To the South Orange Village Council and Planning Board:

We, the undersigned, stand in support of the JESPY House community and their proposed development before the planning board. For the past 45 years, the JESPY House community has been a pillar of South Orange. Allowing JESPY House to move ahead with their project will not only enhance the quality of life for its clients but also contribute positively to the richness, vibrancy, and diversity of our neighborhoods.

South Orange leaders frequently praise the diversity and inclusion of the community. Neurodiversity and disability are a vital part of that diversity. As an organization that champions disability inclusion and equity, JESPY House upholds and promotes the values that South Orange claims as a cornerstone of our community. The proposed JESPY Center and JESPY Hub projects aims to further these values by offering classrooms, community spaces, and safe, accessible, and inclusive housing options for disabled individuals, who rely on the local, walkable South Orange downtown for jobs, shopping, socialization and relaxation, transportation, medical appointments, and so much more. This will enable them to live with dignity and independence. Supporting this project is a matter of disability justice, a vital tenet of social justice. 

This proposed development is urgent. JESPY clients currently face a tremendous need for affordable, accessible housing that can provide a variety of support for independence. Many of the JESPY programs and services have waitlists due to a lack of available space. 

JESPY House and their clients have received hurtful comments and problematic pushback from a small, vocal minority who do NOT represent the inclusive position of the South Orange community. We believe JESPY clients and individuals with disabilities make our community richer and more diverse. We believe that they deserve to be here, to be treated with dignity and respect, and to have access to the facilities, community, and services they need to thrive. We believe South Orange and surrounding communities will flourish with the addition of the new JESPY Center.

We’re also disheartened by the silence from community leaders about this issue. The 150+ JESPY clients who are residents of South Orange are your constituents, and they are facing housing insecurity and discrimination. They deserve to be represented and advocated for by our leaders. Furthermore, public meetings with our town’s leadership have been inaccessible to JESPY clients, the primary constituents impacted by this project; exclusionary, ableist practices such as an inaccessible online platform, late-night scheduling, inflexible and minimal opportunity for public comments, and rigid adherence to procedures, have excluded JESPY clients from civic engagement on this issue. They must be centered in this civic discussion.

Therefore, we urge you as leaders of the community to do the following:

1. Publicly voice your support for the JESPY House community and all individuals with disabilities in our township as important, valued community members.
2. Support the approval of JESPY’s proposed development project.
3. Commit to fostering inclusion and belonging of individuals with disabilities in our community, including expanding the accessibility of civic engagement in public meetings.

JESPY House deserves to have this development approved, and they deserve our support as their neighbors. 

Further Information and Actions

1. Learn more about the JESPY House development proposal see the key facts of the project here or the detailed powerpoint here.

And attend the zoom Informational Session on May 8 at 8:00 pm. Register Here.

2. Read letters of support for JESPY House and their project published in the Village Green News article and also in Tapinto:

• Monica Ward
• Alana Kakoyiannis 
• Lisa Beittel
• Zoila Jennings
• Denise Dimson Rekem, Esq.
• Cathy Fonseca
• Victoria Bond
• Krista Wergeland
• Michael Levinson
• Maria Carroll
• Connie Micale
• Beth Cosentino

3. Email South Orange and NJ Leadership (sample letter below) to show your support of JESPY House's development project and to encourage them to advocate for the JESPY community:

South Orange Trustees
Mayor Sheena Collum            scollum@southorange.org
Council Member Summer Jones            sjones@southorange.org
Council Member Bobby Brown            bbrown@southorange.org
Council Member Karen Hilton                khilton@southorange.org
Council Member Bill Haskins                bhaskins@southorange.org
Council Member Olivia Lewis-Chang    olewischang@southorange.org
Council Member Jennifer Greenberg    jgreenberg@southorange.org

Village Clerk Ojetti Davis        odavis@southorange.org

NJ State Representatives
Assemblywoman Garnet Hall                 aswhall@njleg.org
Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker        aswtucker@njleg.org 
Senator Renee Burgess                        senburgess@njleg.org

Sample Letter/Template

Dear __________________________,

I am a South Orange / Maplewood resident and am writing to ask you to publicly support the proposed JESPY Center that is currently before South Orange's Planning Board. Your leadership will help our neighbors and South Orange residents understand that "Everybody belongs here" is more than a motto, it is who we are.
 
JESPY House helps over 300 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live independently in South Orange. Many JESPY clients, who have lived here for decades, are struggling. Rents in South Orange continue to increase, creating an urgent need for affordably-priced housing. Aging JESPY clients need more housing options to help them age-in-place. Younger JESPY clients need more program and residential space so that they can learn the necessary skills to live independently.

The JESPY Center will provide residential, program, and service space to help JESPY clients continue to live in and contribute to South Orange. Their need is urgent. When JESPY clients are forced to leave South Orange, they lose their jobs, homes, friends, and supports to be independent. As a community, we must help.

Please publicly support the JESPY Center so that South Orange knows that our leadership and representatives believe that people with disabilities are a strong part of our community. JESPY clients are our neighbors and friends. They work in our downtown businesses. They eat in our local restaurants. They are part of our community! Let's show them that we value them and have their backs.

Sincerely,

 

[IMAGE DESCRIPTION:

Image Description: The image is a colorful promotional graphic for "The JESPY Center" on "The Cooperman Family Campus at JESPY." In the center of the image is an architectural illustration of a multi-story building with a brick and gray facade, featuring numerous windows and a stately appearance. A small figure appears to be standing near the building, providing a sense of scale. The building is set against a simple white and blue sky background.

Multiple colored boxes with text surround the building to highlight the features and services provided by the center: "Vocational & Work Readiness," "20 Aging in place apts," "26 Affordably-priced apts,"  "Outdoor Garden & Courtyard," "Health & Wellness Center," "Clinical & Behavioral Support," "Community-Based Supports," "Education & Training."

At the bottom of the image, bold text states: "The JESPY Center expands housing for clients and enhances core services." The JESPY House logo, which combines blue and green house image elements, is located at the bottom center.]