Discover New Jersey NPO: The Waterfront Project

Some buy cars from Nutley Kia not only because we have good cars and provide awesome services, but because we care about people. Especially local people who need help. We’ve sponsored charities such as The Phoenix Center to help raise awareness of those who need helps. And today we want to share a helpful organization with you. Discover the cause and mission of The Waterfront Project, Inc. by reading the interview with Max Colas, the Marketing Coordinator and Elizabeth F Caraballo, Esq, the Executive Director.

The Waterfront Project, Inc is a legal center that provides free legal representation, assistance and advocacy to the poor, homeless and disenfranchised of Hudson County. It has served the community since 2013 as an independent 501 (c)(3) corporation. The Project specializes in providing legal guidance, advice and direct representation in landlord/tenant, basic contract negotiations, testamentary documents, social security matters and medical insurance contract reviews.

As pastor of the Catholic Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Hoboken, Monsignor Robert Meyer, Esq was surprised at the number of people who came to him for legal advice when they found out he had a law degree. If so many were willing to come forward, how many more were suffering in silence? He decided to create a solution for the need he had uncovered. With the help of a committee of parishioners, the church official hired a director who opened an independent, non-profit legal clinic called The Waterfront Project in March 2013. Inspired by the opportunity to empower vulnerable members of the community, Elizabeth F Caraballo, Esq left a private legal practice to join Msgr Meyer in his mission and serve as The Waterfront Project’s first director.

Part of our role as a nonprofit organization is to raise awareness to the problems, federate energies to tackle them and provide tangible solutions, which requires systematic collaboration with other local organizations. A good example of collaboration at a local level was our first Waterfront Summit last October to discuss Homelessness in Hudson County. Hosted by Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, the Summit gathered several experts from local universities such as Seton Hall and New York Law School, and regional officials from Veteran Affairs and Community Development and Housing Departments,  in a panel to discuss tangible solutions to homelessness in Hudson County. The Summit also featured a Help Village where several homeless were given food, medical checkups donated by the Carepoint Health Foundation, a local foundation supported by CarePoint Health, owner of hospitals in Hoboken and Bayonne.

Financing our operations is the biggest challenge. With a substantial share of Hudson County residents below the poverty line, there is a real need for a local structure to help those who cannot afford legal assistance, but in order to deliver it we constantly need financial support which comes from private donors and law firms. The Project has also received grants from the City of Hoboken.

As a local legal clinic we handle cases that truly impact the livelihood of our clients. In one landlord tenant matter we handled very soon after we incorporated, our advocacy work managed to help  another 98 low-income Hoboken families stay in their apartments despite facing rent increases that would have been impossible to meet due to their limited income. For many of them, that victory meant they could keep their home. When justice is about staying under a roof, we realize the importance of our organization.

Absolutely but in a very positive way. My work at The Waterfront Project challenges me every single day  – as a lawyer, as its executive director and as a human being. Every morning that I come to the office, I am grateful for having the opportunity to work with others in an effort to help others in need. I sure hope that every challenge makes me more capable to handle the next one and in doing so, makes me a better lawyer, executive director, mother, wife and friend.