Banking on Community: Six Institutions Invest in Perth Amboy’s Gateway Neighborhood

PARTNER NJ is honored to announce the renewal of three long-standing banking partnerships and the addition of three new funders and sponsors, each making a meaningful investment in the families, programs, and future of Perth Amboy’s Gateway Neighborhood.

Renewed Support

Columbia Bank, M&T Bank, and PNC Bank have each renewed their commitment to PARTNER’s Homebuyer Education and Financial Counseling programs, which provide free, comprehensive one-on-one services to low- and moderate-income families in Middlesex and Union Counties. These programs help residents navigate the homebuying process, build credit, manage household budgets, and take the concrete steps needed to achieve and sustain homeownership.

More than 80 percent of Gateway Neighborhood residents rent their homes, and homeownership has declined by nearly 43 percent over the past two decades. PARTNER’s bilingual workshops and one-on-one counseling meet residents where they are. Each year, more than 200 residents receive housing and financial counseling, and at least eight families achieve homeownership with direct financial assistance.

Welcome, New Partners

OceanFirst Bank joins as a new community sponsor of Bike Day by the Bay, PARTNER’s beloved annual celebration. OceanFirst Bank’s sponsorship will fund the event’s bike giveaway program, providing bikes directly to several children and residents in the Gateway Neighborhood.

Somerset Regal Bank Charitable Foundation joins PARTNER NJ as a new funder, investing in the Home Harmony Home Repair Program and bilingual homebuyer education workshops to help low-income Gateway Neighborhood homeowners make critical repairs and prepare renters for first-time homeownership.

Target joins the Gateway Neighborhood Collaborative as a new community funder through its Thriving Neighborhoods Program, supporting job fairs that connect job seekers with regional employers, ESL and workforce training, home repairs for low-income homeowners, and community wellness programs that reach more than 600 Gateway Neighborhood seniors and residents each year.

Why It Matters

These partnerships are more than financial contributions. They are a statement of confidence in the Gateway Neighborhood and in the families working hard to build stable, prosperous lives in Perth Amboy. Each investment supports a coordinated strategy that integrates housing, financial empowerment, home repair, and community programming for the more than 2,000 residents who call the Gateway Neighborhood home.

For more information contact Victor Tavarez at victor@partnernj.org