Your Support at Work:
Our Capital Improvement Projects

November 2024

I wanted to thank so many of our supporters who over the last several years have assisted Catholic Charities and its “Capital Improvement Projects”. Collectively, you have supported us in our most dire time of need and we wanted to give you all, our extended family, an update on where we are with these projects, and THANK YOU for your continued support of Catholic Charities. 

Straight & Narrow: Rebuilding Hope Treatment Center

Straight and Narrow – (S&N) – $30 Million Dollar Rebuild From the devastating Fire at 410 Straight Street.  
Catholic Family and Community Services – (CFCS) – $5 Million Dollar renovation of the Father English Food pantry.   
Department for Persons with Disabilities – (DPD) – $1 Million Dollar Group home for the re-location of Murray House, the longest running group home in the State of New Jersey. 
 

Catholic Family and Community Services: Father English Food Pantry
Department for Persons with Disabilities: Murray House Group Home Relocation  

Rebuilding Hope Treatment Center

On August 24, 2019, Straight and Narrow experienced a devastating six-alarm fire at its 410 Straight Street facility. Thankfully, all staff and clients evacuated the building safely with no injuries reported. All clients were safely relocated. All operations ran smoothly in the midst of a crisis. 

The facility had been originally constructed circa 1920 as one of Paterson’s many turn-of-the-century industrial mills. There, airplane wings were manufactured by the Carter-Wright company during World War 2. The facility for SN housed our 50 bed men halfway house, women’s clinical office space, and warehouse. The warehouse was used to store our many donations from clothing for adults and children to toys, furniture, and equipment.  

It has been a long journey to rebuild, working with the insurance companies and estimators, designing a new building, making the building environmentally sustainable, relocating services, incorporating a kitchen capable of serving 3,000 meals a day, funding, and learning about new market tax credits - in a long process that included the troubled years of the covid 19 pandemic.  But through it all, everyone has been so gracious and I want to thank our Bishop and Clergy, our Board of Trustees, our staff and volunteers, supporters, and you, as our vision now becomes reality.     

Through the designs of NK Architects and Natoli Construction, construction is well underway, and we are planning to move into our new building in the summer of 2025. 

Father English Food Pantry Renovation

The food pantry at the Father English Center in Paterson has distributed millions of pounds of food.  During and after covid, our numbers quadrupled for those in need of assistance.  The building itself has outworn its ability to serve those in need and we realized that if we did not address the many needs of roofing, electric, hvac and asbestos issues, we would no longer have a food pantry to distribute to so many who are in need.  Our capital campaign has assisted us in raising the necessary funds needed to renovate our facility into a state of the art, choice, food pantry.  

Working with Sflarc Architects and Donnelly Construction we are obtaining necessary permits and, once received, we will be 150 days away from completion of the project.  

Murray House Group Home Relocation

Murray house is the longest running group home in the State of NJ.  Dedicated in 1971 in the city of Paterson, it received its name from Jimmie Murray who was one of God’s special children.  Murray house serves 5 adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities.  Murray house moved from Paterson to its current location in Clifton in 1992 and over the years we have learned so much.  As the people we serve age, so too does our ability to serve when combating environmental issues like stairs, accessible doorways, entrances and bathrooms. We have been trying to re-locate Murray house for a few years now because it is a four story home and what is needed is a ranch style home where the people we serve can age in place. We are about to renovate our new Murray House in Clifton and hoping to open in the late spring.  



As you can see, we have been very busy and your support has been allowing us to complete all of these necessary capital improvements. From the bottom of our hearts, all of us at Catholic Charities thank you for your support!

``Sincerely,
Scott Milliken, CEO 

For questions about our capital improvements:

Scott Milliken, CEO
(201) 303-6341
scott@ccpaterson.org

Hazel Yaptangco, Development Director
(862) 408-1498
hazel@ccpaterson.org