AFFORDABLE HOMES: Committee members for Princeton Community Housing’s upcoming “Community Roots, Opportunity Blossoms” event are planning a benefit on Friday, September 27 at Morven Museum & Garden to support projects for PCH’s 1,100 residents. (Photo courtesy of Princeton Community Housing)

By Donald Gilpin

Inviting supporters to “sow the seeds of success,” Princeton Community Housing (PCH) will host “Community Roots, Opportunity Blossoms” on Friday, September 27 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Morven Museum & Garden. The evening will feature a cocktail reception, a silent auction, and a seated dinner under the tent catered by Occasions by Cintron.

Presented by Penn Medicine Princeton Health, the fundraising celebration will benefit the work and mission of PCH, with this year’s theme highlighting the importance of having “a place to call home — whether a house or a community — to grow and thrive,” according to Event Committee Chair and PCH Trustee Caroline Travers.

PCH was founded by a group of community leaders in 1967, and in 1975 developed Princeton Community Village (PCV), 238 low-and moderate-income apartments, on Bunn Drive. Ten years later PCH opened Elm Court on Elm Road, a community serving low- and moderate- income seniors and adults of all ages with disabilities. In the coming year the nonprofit organization will be celebrating the 50th and 40th anniversaries of these two communities.

Kate Bech, PCH director of mission advancement, reflected on the impact of PCH on Princeton in the context of the current national discussions and debates about affordable housing and homelessness.

“The idea that they welcomed the first residents in 1975, when PCV opened, and here it is 50 years later, to me it’s a story about the community and a story about Princeton in general, a story about regular people who said this mattered enough to them,” said Bech.

PCH has sustained its focus over the years, last year completing the construction of a new energy-efficient apartment building, named after Jim and Fannie Floyd, for 25 new families with very low, low, and moderate incomes.

The building is surrounded by Herrontown Woods, where a new trailhead was constructed last fall. PCH volunteers completed a successful $2 million capital campaign in 2023 to accomplish the project.

In addition to the September 27 “Community Roots, Opportunity Blossoms” benefit, PCH is planning a series of events and activities over the course of the coming year to celebrate the milestone anniversaries and achievements.

“Penn Medicine Princeton Health is proud to support Princeton Community Housing in its very important mission to provide safe, well-maintained, affordable homes and social service supports to more than 1,100 area residents, what we know are key factors among the social determinants of health,” said Penn Medicine CEO James Demetriades, who is the honorary chair of the September 27 event and also, since May 2024, president of the PCH Development Corporation.

Travers expanded on the horticulture metaphor in emphasizing the importance of PCH to the well-being of the Princeton community. “Just as a well-tended garden nurtures seeds and helps them take root, a richly diverse and inclusive community creates opportunities for growth and success in life, benefiting everyone,” she said. “Affordable homes ensure that our town is a place where people from all backgrounds can put down roots, contribute to its vibrancy, enhance its ‘ecosystem,’ and grow and blossom by accessing and adding to our abundant resources.”

PCH Executive Director Ed Truscelli commented on the many services available to PCH residents and pointed out PCH’s dependence, as a nonprofit organization, on financial contributions in order to continue the essential work of promoting and managing affordable housing in Princeton.

“Thanks to many generous donors and their investments, we can maintain our vision to offer all people the opportunity to build more productive and fulfilling lives here in town,” said Truscelli. “Proceeds from this event underwrite what we call the ‘PCH difference,’ the supportive services, projects, and activities we provide, often through community-based resources coordinated by our social services coordinators and staff.”

PCH Community Board of Trustees President Karen Jeziemy added, “We invite everyone to join us in this important work and carry on our tradition of citizens supporting a balance of housing opportunities essential to the continued success and diversity of the Princeton community, and help us sow seeds for success.”

For tickets or sponsorship information for the September 27 event, visit pchhomes.org/support/2024-community-roots or contact Bech at (609) 924-3822 x6 or by email at katebech@pchhomes.org.