Creating Homes & Hope

Annual Report 2014

Creating...
Defined as bringing something into existence
to become a reality.

Mission...
The mission of the Town Clock
Community Development
Corporation is to provide
permanent, supportive and
affordable housing to victims of
domestic violence and their
children.

Dear Friends...
This year has been the tipping point for Town Clock Community
Development Corporations (TCCDC) first major undertaking, Dinas
Dwellings. This project will provide permanent, supportive and affordable
housing for victims of domestic violence. As a vision of TCCDCs
Executive Director and the congregation of New Brunswicks First
Reformed Church (FRC) this project has come from ideas on paper to
walls, floors and rooms filled with hope for the future.
The generosity of the congregation of FRC, TCCDC and Advisory board
members, Bergen County's United Way and Madeline Housing Partners
LLC and the New Brunswick HOME HUD Funds, along with the many
financial supporters of TCCDC, has made this dream a reality.

Susan Kramer-Mills
TCCDC Executive Director

The tipping point came when the project via BCUW/Madeline Housing
Partners, was awarded $2.4 million from the NJ Housing and Mortgage
Finance Agency. This was supported with tremendous financial support
from the New Brunswick HOME HUD funds (just under $900,000), as
well as private donations.This allowed us to move forward with the
construction!
As you will see from this report, construction is well underway.
Residents for the new apartments are being identified, and a move-in
date will be before the end of this year.

Sherrilynn Novack
TCCDC Board President

TCCDC wishes to thank all our supporters. This has truly been a community project.
Enjoy the pictures and information provided in this annual report and please keep us in your
thoughts and prayers.
Best regards,
Susan & Sherri
TCCDC Executive Director and Board President

Middlesex County Domestic

Violence Facts
As of 2013:
3rd Most Recorded Incidents of DV 4,743 out of
64,556 statewide
1st in DV related homicides along with Essex
1st in combined Sexual Assaults Incidents
(Sexual & Criminal Sexual Assaults)
nd
2 Highest in Stalking Incidents
2nd Most Arrests
3rd Most Incidents of Assault
Due to patterns of abuse suffered through their relationships and discriminatory housing practices and policies,
many survivors of domestic violence often have difficulty
finding stable housing options after having left an
abusive partner.1,2
In one study, 46% of homeless women reported staying
in an abusive relationship because they had nowhere to
go. And in that same study, they found that one-third of
homeless women in the study were homeless due to
domestic violence.3,4

Dinas Dwellings will not only offer affordable permanent housing units to women struggling to find a stable
home but offer a safe space where they can begin to
rebuild their lives.
References
Baker, Charlene K., Kris A. Billhardt, Joseph Warren, Chiquita Rollins,
Nancy E. Glass. (2010). Domestic violence, housing instability, and
homelessness: A review of housing policies and program practices for
meeting the needs of survivors. Aggression and Violent Behavior 15 (pg.
430-439).
1

2,3,5

Domestic Violence and Housing. Washington, DC: National Coalition

Against Domestic Violence Public Policy Office
http://www.ncdsv.org/images/NCADV_DomesticViolenceAndHousing.pdf
4

Wilder Research Center. (2004). Homeless in Minnesota 2003, 22.

Correia, A.. (1999). Housing and Battered Women, National Resource

Center on Domestic Violence.

Domestic violence victims often return to their batterers when a viable option for permanent housing cannot
be found.5,6

Total Reported Incidents of Domestic Violence

New Jersey 2013
Atlantic, 7.25%

The average wait list for affordable housing in New

Brunswick is approximately several years.
Camden, 8.73%

Ocean, 7.08%

Affordable permanent housing specifically for survivors

of domestic violence is so scarce that little to no
information can be found on the topic.
Essex, 8.12%

Middlesex, 7.35%

Middlesex County is the 2nd most populous county in the

state of New Jersey, yet it only has two organizations that
work with survivors of domestic violence. Women Aware
was able to serve 201 women in 2014 through their
Safe House, however based on the 2013 statistics there
are more than 201 women affected by domestic
violence.

Atlantic

Bergen

Burlington

Camden

Cape May

Cumberland

Essex

Gloucester

Hudson

Hunterdon

Mercer

Middlesex

Monmouth

Morris

Ocean

Passaic

Salem

Somerset

Sussex

Union

Warren

Total Incidents for 2013: 64,556

Camden: 5,637
Essex: 5,241
Middlesex: 4,743
Atlantic: 4,682
Ocean: 4,572

Who Was Dina?

Dina Van Bergh was an important woman in the history of New Brunswick. She came to
New Brunswick from Amsterdam with her husband, Dr. John Frelinghuysen. He was the
pastor of First Reformed Church and died shortly after her arrival in 1786. Her strength
and spirituality attracted the attention of Dr. Jacob Hardenberg who courted and later
married her. After Hardenbergh's death, Dina continued to be an important spiritual
leader in New Brunswick.
Her resolve in times of difficulty and service to the community reminds First Reformed
Church of its historic roots. Her namesake is an inspiration for this project, which will
provide homes for women who fight for a better life for themselves and their families.
We hope to use her name to guide the project towards providing better lives for women
who are suffering.

This is an image of a doll

created from the likeness
of Dina Van Bergh.

Why Here,Why Now?

In 1971, a woman who was being abused by her partner
sought sanctuary in the Sanctuary of the First Reformed
Church. Her partner set the church on fire because he was
angry that the Church was providing sanctuary to her. The
fire destroyed much of the historic sanctuary, including the
altar and most of the historic stained glass windows. In
addition, over the past few years, the congregation of the
First Reformed Church has diminished in number. Though
still a vibrant community, they no longer have the resources
to maintain a historic building of the church's size. The fire's
destruction and the dwindling congregation numbers could
be seen as signs of a church that is at the end of its days.
However, they can also be seen as the catalyst for many new Volunteers help in removing historical pews from the sanctuary
to be re-purposed in the new space.
opportunities.
Concerned congregation members and community leaders came up with a creative solution that not only uses the
space more effectively but also helps solve a greater social issue, one which affected their own church. While some
faith based organizations support and fund affordable housing and adaptive reuse efforts, the Town Clock CDC will
be the first to integrate affordable housing into a sanctuary space. Though parts of the church were destroyed for
providing sanctuary for a victim of abuse, its future will ensure that the space is used to permanently provide
sanctuary for these victims.

Milestones

2011

2009
First Reformed Church
formed a committee, called
Building Vision, which
analyzed the usage of the three church buildings. The
task of the committee was to come up with a plan for
the future. How can these buildings be better utilized.
A feasibility study was undertaken by employing an
architect to develop preliminary plans. It was
determined that the sanctuary building best lend itself
to a redesign.

The Town Clock CDC developed an

RFP for architectural designs of the
sanctuary building and decided upon
DIGroup Architecture of New
Brunswick. Meanwhile the Town Clock CDC
developed its relationships within the community by
joining the Middlesex County Continuum of Care
Committee, the New Brunswick Domestic Violence
Awareness Coalition, and other organizations.

The Building Vision

Committee applied for
nonprofit status and renamed
itself to be the Town Clock
Community Development
Corporation, using the name that
the church was well-known as in
the community.

2010

2012

Our project develope

Bergen County Unite
Way and Madeline
Housing LLC., began
working with us, help
us develop the
construction.

2013
Funding from various sources started coming in, which
helped us to pay for pre-development costs, which includes
the New Jersey Historic Trust Grant which First Reformed
Church received and which was designated for the project.

2014-Present

ers
ed

n
ping

In September, we broke ground of the project

after winning major funding from the NJ
HMFAs Sandy Disaster Relief Funds and the
New Brunswick HOME HUD funds.
Construction began right before Christmas
with E-Tomic General Contracting, Inc.

Board Members
Susan Kramer-Mills (TCCDC Executive Director) New Brunswick Classis Executive Minister
Sherrilynn Novack (President) Public Relations & Communications Manager, The IR-4 Project, Rutgers University
Marlana Moore (Vice President) Fellow, Community Asset Preservation Corporation
Ursula Cargill (Treasurer) Budget manager with the New Jersey Department of Education
Pastor/Founder of Greater Newark Church of Christ
Mary Peppe (Assistant Treasurer) Retired, Manager, Amboy Bank, New Brunswick
Carlos A. Cordero, MSW, LCSW, Program Director, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
RWJMS-Eric B. Chandler Health Center
Rebecca Escobar, New Brunswick City Councilwoman,
Program Director, Middlesex County- Youth Advocate Programs
Joan Fekete, Retired, Teacher, Edison Elementary School
James Hance, Retired, Member of the Local Union #9, Pipefitters
John P. Keller, Director of Education and Community Connectivity, coLAB Arts

Advisory Board
Lauren Bernhofer, Toxicologist, Revlon Research Center, Edison, NJ.
Annette Cunnius, Special Educator at the You and Me School, Pediatric Rehab Dept., JFK Hospital, Edison, NJ
Ashley Kaplan, Director of Marketing & Publications, NJ Tech Council
Sarah Beth Kaye, Community Engagement Director of New Brunswick Today
Sarah Kelly, Graduate Practicum Director at the Rutgers - School of Public Health
Linda Pelligra,Patient Advocate at Pillar Patient Advocates; a Levinstott Group com
Juliana Ritter, Library Associate, at Rutgers University Libraries
Kathy Romano, Branch Manager, Amboy Bank, New Brunswick
Andrew M. Shaw, Divorce & Family Law Attorney,
DeTommaso Law Group, Somerville, NJ

Partners
First Reformed Church
coLab Arts
Bergen County United Way/Madeline Corporation
New Brunswick Jazz Project

Funding Partners
Cooperation for Supportive Housing
New Brunswick HOME HUD Funds
New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency
Rutgers Community Health Foundation

TCCDC Intern and Advisory Board members back

row l to r, Kathy Romano, Amy Hendricks (intern).
Front row l to r, Sarah Kelly, Ashley Kaplan, Andrew Shaw and Lauren Bernhofer. Not pictured
Annette Cunnius, Sarah Beth Kaye, Linda Pelligra,
and Juliana Ritter.

Activities
Blue Bra Event, November 2013
Presentations: Breakfast at the Readington Reformed
Church, March 2014 and Presentations at the
Reformed Church in America's Women's Crossroads
Retreat, April 2014
Domestic Violence Rally , October 2014
HIPHOP Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, RWJ
University Medical students walking in high heels
to raise awareness of domestic violence--funds to
go to TCCDC, October 2014
Jazzin for Funds, March and November 2014

Rutgers
University
Interns

Many students from various areas of study at Rutgers,

The State University of New Jersey have become very
interested in supporting the work of TCCDC and
have given their time, energy and ideas to the
project. TCCDC wishes to thank these dedicated
individuals. They include:
James A. Johnson, 2011 Fall
Sarah Beth Kaye, 2014 Spring and Fall
Tahmina Sultana, 2015 Spring
Eunice Nho, 2015 Spring
Katelyn Realpe, 2015 Summer
Amy Hendricks, 2015 Summer and Fall
Elizabeth Dennin, 2015 Fall

Elizabeth Dennin, Amy Hendricks

Eunice Nho, Tahmina Sultana and Sarah Beth Kaye

Financials

How You Can

Help?
Become a Regular Financial Supporter
Donate to the Hope Chest campaign
Talk about the project to your work colleagues, family and friends
Please designate TCCDC as the nonprofit you support when making purchases at Amazon Smile
Attend a fund raising event
Volunteer at a fund raising event

Thank You to Our

2013-2014 Donors...
Naming Donors (10,000-15,000)
Judy Johnson & Bruce Bush
Wendi Kalley
David & Joan Taylor
General:
Johnson & Johnson
Volunteer Program 11,000
1,000.00-9,999.00
Edith and George
DeVoe-EG Foundation
North Reformed Church
Jane L. Probasco Price
Old Bridge Domestic
Violence Response Team
Spotswood Reformed Church
St. Joseph High School
Above 100.00 999.00
*Susan & Hartmut Kramer-Mills
*Sherrilynn & Kenneth Novack
*Elizabeth & James Hance, Jr.
*Lauren & Garret Bernhofer
*Rebecca H. Escobar
*Joan & Julius Fekete
*John P. Keller
*Ursula Cargill
*Mary & Gene Peppe
Uta Burke
Caroline & Robert King
Crossroads/Synod of the Mid Atlantic
George Street Ale House
George Street Camera
Stacy Grogan
Irene Kato
J. Peter Keller
JK Print and Design Inc.
Gerritdina Justitz
New Brunswick Jazz Project
Judith & Michael Pasnik
Brenda Petruska
Ramapo Reformed Church

Readington Reformed Church

Womens Group
Pat Shiffner
Richard D. Swan
Stephanie Swann
Robin Suydam
Mary Windsor

100.00 & under

*Marlana Moore
John A. Anderson
Penelope & Jay Berliner
Benjamin T. Berman
Robert Belvin
Marilyn Brown
Deborah & Clark Carpenter
Florence & Kevin Carroll
Mariam Merced & Claudio Mir
Margaret Coakley
Laura & Joseph Delgiorno
Mary Duryea
Louise Forman
Elizabeth Garlatti
Catherine Gumpert
William Hamilton, Jr.
Elaine Hewins
Michael Kaye
Lucy Kratovil
Ruth Ann & Daniel Krayssky
Shirley Koller
Gail Kwiatkowski
Thomas A. Loughlin III
Maria & Francis Lutz
Erin & Beth E. Maguire
Amy Michael Mamdoh
Nicola Mammes
Olga Monaco
Jennifer & Travis Novack
Brenda Petruska
Claudette Reid
Kathleen Romano
Magdalena Ruszala

Nancy Ruiter
Frida Slight
Judi Postmus & Geri Summers
Kathleen P. Sweeney
Samantha Smith
Craig Talerico
Jacoba Circle of
Trinity Reformed Church
Susan Todd & Michael S. Tublin
Twin Oaks Food Services
David Shipman
Susan Winter
Carla Zimmerman
*TCCDC Board Members

Contact Information
Town Clock Community Development Corporation
Susan Kramer-Mills, Executive Director
9 Bayard Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
732.239.4515
Follow us

facebook.com/TownClockCommunityDevelopmentCorporation.
townclockcdc.org
Donate to Town Clock Community Development Corp. through purchase on Amazonsmile.com