Stories
BCHT is The People!
Do you want to know who Better Community Housing of Trenton really is?
BCHT is the people who have walked their lives with us, shared their hardships and joys, efforts, mistakes, and successes. It isn’t always easy to move forward in life, but here are the stories of a few people who want to tell you how BCHT affected them. There are many others, of course, and we hope to get more of them to let us share their stories with you.
Family Breaks the Cycle of Poverty
From BCHT’s December 2021 Newsletter
Diamond was a teenager in 2013 when she moved into a BCHT home with her family. Her mother, Liz, was spotlighted in our August 2018 newsletter, which recounted the amazing story of her escape from Liberia and eventual connection to Better Community Housing of Trenton. (See Diamond and her mom and sister in the 2nd photo above in our photo gallery)
Diamond has a wonderful role model in her mom, and now, at 25, has her own special story to tell. When Diamond arrived here from Liberia she enrolled in Daylight/Twilight, an alternate program to obtain a high school diploma. After graduation, she got a scholarship to Bloomfield College, then transferred to Rutgers School of Health Professions, where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Lab Science.
It was not an easy time. Her financial aid did not cover living expenses, and she would come home on the weekends to volunteer at the BCHT Thrift Store, where she got to take advantage of their gently used clothing, household goods, and food. She says the experience of volunteering at the store cemented her bond with the community and provided experience for her resume that helped her continue to get financial assistance and, later, a job.
Now, Diamond works as a chemical lab technician at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, researching such things as COVID and other harmful viruses. She is studying for a Master’s Degree at George Washington University. Her big news is that she is now engaged and has bought a house with her fiancé, Daryl.
Diamond is so grateful to BCHT for the house her mother obtained and all the support she received from BCHT in helping her with her daily living needs in college and in applying for scholarships. She says the help her mom received from BCHT has trickled down to her and her siblings in many ways. She has definitely taken a huge step away from the poverty of her childhood. We are proud of Diamond for doing so much with her life, and wish her success and blessings to come.
Kathy Bellamy: Tyrell Resident Welcomes New Project
From BCHT’s December 2020 Newsletter
It’s not just prospective homeowners who are excited about the upcoming new homes BCHT will be renovating and building on Tyrell Avenue. Kathy Bellamy has been living on Tyrell Avenue since 1989 when she bought a renovated house in the BCHT housing program.
Kathy quickly became a leader in her community. She was president of the BCHT Volunteer Worker Development Committee for several years and continues to be a community activist for East Trenton, working with ETC and other organizations in the area. She is currently an advocate of the new skate park that is proposed for Assunpink Park at the east end of Tyrell Avenue. (See Kathy in the first photo in the gallery above with Mayor Reed Gusciora)
Kathy’s early story was first spotlighted in an article in a local newspaper in December 1990, when she was doing the sweat equity, which was required every month while paying off her mortgage. The picture showed her wearing a belt of construction tools and smiling broadly. She said she enjoyed assisting with the construction of a “dream house” for another family who would reap the benefits that she was experiencing.
As for the 2020 Tyrell project, Kathy says she is happy to know that people will finally be moving into the vacant homes that have been attracting unwanted activities. She has been “hanging in there”, waiting for a long time for this next phase. She looks forward to living on a street she can be proud of.
Jayne Gordon of Tyrell Avenue: Paying it Forward - Making a Home for Children in the Community
From BCHT’s December 2019 Newsletter
In 1989, BCHT helped four families rehab and move into houses on Tyrell Avenue. Back then, Jayne Gordon was a young woman trying to get her life in order as a divorced mother of two. She is a wonderful example of how getting a truly affordable home from BCHT can change lives, not only of the homeowner but of others in the community.
Below is a letter she wrote to BCHT founder, Fr. Brian McCormick, on the occasion of his retirement in 2012.
“My life changed when I became a part of the Better Community Housing Program, the community which made it possible for a single mom and her two young children to become a proud homeowner. Having a truly affordable home made such a difference. So I said to myself, ‘Self, what can I do to give back to my community?’ I had two extra bedrooms, so I decided to open my home up to children in my community who needed one.
You and your organization inspired me to become a foster/adoptive parent. From that day on, my calling was to advocate, love, and nourish our youth. Better Community Housing of Trenton, Inc. made that dream a reality. The safety and well-being of children within my community is my passion, particularly those with disabilities. It is so important to give children a sense of love, safety, and self-pride.
You have made a tremendous impact in my life, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. My children thank you and those to come thank you also. My home and my heart will always be a revolving door for out-of-home children. It’s the best feeling, try it - you’ll see!”
Ms. Gordon went on to get a Masters Degree in Human Services and to work for the Department of Community Affairs, Division of Women. She is the chairperson for Foster/Adoptive Family Services of Mercer County (Embrella), runs A Better Way food pantry, volunteers for an inner city drill team, and has sat on several nonprofit boards. Over 40 children have passed through her home, including seven that she adopted and five who currently live there. She says that it doesn’t matter how you come to be part of a family, it only matters that you have a family. (See Jayne and a few of her kids in the 4th photo in the gallery above)
Jose Rivera of JMR Construction: A Martin House ‘Youth Corp’ Grad Succeeds in Establishing His Own Business
From BCHT’s December 2018 Newsletter
In 1992, when Jose Rivera joined the Youth Corp at Martin House/Better Community Housing, he had no idea what to do with his life. He had dropped out of high school and was heading in the wrong direction. He joined the 2-year Youth Corp program that sent him to Mercer County Vocational School to learn carpentry and to get his GED, while working half days for BCHT.
Jose says that he owes much to Fr. Brian McCormick, our founder and Director at that time. He says that Fr. Brian taught him that all things come from God, and that he needed to stay focused on his work because “This life is not a magic show.” After graduating, Jose continued working for BCHT. Then, in 2000, he went off on his own, starting his own company, JMR Construction. Now, Jose still does jobs for his BCHT family, like completing the new windows at Doorway to Hope. He says, “When they call, I come.”
Eliza Peal: Courage and Determination Reap Many Blessings - From Monrovia to Trenton
From BCHT’s August 2018 Newsletter
In December 2013, we told you about an amazing woman named Eliza (Liz) Peal, who has endured more than most of us can even imagine. Liz escaped from Liberia during the civil war in 1990 that killed over 200,000 people. She was a college student working in Monrovia when the rebels entered the city. She was separated from her twin sons and walked for weeks with thousands of others trying to reach the safety of Sierra Leone. During her flight she endured many terrors, including being captured and kept as a slave before escaping again, and then nearly drowning as her boat capsized crossing the river into Sierra Leone. She lived in Sierra Leone for a year in a refugee camp before the Red Cross got clearance for her to come to the US.
Liz arrived in the US in November 1990 with only a summer dress and flip-flops. The Red Cross helped her find a job and an apartment for six months, then she was on her own. She worked two jobs and checked monthly with the Red Cross to see if they had located her children, parents, or siblings, but there was no word.
When she moved to Trenton, Liz met Mamadou Keita, an immigrant from Mali, who would become her husband. Together they had three children, Diamond, Muhammad, and Ayssatu. While continuing to work two jobs, Liz got a scholarship to Mercer County College. But the events of September 11 changed everything. New immigration rules sent her husband back to Mali. Liz realized she couldn’t give her children a good life here if she didn’t have an education, so she and Mamadou decided that he would take the children to Africa with him while Liz worked here to complete her education and save money to bring them all back to Trenton.
In the following years Liz attended college, worked, saved, and sent money to her family. She received her degree as an LPN in 2002, and in 2005 she applied to become a homeowner through our 100 Homes for 100 Families project, adding sweat equity obligations to her workload. Liz is living proof that determination and hard work pay off. The year 2011 held many milestones for her. She earned her US citizenship, was certified to get a mortgage for a BCHT home, and went to Africa to search for her family in Liberia and to pick up her children in Mali to bring them home to the US.
In Liberia, Liz found what was left of her family – her mother and sister and now-grown twin sons, who had been raised by her sister. After a joyful reunion Liz went on to Mali to reunite with her husband and three children living there. She brought her children home to New Jersey, where they lived in their beautiful new BCHT house.
As she continued to try to get a visa for her husband, Liz and her children all worked hard to improve their situation. The children excelled in school and received scholarships to college. Now, 2018, is another year of milestones and celebrations. Diamond and Muhammad graduated from college, and Muhammad is doing an internship at New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance. Ayssatu graduated from high school and is now attending Mercer County Community College. But the most wonderful event occurred when Liz’ husband Mamadou arrived legally in the US, finally uniting the family as one.
Liz told us she feels so light now – most of the burden has been lifted, and she is ever grateful to God, BCHT, Father Brian, Pearleen, Gloria, and all the many people who have helped her and shared her life since she arrived in the US in 1990. BCHT is honored to be part of the life of someone as motivated and dedicated as Liz.
Tamika Young: Stability of Home Ownership Brought her from Homeowner to Board Member
From BCHT’s November 2017 Newsletter
Tamika Young graduated from Rutgers in 1998 and realized she had to make her way in the wide world. As a single mom she needed not just a job but a stable home. She heard about BCHT’s program for affordable housing and attended the required meetings and classes to learn about maintaining a home; she did sweat equity, and finally bought a rehabbed home on Locust Street.
Tamika says that BCHT provided the support she needed in so many ways – faith, finances, and homeownership. Having this stability enabled her to be able to focus on her family and education.
She was able to grow in her job and obtain a Masters Degree in Social Work. After Tamika paid off her mortgage, Pearleen asked her to be a member of the Board of Trustees, where she currently serves as a community liaison at bi-monthly community meetings and organizes many community events. She is now married, with two children and continues to work as a social worker. Congratulations, Tamika! (See Tamika on the left in the 3rd photo in the gallery above)