Jersey City officials cut the ribbon on a new senior center, located at 394 Central Ave. in the Heights, boasting a food pantry and vertical farm, commercial kitchen, gaming room, and much more.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The new senior lunch site will also serve as a one-stop hub for Health and Human Services with on-site staffing from the city’s offices of Immigrant Affairs, Senior Affairs, and Veteran Affairs.
“We wanted to create an inviting and vibrant place with even more senior programs to offer and expanded services all in one place. What we are opening here today is exactly that and more,” Mayor Steven Fulop said in a statement.
“With this building, we now have a one-stop Human Services Hub for senior-specific services in a public-facing atmosphere that is accessible and welcoming.”
To complement the Fulop Administration’s initiatives promoting healthy eating and healthy living, a food pantry and vertical farm on the first floor will provide free, nutritious food to those in need.
“We have space for The Hope Center to bring their extras for a food pantry. We decided it was best to relocate our Divisions of Veterans Affairs and Immigrant Affairs to this building,” Department of Health and Human Services Director Stacey Flanagan remarked at this morning’s press conference.
“We are also relocating our headquarters for Senior Affairs here to establish a one-stop location for seniors to easily access critical services and resources they regularly rely on.”
Additionally, a commercial kitchen was built in the new center across from the large dining room to provide seniors with daily lunch.
The former parking authority building has been transformed into an open, accessible layout, which also includes a newly renovated multipurpose room and game room.
“We can do a lot of direct services for seniors in this new location,” began Division of Senior Affairs Director Joan Eccleston.
“We will have new classes, organized activities, exercise classes, and even computer literacy training in the new computer lab in partnership with the Jersey City Free Public Library. This is going to be a great place for seniors in so many ways.”
Business Administrator John Metro, Department of Infrastructure Director Barkha Patel, and Ward D Councilman Yousef Saleh also expressed excitement about the new endeavor.
“This project started with a vision that the Mayor had to provide a much better facility for our seniors. We were charged with building a usable space that is designed to meet everyone’s needs and abilities. We also successfully retained much of the tin ceiling and wall tiles, an architectural element of the original building dating back to 1880,” Patel said.
“This is a big day for Ward D. I see this as the Ritz Carlton of senior centers. It is so beautiful, and it is something that our seniors deserve. A huge thank you to Mayor Fulop for making this happen,” noted Saleh.