verenna-Doebbeling [Email address: peggy #AT# monarchhousing.org - replace #AT# with @ ]. Front row - Richard Brown [Email address: rbrown #AT# monarchhousing.org - replace #AT# with @ ], Elizabeth Tedeschi [Email address: etedeschi #AT# monarchhousing.org - replace #AT# with @ ], Eucabeth Williams [Email address: ewilliams #AT# monarchhousing.org - replace #AT# with @ ], and Diane Driscoll [Email address: ddriscoll #AT# monarchhousing.org - replace #AT# with @ ]. The photo was taken by Asish Patel [Email address: apatel #AT# monarchhousing.org - replace #AT# with @ ].

The new office address is:

29 Alden Street
Suite 1B
Cranford, NJ 07016-2156

In September we will be holding an open house.

The phone number as well as the individual fax numbers remain the same. However, each staff member now has an individual extension. Please add this information along with the new address to your records.

Phone Extensions

Richard Brown [Email address: rbrown #AT# monarchhousing.org - replace #AT# with @ ] - 225

Kelly Dowd [Email address: kdowd #AT# monarchhousing.org - replace #AT# with @ ] - 221

Diane Driscoll [Email address: ddriscoll #AT# monarchhousing.org - replace #AT# with @ ] - 227

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Monarch Housing Associates will be moving to a new office over the weekend. In the photo are Jeffrey Pollack and Taiisa Telesford reviewing the office on the last day of the installation of the new furniture.

The new office address is:

29 Alden Street
Suite 1B
Cranford, NJ 07016-2156

The new office faces the parking lot behind Alden Street.

The move should be completed by July 1, 2008.

The phone and fax numbers will remain the same.

However. during the move there may be periods of time when the we are not able to respond.

Next week we will be publishing more photographs of the new office.

In September we will be holding an open house.

We have followed over the last year the effort of Homeward Bound, the chief provider of transitional and long-term housing and support services for homeless people in Marin County, to raise money using the business strategy of an IPO. They refer to their effort as “Immediate Public Opportunity… to end homelessness.” They have sold shares for $32 to “to celebrities, local residents and area groups, including the Novato Girl Scout Troop” according to the Philanthropy Journal. To date they have raised more than $700,000. This has leveraged a $1 million grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco.

Mary Kay Sweeney, executive director of Homeward Bound, says in a statement “The IPO has succeeded beyond our dreams in offering people a way to take stock in programs that provide long-term solutions to homelessness.” To read more about the IPO click here.

Is this a gimmick that can work in California or is it an idea whose time has arrived? The question is would this work in New Jersey? If yes should it be done on a project by project basis or on a county or statewide basis? We encourage you to share your thoughts.

On June 12, 2009, Monarch Housing Associates held their 18th Annual Membership Meeting at the Luciano’s Italian Restaurant in Rhaway. During the event a plaque in appreciation of six years of service was presented by Board Chair Harry Coe to Joyce Hoffman Benz. Ms. Benz is stepping down from the Board of Trustees this year.

Elections were held. The new officers for this year will be:

Harry Coe - Chairperson
Carol Kasabach - Vice-Chairperson
Gary Perillo - Secretary
Gordon Ur - Treasurer

In addition, John Glascock was elected to serve a second three year term.

The Board of Trustees also approved the 2007 Audit and reviewed organizational accomplishments.

For more information on Monarch’s vision, mission and strategic plan click here.

These are some of seven (7) photos from the Annual Meeting.

You can click on any photo to see it full size or click here to view all of the photos. To save a photo right click on the photo.

To view a slide show click here.

All photos were taken by Asish Patel [Email address: apatel #AT# monarchhousing.org - replace #AT# with @ ].

As strong believers in collaboration we were very pleased to find out about the Collaboration Prize created and funded by The Lodestar Foundation. An award of $250,000 for “collaborations that increase impact and eliminate duplication of efforts among nonprofits that would otherwise compete.” The Lodestar Foundation “seeks to identify achievements in collaboration as models for inspiration and replication in the nonprofit world. It is in this spirit that The Collaboration Prize was created.”

We are confident that there is one or more collaborative efforts in New Jersey that could qualify for the inaugural Collaboration Prize. The nomination process begins June 1, 2008 and closes at 5 p.m. EDT on July 21, 2008.

Do you know a nonprofit collaboration that is achieving greater community impact, greater efficiency with resources, or both? If you are familiar with the collaboration and not an employee of any organization involved, you can nominate that collaboration.

For more information click here.

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Innovation in the development of affordable housign is beign driven by non-profits. Michael Alvidrez, executive director of Skid Row Housing Trust in Los Angeles believes, “Good design actually has therapeutic value,” adding that nonprofit developers are “constitutionally wired for innovation.” Click here to read the full article.

An article in The Chicago Tribune reports on a growing architectural trend that is changing the face of public housing, resulting in affordable homes-developed privately and by nonprofits-that are “well-designed, well-built, and attractive enough to win over wary neighbors.” Helmut Jahn, known the world over for his glass skyscrapers, built a SRO project in Chicago that looks like a train: long and narrow with curved roof and a glass and steel exterior. Residents pay a monthly rental of $160. Although bold and beautiful architecture for affordable homes is still a small portion of the whole, it’s a portion that’s growing as HUD’s budget continues to plummet.

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In a report in today’s Star-Ledger they reported that “New Jersey’s cities and towns should come up with more than 115,000 new houses and apartments for moderate- and low-income residents over the next decade to address New Jersey’s affordable housing crisis, a state consultant’s report released yesterday concludes.

The state Council on Affordable Housing also projects another 51,000 deteriorating houses and apartments should be rehabilitated by 2018.”

To read the full story click here. This is part of the article.

Report: N.J. needs to step up efforts on affordable housing
115,000 units will be needed in next 10 years

Friday, January 04, 2008 BY TOM HESTER,Star-Ledger Staff

New Jersey’s cities and towns should come up with more than 115,000 new houses and apartments for moderate- and low-income residents over the next decade to address New Jersey’s affordable housing crisis, a state consultant’s report released yesterday concludes.

The state Council on Affordable Housing also projects another 51,000 deteriorating houses and apartments should be rehabilitated by 2018.

The figures show New Jersey’s need for affordable housing is far greater than state officials had previously projected, outstripping Gov. Jon Corzine’s goal to provide 100,000 new or refurbished affordable housing units over the next 10 years.

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Tags: COAH, Ending Homelessness, Nonprofit, Supportive Housing