Family Success Centers to provide residents and their families with resources and support; eleven sites have been designated across the city.

Newark, NJ - November 28, 2007 - Mayor Cory A. Booker, members of the Newark Municipal Council, Director of the Department of Child and Family Well-Being Maria Vizcarrondo, Newark Now Executive Director Modia Butler, and New Jersey Department of Children and Families Commissioner Kevin Ryan joined today with representatives from a variety of public and private organizations at a press conference to launch the new Family Success Initiative in the City of Newark.

Designed to provide a range of resources and support for children and families in Newark, the new initiative will afford residents with convenient and coordinated access to vital information and the necessary tools to maintaining quality of life for themselves and their families. Eleven sites, known as Family Success Centers, have been designated across the city and will serve as safe-havens for families to receive assistance and a variety of services.

"The launch of this initiative means more than just a partnership between public and private sectors," said Mayor Booker. "It is evidence of a united effort between the City of Newark and the community to helping our residents raise healthy families and build brighter futures and serves as a testament to the strength of our great city." The press conference was held at the FOCUS Hispanic Center for Community Development in the Central Ward, one of the city's eleven Family Success Centers. It was immediately followed by a tour of two additional sites - the Baxter Family Success Center, also located in the Central Ward and the Ironbound West Family Success Center in the East Ward.

The centers are managed by community-based organizations and are supported by on-site public and private programs that facilitate the provision of support, services, and resources such as General Assistance, Earned Income Tax Credit, Career Readiness, Abbott Pre-School, Parenting Workshops, Anti-violence Workshops, Food Stamps, Health Insurance, and Nutrition Workshops.