ROSEVILLE, NEWARK: REVITALIZING A COMMUNITY

Report to the Hispanic Development Corporation

May 29, 1996

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This study of the Roseville area of Newark, NJ, was requested by the Hispanic Development Corporation (HDC), to assist its efforts to help revitalize the Roseville area. HDC was established in Roseville because it is "a forgotten area of Newark" and because "no one [was] attending to the needs of Hispanics" in Newark. The area chosen for the study roughly corresponds to HDC's initial focus area. The study area is a nine-block area which is bordered by: 13th St. to the North; 6th St. to the South; Orange St. to the West; and Park Ave. to the East.^{(See Map 1.)}

The aim of the study's research was to both gather information concerning the physical, human, economic, and environmental needs of the area, and to provide insight into the assets which underlie the area's capacity for redevelopment. HDC's director requested that a survey be conducted of Roseville area residents to determine residents' priorities for improving their community. A door-to-door survey of 101 residents was conducted during a one-month period. The research also included a physical inventory, collection of census data, and interviews with key informants.

The major study findings and recommendations are as follows:

• The survey results indicate that among the top neighborhood problems are drugs, trash and litter, violent crime, theft and vandalism, and poor police protection. The police department and city government were perceived as not doing enough to improve conditions in Roseville. Needs identified by survey respondents as priorities included affordable housing, a community center, and recreational facilities. Fifty-four percent of residents indicated that their housing was in need of repair. The survey also indicates that 80.2 percent of respondents would "like to become more involved with activities that the Hispanic Development Corporation is working on."
• The Roseville area population is worse off in almost every vital category (e.g., social, educational, employment, income) than the general Newark population. About 16 percent of Roseville's population was unemployed in 1990. Nearly 30 percent of residents were below the poverty level in 1990.
• Roseville is in poor condition, both in terms of the need for greater employment opportunities and for a more economically viable business district (including more locally owned businesses). However, Newark is home to several large employers which do offer many employment opportunities in low-skilled positions. Several employment training sites are available to Roseville residents, which could better prepare them for some of these opportunities. Also, the major business district on Orange St. is a well-traveled pedestrian and automobile area and holds considerable potential for commercial improvement.
• The Newark school system stands out as a tremendous problem in terms of human development needs. Both elementary schools and the high school in the Roseville area reveal worse education-related statistics than the city as a whole. Poor youth educational attainment has led to even poorer adult educational attainment. The recent state takeover and reorganization of Newark's public school system may bring some improvement to the schools. HDC could play an important role in encouraging parents to become more involved in school activities to improve their children's educational opportunities.
• There is a significant need for housing rehabilitation and for additional construction of affordable housing in Roseville. Deteriorating and abandoned homes are plentiful within the area. Relatively speaking, there has been little government-funded housing built in Roseville, although some public housing has recently been built on 12th St. and 13th St. HDC has initiated plans to construct affordable housing in Roseville.
• About 53 percent of renters expressed interest in purchasing a home in the Roseville area. Approximately 65 percent of renters in the survey were Hispanics. Since 44.8 percent of renters expressed the need for some repair of their homes, indications are that there may be neglect of housing code enforcement against landlords. The current housing stock is in good enough condition that, if considerable funding is available and housing codes are enforced, much of the existing stock can be preserved.
• In addition to its future plans to develop affordable housing, HDC plans to continue in its role of advocacy/organizing on behalf of Hispanics and Roseville residents. HDC has shown considerable potential as an advocacy and development force in the Roseville area. It has initiated youth programs, community garden projects, and cleanup efforts. HDC has also organized neighborhood residents to advocate for better living conditions. With the ongoing assistance of New Community Corporation, and the support of local residents and organizations, HDC is likely to have further success in its efforts toward revitalizing Roseville.
• HDC should be cautious not to abandon the program initiation and advocacy/organizing roles to which it has thus far been committed. General recommendations concerning its future priorities are that HDC should: focus on projects for which considerable funding is available and/or are relatively low in cost; avoid arbitrarily limiting the scope of its activities and issues; engage in projects and issues that will encourage the involvement of local residents, organizations, and institutions; and build on HDC's own strengths and on the strengths of other local organizations.
• HDC expressed the desire to build a community center in Roseville which would target the needs of Hispanics in particular. The need for some type of community center facility was confirmed by the survey. If HDC is to build a community center in Roseville, it must take into consideration potential duplication of resources. Prior to initiating construction of its own facility, HDC should consider whether use of planned and/or existing facilities might suit its space and program needs.
• The West Ward Cultural Center (WWCC), which will be of similar size and layout as the community center proposed by HDC, will soon be relocated on Roseville Ave. within the study area. The WWCC plans include a K-6 school, after school programs, senior citizen programs, and fashion design classes. The WWCC is well-supported by city government, and recently received Planning Board approval. Construction of the facility is expected to begin this summer. The National Guard Armory is an existing local facility offering space that is currently available for lease by community-oriented programs. The Armory is presently undergoing renovations to its four classrooms and one meeting room; it has a large cafeteria space which is also available for lease; and it will soon house a gymnasium with a basketball floor.
• Since 48.3 percent of Roseville residents are Hispanic, area programs should provide a substantial focus on Hispanics concerns. HDC could initiate and advocate for programs within the Armory and/or WWCC to ensure the adequate provision of programs and services for Hispanics. HDC could serve as a resource to inform these programs and services. The survey indicates that among the programs residents would most like to see held in a community center are computer classes, job skills training, after-school programs, ESL training, GED workshops, family counseling, programs for the elderly, and recreational activities.
• HDC could best justify its own community center-type facility in Roseville if the center has a distinctive purpose, i.e., if it is designed so as not to duplicate existing programs and services. One possibility would be for HDC to set up an information/referral center in Roseville. Some of the functions that an information/referral center could serve are: acting as an information provider; promoting local services; providing assistance to local residents; advocating better access to existing resources; and sponsoring neighborhood meetings, lectures, and other activities. HDC could initially use existing space, e.g., within the Armory, and then solicit funding for its own building once evidence could be shown of the center's appropriateness.
• An information/referral center could make good use of existing resources, especially those that are underutilized. Its tasks could be limited by engaging mainly in provision of information and referral services, and providing programs only where truly necessary. An information/referral center could be inclusive of a wide variety of issues, and could continually solicit community input into determining its major issues of concern. The center could also provide the language- and culturally sensitive problem-solving approaches that Hispanics' particular needs require. However, by including a broad range of issues within its concern, it would avoid excluding non-Hispanic residents.
• HDC should make considerable effort to continue to include Roseville residents in determining priorities for the area's revitalization. HDC should attempt to focus its efforts on the neighborhood as a whole, rather than exclusively on Hispanic concerns, in order to expand its constituency and enhance neighborhood development. Issues which the survey indicates are important to area residents include: the top neighborhood problems mentioned above; the lack of police, city government, and youth organizations that are responsive to the area; and the high percentage of residents who are currently not registered to vote. Neighborhood cleanup and similar improvements are particularly good community revitalization activities in that: they are of relatively low cost; they provide interaction between neighbors working in activities where language differences are relatively unimportant; they produce immediate, visible improvements; and they are associated with the intangible rewards such as community pride and a sense of accomplishment.
• HDC could encourage involvement of local organizations and institutions in the revitalization process. From the residents standpoint, local churches, hospitals, the police department, and school PTAs are local organizations with significant potential for assisting in community building activities.