Belleville improves services and programs for seniors

BELLEVILLE, NJ — Perceiving Belleville senior citizens to be underserved, Belleville officials are placing this group of residents front and center. 

“We’ve been focusing a lot on senior initiatives,” Mayor Michael Melham told the Belleville Post in a recent interview in his office. “When I was elected, I rode the senior bus.”

Elected in 2018, Melham said he made some discoveries when he rode the senior bus on a shopping trip. He found the bus to be antiquated and smelling of exhaust fumes; it had no storage area and was difficult for senior citizens to board. To correct the problem, the township purchased a new bus in 2019.

On the same bus ride, Melham learned that seniors wanted the opportunity to shop outside of Belleville, most often at Kohl’s, Target and Burlington, which are located just over the border in Clifton. With changes to the bus schedule, seniors can now shop at these stores.

In addition to transportation, the township has been focusing on bettering its communication with seniors. Through the nonprofit Belleville Civic Association, Melham has started a newsletter called “Belleville Senior Moment.” Its first issue is expected out in March.

Melham said there is also a brand-new program for homeowners of which seniors may be unaware.

“Belleville is going through a redevelopment renaissance,” he said. “Two percent of construction costs are mandated by the state for the Council on Affordable Housing.”

Melham said Belleville had $1.6 million in a fund for forgivable loans for eligible residents. 

The loans can be as much as $22,000. There are requirements including maximum incomes depending on the number of people in the household. The maximum income for a family of two is $68,874. It is also required that the homeowner will remain the owner for at least 10 years.

“This is not taxpayers’ money and we have to use that money,” said Melham. “Most seniors would qualify for the loan.”

According to Malvika Apte, a project planner for CME Associates, which is administering the program, the Home Improvement Program was initiated in Belleville in the fall of 2020. In an email, Apte said that, since then, the Belleville program has received 150 inquiries and 15 applications, of which only two were deemed ineligible. She estimated most of the applicants, between 50 to 60 percent, have been ages 55 or older.

“Eligible property owners are allowed an interest-free loan for up to 10 years provided the conditions of the loan repayment are met,” she wrote. “Upon completion of 10 years, the loan shall be forgiven and be considered a grant only if the unit has satisfied the terms of the agreement.”

Although the program is new in Belleville, Apte said that, from her experience elsewhere, 90 percent of the applicants remain with the program for the required time period. If the homeowner should move within 10 years, they would be required to pay back 100 percent of the loan unless the new owner wishes to assume the lien for the balance of the lien period.

There have also been other improvements for seniors. Renovations totaling $45,000 have taken place at the senior building on Mill Street and Franklin Avenue.

The township also created a senior advisory committee with the presidents of the senior Friday Club, the Tuesday Club and the AARP Club. Melham has learned from them that more entertainment for seniors would be welcomed.

“Last summer we had a concert series,” he said. “It was in July and August, and half the music was geared for seniors.”

  FEATURED, Mayor Michael Melham, Senior Citizens