Applications being accepted!

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CLAYTON, NJ—After several years of planning the Camp Salute Community, a 76-unit apartment complex being built with a veteran and veteran surviving spouse preference, partners People for People and Conifer LLC have started accepting applications for residents. First occupancy is scheduled for early June 2018. With a room full of over 80 veterans and family from all over South Jersey, several regional veteran organizations worked with each veteran to fill out their application.

Organizations on hand included, People for People, Conifer, LLC., Vetability and the Gloucester County Veteran Affairs’ office and Gloucester County Housing Authority. According to Bernadette Blackstock, People for People’s President and CEO, “The responses we are receiving from the veteran community is overwhelmingly positive. Most of them are asking when we are going to build the next veteran’s community.”

Sitting at a table with several applicants, all strangers but with one thing in common. . .they are veterans. And, even though they are from all walks of life and all branches of the military the comradery takes over the room. Jay Lapp from Glassboro, Michael Pontari from Winslow, Charles Ingram from Deptford, Ralph Jones and Bruce Stokes from Woodbury all shared their thoughts about Camp Salute.

Stokes states, “Finally someone cares about us and that we have a nice place to live.”

Pontari states, “It’s about time we veterans are being prioritized and provided a low cost and decent, safe place to live on our own.”

Collectively, the group agreed that it is finally nice to feel a part of a group of people who understands their daily challenges and specialize in veteran issues. Ingram states, “This community brings unity back to our lives and it makes it easier to sleep knowing that you are surrounded by your brothers and sisters and management that cares.”

Veteran Ada Velec-Boardley also applied to reside in Camp Salute with her special needs son. Boardley states, “This whole process brought tears to my eyes to know that I could have a permanent stable place to live. Knowing that you will have a permanent roof over your head and a place with social and veteran services available on site gives you a real peace of mind.”

Boardley currently works at Vetability and provides workforce development guidance to fellow veterans. She adds, “The first miracle that changed my life was the GI Bill. This is the second miracle which will allow me to live amongst my peers.”

Camp Salute apartments have fully equipped kitchens, a living room and private bathroom and patio or balcony. The eight buildings offer, one, two and three bedroom apartments with the following amenities: a community room, exercise room, a computer lab as well as a tot lot playground area. Also planned is a Veteran’s Memorial area consisting of flags and a sitting area. Camp Salute will also be the home of the People for People Foundation social services organization as well as staffed with Veteran Affairs Accredited Claims Agents, other veteran organizations and service providers, as well as veteran support groups and life skill classes.

There are still one, two and three bedroom units available for individuals and families that People for People and Conifer are looking to fill over the next month.

Applications are available on line at: http://bit.ly/Campsalute. For more information reach out to People for People at 856-579-7561.

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