T he Neighborhoods of
Camden
Camden Community Development Association
A pick-up game at a new community gym
Free dental care on location in the neighborhood
Youth arts, taking advantage of a beautiful neighborhood park
Enjoying the bounty of a community garden
Welcome to the neighborhoods of the
Camden Community Development Association We see promise, potential and possibility. Camden, NJ is a city of distinct neighborhoods largely developed during the industrial heyday of the early to mid 20th Century. The city was populated by tens of thousands of blue collar workers who built ships, pressed vinyl records and made soup at the Camden Shipyards, RCA Victor, Campbell’s Soup or worked for another of the many companies that produced goods in the city. As manufacturing started to decline and the suburbs began to flourish, an infrastructure was left behind consisting primarily of row homes or twins, neighborhood shopping districts and, in each neighborhood, distinct features which are identifying landmarks for the community. Camden suffered disinvestment and lost many of its assets through neglect but CCDA’s members are successfully championing a development model that preserves the original spirit of Camden. Their urban residential neighborhoods support social interaction and activities where a true sense of community thrives. They are walkable, accessible places for families and neighbors to enjoy. The Camden Community Development Association is a collection of non-profit housing and commercial developers working throughout the city. Our projects include housing rehab, commercial projects such as retail/office construction and community development including a museum, gym and theater. CCDA includes:
• Camden Lutheran Housing • Cramer Hill CDC • Heart of Camden • • Parkside Business & Community In Partnership • • St. Joseph’s Carpenter Society •
Camden Lutheran Housing Neighborhood: North Camden Betsy Clifford, Executive Director Founded: 1986 800 Galindez Ct., Camden, NJ 08102 (856) 342-8088 bclifford@clhi.org www.clhi.org Camden Lutheran Housing, Inc. is a non-profit, community based organization whose mission is to rehabilitate and newly construct housing in the City of Camden for low and moderate-income individuals and families. Over the past 27 years, we have focused our efforts in the North Camden neighborhood and have been involved with the rehabilitation of more than 70 units of rental housing, built 81 units of new rental housing and sold 24 new homes to first time home buyers. Over the years, we have reclaimed former industrial sites and transformed them into environmentally clean, safe and beautiful new homes. We even lost four homes, which were being rehabilitated to a tornado! CLHI’s commitment to improving the quality of life for the residents of North Camden continues to drive our organization. In North Camden, we work in
partnership with many organizations to accomplish the goals set forth in the North Camden Neighborhood Plan, which was updated in 2008! The residents, businesses, churches and non-profit stakeholders developed the NEW North Camden Neighborhood Plan and it has been adopted as an amendment to the City’s Master Plan. This neighborhood plan serves as our blueprint for the neighborhood’s future development and revitalization efforts undertaken by all!
Cramer Hill CDC Neighborhood: Cramer Hill Manuel Delgado, Executive Director Founded: 2003 1892 River Ave., Camden, NJ 08105 (856) 964-2462 mdelgado@cramerhillcdc.org www.cramerhillcdc.org The Cramer Hill CDC was founded in 2003 as a non-profit community development corporation dedicated to grass roots organizing, neighborhood planning and the equitable development of the Cramer Hill community.
for the rights and needs of Cramer Hill residents, by fostering resident leadership and civic engagement, by creating affordable housing, strengthening economic opportunity and by improving the quality of life in Cramer Hill.
Our mission is to build a thriving, safe, family-oriented community that is economically and culturally diverse. We believe that development is most successful when there is continuous input from residents. We work toward these goals by advocating
The Cramer Hill NOW! Neighborhood Plan created a unified vision for the community’s future. The Waterfront Park Plan, Human Capital, and Redevelopment Plan are all critical tools that are a comprehensive guide for the community’s future.
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Heart of Camden Neighborhood: Waterfront South Helene Pierson, Executive Director Founded: 1984 1840 Broadway, Camden, NJ 08104 (856) 966-1212 hpierson@heartofcamden.org www.heartofcamden.org Our primary product has always been rehabilitating housing into decent, safe, quality affordable housing. We also strive for as many “green” improvements as possible and our residents enjoy reduced utility bills. In recent years, we recognized the need for full neighborhood revitalization. Our main focus is the very challenging Broadway Corridor where we have completed the
Michael J. Doyle Field House, a full gymnasium for the community which includes meeting rooms, Heart of Camden offices and programming to provide residents of all ages with sports and recreation programs, homework help and a safe haven to enjoy each other’s company. The neighborhood also includes the new Waterfront South Theatre, a Camden Shipyard and Maritime Museum currently under construction, as well as community gardening and sustainability programs run by the Center for Transformation, a thrift store and Joe’s Place which offers meals for the homeless, the Sister Peg Hynes community center for after school and summer programs, a fishing pier, and the vibrant parish of Sacred Heart.
Parkside Business & Community In Partnership Neighborhood: Parkside Bridget Phifer, Executive Director Founded: 1996 1487 Kenwood Ave., Camden, NJ 08103 (856) 964-0440 bphifer@pbcip.org www.pbcip.org www.sustainableparkside.org PBCIP’s mission is to build a vibrant neighborhood in Parkside. Through advocacy, collaboration and commitment, PBCIP will support quality education, mixed income housing and commercial development, guided by sustainable practices to achieve a green community. PBCIP seeks to actively promote its mission through a variety of strategies, including acquisition and rehabilitation of homes with resale to low, moderate and market rate families; the revitalization of the
Haddon Avenue commercial district to promote employment and economic development; and partnering with various organizations to address amenities such as open space, education, job training, etc. In addition to housing development, PBCIP manages commercial redevelopment along the Haddon Avenue business corridor, including development of the RENEW building, a three-story retail/office building designed to LEED certification standards. Also supported are youth arts initiatives, a block captains network and monthly community meetings, the Haddon Avenue Street Festival each fall and holiday food baskets for those in need each December.
St. Joseph’s Carpenter Society Neighborhood: East Camden Pilar Hogan Closkey, Executive Director Founded: 1985 20 Church St., Camden, NJ 08105 (856) 966-8117 phogan@sjcscamden.org www.sjcscamden.org To promote successful homeownership, the Carpenter Society performs three interrelated functions: community organizing, housing development, and homeowner education. The Carpenter Society’s primary work involves targeting abandoned homes for acquisition, rehabilitation and sale to neighborhood families. The Carpenter Society’s three-phased approach to community development is stabilizing the local housing market.
To date, the Society has developed over 930 residential properties in targeted neighborhoods. Over 620 of these have been homeownership. In 2012, 134 individuals graduated from the Homeowner Academy with 228 people attending the classes. Typical homebuyers are African American, Hispanic, and Asian. Typical household annual incomes are $20,000 to $35,000. The value of SJCS homes has risen dramatically: in 1990 rehabilitated homes sold for $20,000; today these homes sell for between $72,000 and $150,000. 90% of all SJCS homes sold are still owned by original Carpenter Society buyers or their families and the mortgage foreclosure rate is only 3%. Homes’ appreciation in value and successful homeownership are strong endorsements of the Carpenter Society’s community development approach.
Success Despite the Odds The member organizations of CCDA are accomplishing success in Camden against daunting odds. A history of disinvestment and neglect have created a city where: • the murder rate and level of crime routinely make it the “most dangerous city in America” • the poverty rate is 42 percent • the high school graduation rate is less than 50 percent • the unemployment rate is currently 16 percent Despite the significant stress these factors place on Camden’s economy and neighborhoods, the non-profit organizations of CCDA are successfully stabilizing neighborhoods through housing and commercial investment projects.
Camden Community Development Association CCDA is a collection of non-profit housing and commercial developers working throughout the city of Camden, NJ. The organization was founded in 2006 to provide support for Camden’s non-profits which provide housing, community economic development and other social services to residents of the city’s various neighborhoods. The member organizations include: Camden Lutheran Housing Cramer Hill CDC Heart of Camden Community Development Parkside Business & Community In Partnership St. Joseph’s Carpenter Society Contact CCDA at CCDA c/o Betsy Clifford, CLHI 800 Galindez Ct. Camden, NJ 08102 (856) 342-9088 bclifford@clhi.org
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2013 CCDA