Media Coverage

Daily Record
May 12, 2008

Morris developer breaks down housing barriers

Melody Federico has developed an eye for buildings. She looks past the peeling paint, the fence leaning on one side, the tall grass, the old windows, the gasping furnace, the painted floors and other flaws to see a home for a new resident.

If she sounds like a real estate developer, that's what she is. But instead of million-dollar mansions, she develops dwellings for the homeless, the disabled, seniors and others in need.

Federico, director of housing development for NewBridge Services Inc. of Pequannock -- a multi-faceted nonprofit working in mental health, substance abuse, housing, and education -- is one of a new generation of affordable-housing developers plying their skills across Morris County.

"This is housing for people who live in your community," Federico said. "Teachers, social workers, people with lower-paying jobs whose services are needed."

That aspect -- called workforce housing -- meets some needs. But there also are the housing needs of disabled people capable of living on their own, or the needs of families emerging from homelessness. There are more needs for housing than homes, Federico said.

"The waiting list for homes at NewBridge is years long," she said.

For the rest of us, she said, "you never know when a change may come" that creates a need for a different type of housing.

Federico is co-director, with Michelle Roers-DiNapoli, of the Housing Alliance, an advocacy group with 30 members sponsored by the United Way of Morris County. She said one member who also is a volunteer at a local food pantry points out how the pantry and Housing Alliance complement each other.

"He reminds us that if a family has a need for help with food, they probably have a need for help with housing," Federico said.

Collaborative efforts

What these developers do is not new -- the Madison Housing Authority and Homeless Solutions developed a model of placing affordable housing in neighborhood settings years ago.

But as government funding sources shrink and charitable contributions have fluctuated with changing corporate tides, developers such as Federico have the job of bringing together sometimes several agencies and donors to complete one project.

Sometime a project will have four or five funding sources, she said.

Federico moved to New Jersey from San Diego in 1991. Armed with degrees in public administration, administration science and business administration, she worked at affordable housing agencies until landing her current post at NewBridge in 2006.

Federico's main job is to direct the agency's goal of creating 100 units of new affordable housing by 2010. So far, 30 have been completed, with sites for another 30 in progress.

She said the site of the agency's headquarters -- a four-building complex in Pequannock -- will be developed into 11 units of housing as part of that plan. NewBridge has developed partnerships with other nonprofits and housing authorities to develop supportive homes across the county.

"We end up with the best-looking house on the block," she said.

Creating affordable housing in a wealthy county such as Morris is not easy. Land and existing homes are expensive, Federico said. Finding sites that allow new residents access to public transportation for jobs and appointments, churches and stores, is the key, she said.

"Our clients have the same needs as you and me," Federico said.

They want to be part of the community and need to know that the services they need are available, Federico said.

Adding to the changing landscape are state requirements designed to increase the number of affordable homes, as well as new environmental rules that reduce the availability of land that could be used for housing.

Towns seeking to find a way to create affordable units often call the Housing Alliance for help. Sometimes a town and a nonprofit agency can work on a project together, she said. The towns have the need and the nonprofits have the expertise and connections with funding agencies, she said.

Federico said one outstanding example of a town going beyond a simple solution for affordable housing was Harding, one of the richest towns in New Jersey. In 2006,the township opened The Farm at Harding, a 24-unit apartment complex for lower-income residents.

The creation of the Housing Alliance about three years ago helped spark a sense of collaboration that was dormant, Federico said. With the members drawn from housing authorities, nonprofit agencies such as Morris Habitat for Humanity, the Housing Partnership and two banks, the group has broken down some of the barriers that used to exist as individual agencies focused solely on their own missions.

The result, Federico said, is partnerships such as the one between the Morris County Housing Authority and Morris Habitat that have produced affordable units in several towns.

Representing Morris

Federico recently was appointed to the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York's Affordable Housing Advisory Council.

The New York bank is one of 12 quasi-government banks in the county that act as overseers of many regional banks, Federico said. It has the mission of turning fees collected from banks for money its lends into funding for improvement projects that help banks meet a federal requirement for community-based investment, and support for matching-fund programs that encourage savings for potential home purchases by lower-income families.

She said that while she is learning about potential opportunities for affordable-housing development, as Morris County's only representative on that council, she is able to bring the county's perspective to the table.

This is not an easy job, Federico said. They are many complications and stumbling blocks.

But there also are those moments, she said, when a client steps into a new home and says, "Thank you," and "I'm happy to be here."

Those are the best moments, Federico said.

Michael Daigle can be reached at (973) 267-7947 or mdaigle@gannett.com.