Facts regarding Summit's history of creating affordable housing for working families

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• In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Summit Civic Foundation, a local nonprofit organization, constructed 24 two- and three-bedroom affordable rental units on what was to become Dennis Place for Summit residents who had been displaced from their homes due to city code enforcement. The Civic Foundation was founded by 7 Summit residents, including board chair Harold T. Graves, who was president of the Summit Trust Company. Some residents fought the development and even filed a lawsuit to stop it, but more Summit residents supported it and contributed $110,000 to the civic foundation’s capital campaign, which is equivalent to $1.160 million in today’s dollars. The Common Council approved the project and contributed to construction of the street, Dennis Place. The Summit Civic Foundation continues to own, manage, and lease the Dennis Place homes, which have been updated and well-maintained since their construction, providing an affordable, secure home to 24 families.

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• In 1938, the Summit Common Council passed an ordinance establishing the Summit Housing Authority to address Depression era housing problems. Common Council reestablished the Housing Authority in 1967 and in 1968, it passed a resolution authorizing a Cooperation Agreement between the City of Summit and the Summit Housing Authority for the development of affordable rental housing. Again, some city residents opposed this initiative, but a civic-minded group of Summit volunteers raised $600,000, equivalent to $4.4 million in today’s dollars, toward the construction of 40 affordable homes on Glenwood Place in 1972. The Housing Authority went on to construct two additional properties: thirty 1-4 bedroom family apartments at Weaver Street, completed in 1979; and 125 apartments on Chestnut Street (the Vito Gallo building) for people over 62 and those with disabilities, completed in 1986. The Housing Authority continues to own and operate these secure and decent affordable homes.

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• Twenty-five years later, in 2012, Morris Habitat for Humanity completed development of 6 affordable for-sale condominium homes at 39 Morris Ave. While some residents opposed the project, the City of Summit contributed $530,000 of the $1.4M cost from its affordable housing trust fund; the $900K balance was privately raised by the Summit Affordable Housing Corp. through its community fundraising campaign and the Summit Interfaith Council, which raised funds from its member congregations.

 

• In 2019, the Summit Zoning Board approved the construction of 12 affordable for-sale homes by Morris Habitat for Humanity at The Crossings on Morris Ave. While some residents opposed the development, the City contributed $1.4 million from its affordable housing trust fund and 12 proud families purchased their homes and moved into The Crossings in late 2023.

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Facts regarding life changing opportunities for children and families living in Summit

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• Opportunity to participate in excellent early childhood programs: Summit offers families access to affordable, high-quality childcare and preschool. All children benefit from high quality early education, but children from lower income households experience the greatest education and health outcomes. The Connection and the Y’s Learning Circle offer excellent early childhood programs on a sliding scale, and the Summit School District offers a lottery-based, affordable preschool program.

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• Opportunity to attend Summit’s excellent public schools: Summit public schools provide all children in the community with an excellent education.

  • In 2023, about 93% of SHS graduates pursue higher education directly after high school graduation; the remaining 5 percent includes those taking a gap year, enrolling in a military academy or the military, and pursuing career education.

  • Significantly, of the 56 SHS first generation graduates, that is, students whose parents did not graduate from college, 92.8% enrolled in higher education right out of high school. People with a 4-year college degree have considerably higher incomes than those who do not graduate from college, so we know that for these first-generation college students, Summit schools prepare them for better economic security and the life benefits that come with it.

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• Opportunity to participate in community-based student support programs: Several Summit programs help public school students succeed in school and beyond.

  • The PEP program (Providing Educational Possibilities) provides rigorous academic support, college readiness skills, and college financial support to high achieving students with financial need.

  • The Summit Y’s Achievers program offers a free career and college prep program, including SAT prep, college tours, career planning workshops, corporate mentorship programs, individual college application assistance, and internship opportunities.

  • The CAAP program pairs SHS seniors with adult volunteers who assist with all aspects of the college application, financial aid, and scholarship processes.

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• Opportunity to participate in youth sports: Summit offers all youth the opportunity to play team sports, and the Department of Community Programs and club teams offer a sliding scale for fees so all children can participate. Additionally, Summit public schools have competitive team sports programs open to all students without charge. Research shows that participating in youth sports benefits physical, mental, emotional and social health. Sports opportunities in Summit can lead to immediate and long-term benefits for youth, their families, and communities.

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• Opportunity to participate in excellent recreation and cultural programs: Summit residents have access to a wide range of affordable recreational and cultural programs offered by the Department of Community Programs, the Summit Y and The Connection, including the Summit Family Aquatic Center, TryCAN special needs programs, free movies and music on the Green, summer camps, tennis and basketball courts, children’s swim, gymnastics, and dance lessons, to name just a few. These programs create healthy children, families, and communities.

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Facts regarding the need for affordable housing

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• Summit residents are being forced out of their rental homes by house sales and rent increases with no affordable housing options available. The Summit School District reports that for the 2023-2034 school year, 12 district families are experiencing homelessness, compared to 6 families in the 2022-2023 and 5 families in 2021-2022. The school district reports that the 12 families displaced this school year have been unable to find affordable housing in Summit. These families have been or will be forced to uproot their children and leave our community. Additionally, the Summit Interfaith Council reports that 20 of the 43 people participating in the Summit Warm Hearts program this winter were renting housing in Summit before becoming homeless due to property sales and rent increases; there are no affordable housing options in town for these individuals.

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• As an indication of the Summit-area need for affordable housing, The Ivy housing development in Chatham, completed in 2023, received 5,000 applications for the 37 affordable units set aside for moderate and low-income households.

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