Diane Pierano-Ingvaldsen, the executive director of the North Bergen Housing Authority, said she was thrown off guard by a phone call she received about a month ago from a fellow housing authority director in Lakewood.
"He said, ‘Congratulations,’ and I wondered what for," Pierano-Ingvaldsen said. "I was absolutely shocked when I found out."
Pierano-Ingvaldsen had no idea that the NBHA was about to receive the Award of Excellence from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) for the development of the Theresa V. Ferraro Senior Housing building, located at 6201 Granton Ave., which officially opened last December.
The Ferraro building was named after North Bergen Commissioner Theresa Ferraro, who served as the chairperson of the NBHA for many years and was a member of the NBHA Board of Commissioners from 1973 until her election to the township Board of Commissioners three years ago. The building was selected over 300 similar affordable senior housing developments throughout the nation as being the premier development.
The NAHRO judges considered a number of criteria in its award presentation in the innovation of affordable housing, namely the financing, the partnerships, the use of existing buildings and the specified need of the housing.
According to the NAHRO, innovation means "the techniques or procedures are not in common practice among agencies of similar size."
With this facility, the innovation came in the form of the partnership between Hudson County and the North Bergen Renaissance Corporation, which was created in 1997 by the NBHA to seek out more affordable housing for seniors.
The $14 million building cost North Bergen taxpayers nothing, since most of it was paid for through tax credits and a $1.5 million grant from Hudson County. The Renaissance Corporation will pay the remainder of the mortgage through the collection of rents over the years.
The 104-unit building has 150 seniors living there who have qualified for low-income standards. Seniors have to be at least 62 years old and have an annual income not exceeding $19,000, or two seniors with a combined income not exceeding $21,000.
Rent is $396 per month for a single bedroom and $467 per month for a two-bedroom apartment.
Another innovation that was brought into consideration by the judges was that the facility also houses a senior day care center, operated by the Rise and Shine Corporation.
"With the senior day care, we service another 200 citizens who don’t live in the building," Pierano-Ingvaldsen said. "They are bused in daily and taken care of in terms of activities and meals. There is also a doctor and medical facilities on the site. The Ferraro senior building is the only senior housing in New Jersey that offers a day care facility for seniors. We provide a pleasant opportunity for seniors who have this need."
Proud of teamwork
Pierano-Ingvaldsen said that the NAHRO’s Award of Excellence is a group honor.
"It’s a very good feeling to receive this kind of recognition," Pierano-Ingvaldsen said. "It was a huge endeavor when we started putting this together five years ago. It was a long road from concept to having it built. Everything has fallen into place nicely. I’m very proud of the entire situation. It was a piece of unusable property that we were able to put to good use. It blended nice with the community."
Added Pierano-Ingvaldsen, "It really means a lot, considering that there were 300 other facilities nationwide under consideration. It’s also nice to hear from other directors that we did a good job. It feels very good for all of us."