BRICK Education Network is a nonprofit organization operating in Newark, N.J. with services related to education, health, housing and economic opportunity.

One of BRICK’s key efforts is the South Ward Promise Neighborhood (SWPN) Initiative through which 30+ partners provide holistic services including quality education, stable housing, health and wellness, family support, and career pathways using schools as anchor institutions in Newark’s South Ward Neighborhood. In addition to leading SWPN, BRICK operates charter schools for kids and teens, college degree programs for working adults and nontraditional students, and a professional skills training program. It also supports a local wellness center and other programs that offer early childhood support for families, economic mobility coaching and collaborations with other nonprofits to streamline access to services for residents.

BRICK is sponsoring development of South Ward Wellness Center (SWWC), a $41.4 million facility that will be home to a new Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), a pharmacy, a YMCA fitness center and space to operate BRICK programming that address critical needs, like food assistance and housing support. It is part of a broader BRICK development plan for the South Ward of Newark that includes a K-8 school, two workforce housing developments and an economic mobility center.

The new FQHC will be operated by St. James Health, which is moving from its current temporary location to SWWC, creating a larger, more comprehensive health center to support 12,000 patient visits annually—five times its existing capacity. Its primary care and mental health services will include a particular focus on pre-natal and maternal care, all helping fill a gap in a federally designated Medically Underserved Area with a range of social and economic challenges, including low levels of family income.

The project also includes an 11,500-square-foot YMCA fitness center that will offer physical therapy and nutritional counseling for patients. BRICK will relocate its administrative offices to the new facility as well.

To support project financing, Broadstreet committed $10 million of New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation from the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), with Wells Fargo as the investor. It reflects Broadstreet’s strong focus on improving health outcomes for people in underserved communities. The investment will help the health center serve some 4,500 patients annually, a nearly 250 percent increase over current capacity, while offering fitness services to 1,000 people and creating 158 construction and permanent jobs.

Development of SWWC would not be financially feasible without affordable financing generated by the tax credits, which in addition to Broadstreet’s support includes NMTC allocations from Grow America and Wells Fargo, leverage debt from Reinvestment Fund and the Dodge Foundation, and New Jersey state tax credits purchased and bridged by M&T Bank. The Project has strong backing by the city, the state, and philanthropic partners—in addition to strong community support—because it dramatically expands vital services in a highly vulnerable census tract.