Scrap heap the city’s New Beginnings Housing Program. It’s a bust. A wrap, another wild-eyed, waste of good-intentioned money; one more do-gooder Democratic boondoggle dressed in sheep cloth, a misappropriation that will require a locksmith with Houdini-like talents for extrication of city involvement from this incredible entanglement. (Exhale). On background, in August, 2023, City of Trenton officials and Vanessa Solivan crafted a partnership agreement for redevelopment of an abandoned house. Solivan claimed ownership of the residence identified as 651 North Clinton Ave. The New Beginnings Housing Program represented a pilot initiative to encourage homeownership in the city and to transform vacant properties into livable residences. Solivan inherited responsibilities connected to property taxes, homeowners insurance and other obligations. Plus, she selected the contractor. Seventeen months later, the house at 651 North Clinton Ave. looks like a disaster. As expected, fingerpointing reached dangerous eye-gouging levels between Solivan and City of Trenton officials, with both parties blaming the other for this monumental failure. So, expect Black and White lies, distortions, untruths, misrepresentations, deception, distortion and other behaviors attached to separations headed toward divorce. If 50-percent of marriages end in termination, most urban, redevelopment schemes like New Beginnings connect to failed investments with worse statistics. While city officials allege they have monitored this pilot program, that’s difficult to believe considering current conditions. And, if that statement represents their truth, no construction permits exist on the property. No heat either but Ms. Solivan resides there. Ms. Solivan lacked expertise to move through this homeownership experience without making mistakes. In fact, Trenton officials should have accompanied her throughout the process. By the way, these feel-good stories about the American Dream of homeownership, agreements where the government fronts cost for almost an entire house rehabilitation and the new home owner plunks down a plugged nickel, sound like welfarism. When government gains involvement in these homestead projects, initial announcements begin with glitz, glam, a swanky brochure and, in this case, a mayor mimicking Oprah Winfrey’s famous giveaway chant — You get a home. You get a home. And, you get a home. Just make sure you read the fine print. Look back with anger, angst or whatever emotional connection to the August 2023 day when Solivan and the City of Trenton found nuptial bliss as a barbecue grill sizzled hot dogs and hamburgers. This space offered a conservative cool your jets observation of that fateful day with this paragraph. Good for Solivan although her purchase and a program still being studied on merit seemed hardly worthy of a block party that included the singing of the National Anthem, plus, a police color guard and U.S. flag presentation. Such pomp belied the circumstances connected to homeownership in Trenton, New Jersey and the nation. Apparently, Solivan picked the contractor while the City put up $90,000 (in escrow) in support of her purchase. Reports alleged Solivan added $5,000 of her own money. Depending on who tells the story, a significant amount of money, likely close to 80-percent of dollars allocated for redevelopment, has been paid to a contractor. Two walk throughs of the property shows a building that may need $100,000 more dollars dumped into this money pit. Several readers sent emails about this and a former city initiative that involved housing rehabilitation. “My family had a similar experience with Trenton’s Housing Rehabilitation Program. My mother applied for a housing loan in November of 2011 and the city did not start working on her house until August of 2015 four months after she passed away. The work was not completed until July of 2018 because the city was not paying the contractors. The workmanship was shoddy and the city signed off on the work without checking to see if the was actually completed,” the person wrote. Granted, a decade has passed but the reality remains the previous program received repackaging and Trenton restarts on square one. Let’s not waste any more money and time — resolve the Solivan arrangement then end the New Beginnings Housing Program. L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Find him on Twitter @LAParker6 or email him at [email protected].