Habitat for Humanity to Construct Affordable Homes in Township

Habitat for Humanity will start construction Tuesday on a Whittlesey Avenue property in West Orange. This will be the  first affordable housing units built by the group outside Newark. They plan to be ready for occupancy by next summer.

"We're very excited that Habitat for Humanity is here … we've tried over the years to bring them here, but never could make it work," said  West Orange Mayor Robert Parisi. "But this project has been several years in the making and we're glad they stuck with us and are committed to the town."

The side-by-side duplex project started four years ago when Susan Borg, the township's planning director, talked with members from the nonprofit to bring affordable housing to West Orange.

"I went to a benefit for a group and sat next to someone from Habitat for Humanity and asked if they'd liked to come to West Orange because we needed COAH (Council on Affordable Housing) units," she said.

Jeff Farrell, board president for Habitat for Humanity Newark, said West Orange was the ideal first location for construction outside Newark.

"We decided to expand our mission of building affordable homes throughout Essex County," he said. "This expands our footprint to come into this community and help low-income families."

David Zurheide, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Newark, said the township sold the property to his organization for $1 four years ago, but administrative delays halted construction until now.

"For us, it's just another example of reaching more people in Essex County since, historically, we've only been in Newark," he said. "We recognize need elsewhere … and for us, you need affordable housing everywhere."

Zurheide also said the roughly $300,000 project will obtain private donations and cash through the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs to help finance the construction.

A private donation of $150,000 is from the William E. Simon Foundation, a Morristown-based organization that supports programs intended to strengthen spiritual values.

"We've been in the business of helping the poor help themselves for several years by enabling poor families to own their own home and move up the ladder of society and better their situation with their own effort," said J. Peter Simon, co-chairman of William E. Simon Foundation. "The formula is perfect … they volunteer in order to pay the loan off since there's no interest rate."

Jose Jordan, of West Orange, who lives two houses down from the project, said the housing will help the community.

"I think it's a great building being that the land is empty there," he said. "I think it will hopefully bring good stuff into our neighborhood."

Zurheide said Habitat for Humanity Newark has selected families to occupy the homes, but said they are in the final step of the approval process. It is not known how much the homes will cost once occupied, but Farrell said it will fit into the affordable housing budget as mandated by the state.