Rep. Rush Holt said that the bill’s appropriations “are investments in our communities and our nation.”
January 8, 2008
The White House approved a funding bill that contains almost $300,000 for a senior services program carried out by the Jewish Federation of Monmouth County.
The federation will receive $287,036, which will allow it to participate in a national aging-in-place demonstration project, according to Howard Gases, the federation’s executive director.
The Greenbriar adult neighborhood in Marlboro, identified as a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community, or NORC, will be the initiative’s beneficiary, Gases told NJ Jewish News.
The project will ease the way for older adults who want to continue living in their homes and communities despite potential or current health problems.
The 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Bill contained an “earmark” request by Rep. Rush Holt (D-Dist. 12) to help fund the Monmouth federation’s NORC project.
President George Bush signed the $550 billion spending bill into law on Dec. 27.
“The federal budget should reflect the priorities of the American people,” said Holt after the House of Representatives passed the appropriations bill in November. “I’m pleased that this bill directs federal funding to important projects in District 12. They are investments in our communities and our nation.”
The initiative is based on eight pilot programs throughout New Jersey and will promote the delivery of more cost-effective health and support services, greater cooperative health promotion, crises prevention, and community improvement measures as well as new human, financial, and neighborhood resources that would benefit Greenbriar residents, Gases added.
Throughout January, the federation is planning to meet with representatives of its beneficiary agencies, including the Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Monmouth County in Asbury Park, to determine the scope of services and potential start dates, Gases said, adding that the federation also hopes to meet with representatives of the Greenbriar community.
“We want the input of the agencies, and, in particular, input from those at Greenbriar,” said Gases. “Their contributions will help us clearly identify necessary services as well as approaches we can take to meet those needs. I hope our beneficiary agencies and other community agencies can implement those services once a plan is in place.”
A list of specific services and a timeframe in which they will become available to Greenbriar residents will be developed after the meeting results are reviewed, he said.
“During the past several years, many people in our office worked long and hard to make this project become a reality,” Gases said. “I also want to acknowledge the efforts of Rep. Holt and his staff for working on this bill. They worked tirelessly to try and make this appropriations bill work. All of us were hoping that President Bush would sign the bill and we’re gratified that he did.”
The Monmouth appropriation was one of five received by Jewish federations across the state, according to Jacob Toporek, executive director of the New Jersey State Association of Jewish Federations.
Toporek said the state association supported the five applications with visits to Congress and coordination of strategy with United Jewish Communities, the umbrella organization for Jewish federations across North America.
State association president Roy Tanzman praised the federal appropriations.
“Reinforcing local aging services is a top priority for the federations and certainly are vital to the at-risk older adults served by the federations,” said Tanzman in a written statement. “The federal funding comes in the face of the fast approaching retirement of our baby boomers. The newly funded NORCs allow federations to better foster innovations in service delivery essential to meeting the increasing needs for community-based aging residents.”