WILLIAMSTOWN – With a shared commitment to providing South Jersey seniors with safe, affordable housing that offers a sound quality of life, the Diocese of Camden’s Diocesan Housing Services Corporation, with project partners CVS Health and The Walters Group, celebrated the grand opening and dedication of The Mews at Saint Mary, a new 75-unit senior housing community located behind Our Lady of Peace Parish, on May 21.
“We’re celebrating today a work of justice, social justice,” Bishop Joseph A. Williams said during his blessing. “Social justice says yes to the dignity of the human person, yes to the option for those who are most vulnerable among us.”
“Let us pray that Christ enter The Mews at Saint Mary and bless it with His presence,” Bishop Williams said, directing his words to the residents. “May He always be here among you. May He nurture your love for each other, share in your joys and comfort you in your sorrows.”
Bishop Williams was joined by representatives from DHSC and CVS Health, whose partnership with The Walters Group helped make the project possible. Community leaders and diocesan clergy also attended the celebration, including Father Thomas Newton, Episcopal Vicar for Synodality, and Father Naveen Borlakunta, VC, parochial vicar at Our Lady of Peace Parish, Williamstown.
“This is a day of gratitude, hope, and new beginnings for many who call this place home,” said Father Borlakunta. “A home is more than bricks and walls; a home is a place of safety, dreams, belonging, and hope.” Thanking the hard work of all who helped build the residence, he prayed that “these apartments become a place where families and friendships grow, and lives are renewed.”
The need for senior affordable housing is significant. According to New Jersey Future, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that advocates for safe, affordable neighborhoods, 60% of New Jersey renters age 65 and older are housing cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their fixed incomes on housing. That reality underscores the importance of developments such as The Mews at Saint Mary.
Jamie Reynolds, DHSC executive director, said the project reflects the value of partnerships and the Church’s commitment to serving older adults.
“We are so excited to work with our many partners and Our Lady of Peace Parish to repurpose surplus church property to meet the affordable housing needs of older adults,” he said. “Blessed Saint Teresa of Kolkata once said, ‘Love begins at home,’ and we remain mindful that, first and foremost, we are creating warm and safe spaces for our residents to call home.”
The parish community’s welcome was also reflected by student ambassadors from nearby Saint Mary School in Williamstown, who presented residents with a peace lily plant now displayed in The Mews’ lobby.
Peter J. O’Connor, board chair of the Diocese of Camden’s Diocesan Housing Services Corporation and founder of the Fair Share Housing Center and Fair Share Housing Development, connected the project to more than five decades of affordable housing advocacy in New Jersey.
O’Connor was one of the original attorneys in the landmark state Supreme Court cases that established the Mount Laurel Doctrine, which requires municipalities to plan, zone and take steps to provide their “fair share” of regional affordable housing needs.
“This project had its beginning with the dream” that began 55 years ago, he said, recalling the effort by O’Connor and two other lawyers, on behalf of individual plaintiffs and the NAACP, to challenge Mount Laurel Township’s refusal to permit affordable housing.
Stephen Salter, 68, an Army veteran, was among the first residents to move into The Mews at Saint Mary with support from Catholic Charities of South Jersey. Two months later, he said the new home has brought stability and peace of mind.
“It’s worked out great for me. This came at the right time,” Salter said, describing his previous assisted-living experience as difficult, with “bed bugs, poor food, poor service.”
His new second-floor apartment at The Mews, he said, is “clean, kept up well,” and surrounded by people who “are great.” Living with diabetes and back issues, Salter said he remains grateful for Catholic Charities’ continued support.
“My life has been stable since I’ve been here,” Salter said. “They’ve helped me all along the way.”
Barbara Rosenberger, 74, also said The Mews has brought her a greater sense of stability. She moved into the new community May 1 after finding it increasingly difficult to afford her previous residence.
“It’s given me financial security, and it’s safer,” Rosenberger said. “It’s a good fit for me.”
Beyond its 75 affordable homes, The Mews at Saint Mary is intended to be a place where residents can live with dignity, stability and support. The community will offer on-site wellness services through the Diocese of Camden’s VITALity Catholic Healthcare Services; health education, prevention programs and screenings through DHSC service coordinators; counseling through Catholic Charities of South Jersey; and additional support for needs such as food access, transportation and other basic necessities.
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