Evesham One of Only Two NJ Municipalities Awarded $100,000 Inclusive Healthy Communities Grant

Evesham Township has made it a priority to give a greater voice to individuals who experience disabilities and the issues most affecting them in the Evesham community.

Now the municipality will have further support in achieving this important goal thanks to a $100,000 grant from the Inclusive Healthy Communities (IHC) Grant Program through the State of New Jersey.

Evesham Township is proud to be one of one only two municipalities throughout the state to be awarded this IHC Grant for the 2020 year - an achievement that stems from the township’s dedication to inclusivity and the diligent work of municipal grant writing firm Millennium Strategies.

As outlined by the state, the IHC Grant Program provides funding opportunities for communities to promote inclusive practices that support the health and well-being of individuals who experience disabilities.

One in 10 residents of Evesham experiences a disability, yet the planning documents that have guided the community’s growth throughout the past 40 years have not incorporated inclusive policies beyond what is mandated by state and federal law.

With that in mind, the township’s governing body has refocused the township’s policy-making structure to prioritize inclusivity and incorporate the voices of residents who experience disabilities.

With the $100,000 IHC Grant, Evesham Township will further address any barriers to expanding inclusion through a compressive, 18-month project to collect data from the community and test pilot initiatives to increase inclusivity.

“When it comes to planning for Evesham Township’s future growth, I fully believe our municipality has both a practical and moral obligation to incorporate fully inclusive policies beyond just those mandated by the law,” Mayor Jaclyn Veasy said. “Once we complete this project, our township will have an even stronger partnership with our disability community. I thank the state Department of Human Services and Division of Disability Services for recognizing the benefit of this project to our residents who experience disabilities and the benefit to our community as a whole.”

The first phase of the 18-month project will be contracting with a data analysis organization and a planning firm, which will administer a community-wide survey to collect baseline data to be analyzed and presented to the township and all project partners.

The second phase of the project will focus on planning that will ultimately lead to the development of a permanent Inclusion Component of the Evesham Township Master Plan, which will allow Evesham residents who experience disabilities to benefit from an “inclusion-in-all-things” approach to community leadership. Planning in this phase will also include public meetings to share updates with members of the community and collect further feedback.

The third phase of the project will see the township implement pilot initiatives to test advances in inclusivity based on the recommendations from the prior phases of the project.

“It’s important that residents who experience disabilities know that their voices matter to the township,” said Evesham Deputy Mayor Heather Cooper, whose lifelong career has allowed her to work in the human services field on behalf of people who experience disabilities. “When we proudly say Evesham Township is an inclusive community, this project will let our residents know that we truly mean everyone.”

With this 18-month project, Evesham officials hope to address barriers for those who experience physical disabilities, as well as individuals who experience autism or various learning or developmental disabilities.

Evesham Township is proud to join efforts across the nation to assess the services and infrastructure necessary to advance inclusivity. From the design of healthy, exercising paths to be inclusive of people with all abilities in Syracuse, NY, to the installation of public charging stations to assist power wheelchair users Umatilla County, OR, Evesham has many wonderful examples to examine.

In undertaking this project, Evesham Township also aspires to create a replicable model for other local governments so they too can make inclusivity a priority that is fully intertwined with all aspects of community planning and development.

Collaboration for the project will include all of Evesham’s municipal departments, as well as the Evesham Disability and Veteran Affairs Advisory Committee, the Evesham Economic Advisory Council, the Evesham Special Needs for Adults Program, the local Sports Unity Program for children of all abilities, The Collaborative NJ, The Council on Quality and Leadership and Resources for Independent Living, as well as local members of the community, schools, businesses and other community organizations.

This project will also build on Evesham Township’s recent efforts to embrace inclusivity in local policy-making and build the municipality’s capacity to act as a resource center and conduit to support for those who experience a disability.

In March 2019, Evesham Township Council reorganized the municipality’s internal departments to create the Division of Community Affairs and Senior & Disability Services so the township would have dedicated employees ready to respond to the needs of Evesham disability community.

Subsequently, council also created the Disability and Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee, wherein volunteers from the community have worked with township to understand challenges, devise solutions, and implement policies and actions that support individuals who experience disabilities.