College Awarded Funds to Establish Institute for Attainable Homes

April 16, 2015

PATCHOGUE, N.Y. – April 16, 2015 – St. Joseph’s College (SJC) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded $40,000 in grant funding from the Long Island Community Foundation (LICF) to establish the Institute for Attainable Homes. With these funds, an SJC advisory board will be created to implement strategic and operational plans for the Institute.

SJC’s Institute for Attainable Homes, within a newly constituted Center for Community Solutions, aims to expand and increase opportunities for all residents of Long Island to secure homes, whether by owning or renting, and to help create more livable communities so that Long Island emerges as a permanent destination of choice. In addition, the Institute will seek to establish sponsorships from community foundations, municipal entities, businesses and other organizations that support similar missions and goals.

“We are grateful for this funding from LICF that will help us start our new Institute for Attainable Homes and to be engaged in addressing the needs of the region,” said SJC President Jack P. Calareso, Ph.D. “There is a great need for opportunities that will provide young people access to their own homes, and this Institute is a result of our commitment to improving the communities of Long Island for generations to come.”

The persistent shortage of affordable pathways to owning or renting a home has serious social and economic implications that threaten not only the livability of our communities, but also the very sustainability of our region. Young adults, young families and empty nesters are finding it difficult to remain on Long Island. In addition, employers are finding it increasingly difficult to attract and retain a strong workforce because of limited housing options near businesses and a scarcity of dense downtowns. 

“St. Joseph’s was founded on the principles of social justice, and those ideals are infused into everything that we do,” said Christopher Frost, Ph.D., executive dean of SJC’s Long Island Campus. “We are guided by a fundamental belief in a compassionate world where human dignity is respected and all people have the same basic rights and opportunities. The funding we have received from LICF will help us to bridge our beliefs and further extend our continued efforts in transforming communities on Long Island.” 

LICF is a nonprofit organization that connects donors with charitable organizations in the community. In 1978, The New York Community Trust established a Long Island division to provide Nassau and Suffolk County residents with an economical alternative to a private foundation or a commercial gift fund. Since then, LICF has granted more than $150 million to nonprofit organizations across the country.

ABOUT ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE
St. Joseph’s College has been dedicated to providing a diverse population of students in the New York metropolitan area with an affordable education rooted in the liberal arts tradition since 1916. Independent and coeducational, the College provides a strong academic and value-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, aiming to prepare each student for a life characterized by integrity, intellectual and spiritual values, social responsibility and service. With campuses located in the Clinton Hill area of Brooklyn and in Patchogue, Long Island, the College offers degrees in more than 35 majors, special course offerings and certificates, affiliated and pre-professional programs.