JESPY breaks ground on its new center

On June 1, friends and supporters of JESPY House gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the JESPY Center on the Cooperman Family Campus in South Orange, giving clients the chance to expand opportunity, strengthen community, and bring lasting promise as they forge self-directed lives.

More than 300 JESPY clients, families, board members, and supporters joined the festivities. Speakers included South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum, philanthropists Toby and Leon Cooperman, Assemblywoman Garnet Hall, Senator Renee Burgess, and several clients.

JESPY has provided vital, comprehensive services in South Orange for nearly five decades. The JESPY Center will add 20 aging-in-place suites and 26 affordably priced apartments, alongside new space dedicated to vocational training, health and wellness, clinical and behavioral supports, and more. All of them will be accessible. The expansion will enable longtime clients to remain in their homes and community as they grow older — with the right care in place — and provide stability for those at risk of displacement due to rising housing costs, a challenge facing families across New Jersey and the nation.

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“We are so thrilled that this day is here,” Audrey Winkler, JESPY House’s executive director, said. “This is not just about buildings. It’s about building lives. For too long, adults with IDD have been left out of conversations about affordable housing and aging services. The JESPY Center changes that. It says loudly and clearly: you belong and your future is important.”

JESPY envisions expanding housing and services for clients across a wide age spectrum, from young adults just starting out to seniors in their 70s. Plans are underway for the Hub, which will offer 20 units of housing designed specifically for young adults, a training kitchen to develop job skills and daily living independence, and a library and technology center to support ongoing learning and growth. With many clients now on waiting lists for independence-based services and housing, JESPY is actively working to secure approvals so that it can one day soon plan a groundbreaking for the Hub.

Toby and Leon Cooperman, whose generous $13.25 million matching gift helped launch the project, proudly explained why the JESPY Center means so much to them: it gives JESPY clients the chance to pursue the American dream. “The JESPY Center is an investment in the future,” Leon Cooperman said; Toby was by his side. “These adults need a place they can call home — a place for recreation, support, and stability after their parents are gone. Toby and I have great hope that our matching challenge will inspire others to step forward. Everyone here has a role to play. JESPY clients are working hard to be independent and give back to the community. So I ask: what will you do to make the world a better place?”

“I’m thrilled to see so many here today,” JESPY’s board president, Dr. Ahadi Bugg-Levine, said. “This groundbreaking shows our united determination — clients, families, staff, donors, and elected officials standing together. But our work isn’t finished. The Hub is next, so young adults can gain independence too. I urge you all to stand with us and help move this project forward. We must get this done!”

For more information, go to www.jespy.org.