The NHA aims to increase funding, maintain and rehabilitate existing units, bolster programs to support residents and improve the lives of its stakeholders. The Aubrey Group was brought on as a consulting expert to assist in the efforts.

HUD regularly offers grant funding to housing authorities across the United States, and programs range from capital improvement to resident support. One such program is Resident Opportunities and Self-Sufficiency (ROSS).

The ROSS program is designed to assist housing authority residents in making progress toward economic self-sufficiency. To help residents achieve their personal and financial goals, the ROSS funds the salary of a Service Coordinator who works in development, assesses resident needs, and links residents to supportive services and other resources.

The program's goal is to target the entire resident community and work closely with residents and stakeholders to make a broad, community-wide change. The NHA was interested in pursuing ROSS but needed an expert partner to lead the way.

The Aubrey Group worked closely to apply for and secure $478,500 in ROSS funding and create a larger program that engaged community partners.

A large-scale resident survey was conducted at the target sites to understand issues ranging from unemployment and household finance to substance use. The Aubrey Group ranked resident responses from highest to lowest priority and found that residents overwhelmingly needed assistance with financial literacy, elderly/disabled health and wellness, and substance abuse. The categories were used to research and identify ideal community partners: organizations perfectly suited to strengthen the program and truly aid NHA residents.

On behalf of the NHA, The Aubrey Group invited the Rutgers University School of Nursing to act as a research partner and assist the ROSS grant coordinators in developing a resident needs assessment and needs-responsive coordination of care system. The partnership with the School of Nursing was a natural fit with its Rutgers Community Health Center and a nurse-led research and practice facility serving 2,000+ Newark residents annually.

The Aubrey Group secured technical assistance and the priceless commitment of a faculty member and three graduate students. As a research and coordination partner, Rutgers has been instrumental in determining the precise needs of NHA residents and aligning accessible, responsive care to those needs.

About the Grantee: Newark Housing Authority (NHA) is the largest housing authority in New Jersey and one of the largest in the country. It maintains 45 developments containing over 8,000 combined units. NHA serves low-income, elderly, and special-needs residents of the City of Newark and has worked tirelessly over the past five years to lift itself out of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) “troubled” status. The change is remarkable.