Universal Partnership Partnership with Hopeworks in Camden City, NJ
We partner with Hopeworks in Camden City, NJ, to provide young people from all walks of life with affordable housing solutions and a unique pathway to homeownership that elevates them from being at-risk of homelessness
Increasing access to affordable homeownership and higher wage employment for young people in Camden, NJ.
Affordable housing and a unique pathway to homeownership program that elevates our youth from facing homelessness to building long term wealth through homeownership.
Elevate Our Youth
Not enough affordable housing, as well as housing services, available for those in need in Camden County
– Camden County has the fourth-highest number of people experiencing homelessness in the state of New Jersey.
– Not enough housing services available in Camden County.
– The annual cost of living outpaces the median family income by over $20,000 for Camden County residents.
– Transportation, housing, child care, and health care are the top expenses for families in the County.
– 19% of households spend 50% or more of their household income on housing.
– 21% of households experienced at least one of four housing problems: overcrowding, severe cost, lack of kitchen facilities, lack of plumbing facilities.
– Eligibility criterion limits the services available to individuals needing employment assistance, in particular for veterans or people who are housing-insecure.
The real eviction crisis in New Jersey
Around 60,000 evictions are pending across the state, data from the state judiciary shows. Matt Shapiro, president of the New Jersey Tenants Association, said those likely represent only a fraction of evictions that will be filed once the moratorium ends.
“Most landlords haven’t filed evictions because of the lockout moratorium,” Shapiro said. “If we don’t do something, you’re going to see 200,000, 300,000 pending evictions.”
Eviction filings declined dramatically in 2020 after the moratorium went into effect, according to judiciary data. From April through the end of the year, 46,245 evictions were filed across the state, down nearly 60% from the 112,888 filed during the same period in 2019.
If evictions had not been on hold, it’s likely the number of 2020 evictions would have been much higher than previous years. One estimate said almost one-third of renters failed to pay their rent fully and on-time in July.
Universal Initiatives (Millennial Housing Foundation) joined forces with Hopeworks in Camden City, New Jersey, to provide young people between the ages of 18 and 26 years old with hope for a promising future. Our collaboration provides underserved young people with affordable housing and a unique pathway to homeownership program that elevates our youth from facing homelessness to building long term wealth through homeownership. By working together, Hopeworks and UI help young people break through cycles of generational poverty by accessing higher wage employment and equity through homeownership.
– Improved mental health and access to mental health resources;
– Improved wages and long term employment sustainability;
– Reduced homelessness and or housing insecurity;
– Reduced poverty and reliability of state or federal assistance vouchers;
– Improved independence and productivity as community and national residents;
– Improved civic engagement and volunteerism;
– Improved financial literacy and long term savings;
– Improved homeownership maintenance literacy and homeownership process;
How You Can Help
By working together, we can increase our impact and opportunity for young people in Camden City to access affordable housing solutions and elevate to homeownership with our support. Here is how you can help us reach out goals for 2022:
– Donate!
– Volunteer at a local fundraising event;
– Donate property and or land that can be used to provide affordable housing for our residents;
– Volunteer as a mentor for our young people;
– Give a scholarship to our young people;
