Our Mission

Guided by service, compassion and fairness, UCC's mission is to assist low-income, disadvantaged and at risk individuals and families, including seniors and youth, to become self-sufficient and self supporting; while enhancing their quality of life and standard of living.

Service Update

2023 Year End Service Numbers

Food and Clothing Assistance (Times Accessed)

Youth, Family and Senior Services

Emergency Services

Utility Assistance

Youth Education & Employment Services

Housing Assistance

Home Improvement Services

Mobile Outreach (Times Accessed)

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INFORMATION FILED WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL CONCERNING THIS CHARITABLE SOLICITATION AND THE PERCENTAGE OF CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED BY THE CHARITY DURING THE LAST REPORTING PERIOD THAT WERE DEDICATED TO THE CHARITABLE PURPOSE MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY BY CALLING 973-504-6215 AND IS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AT http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/charities/Pages/charities-registration-information.aspx. REGISTRATION WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT.

Show Your Support

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing services for over five decades, your financial support of our services helps to bring about positive change in the lives of the people we serve and in the health of our community. Donations can be earmarked for a specific program or it can be used to offset overhead costs.

April 2024 Event Recap

Youngsters across greater Newark got an opportunity this week to participate in prevention activities aimed at engaging youth and fostering positive community interactions during our CBVI program's "Spring Into Action to Conquer Violence" spring break series. The events, which were hosted at the West Side Park Community Center in Newark, took a proactive approach to addressing community needs while promoting youth engagement and mitigating potential risks associated with increased violent incidents. The weeklong series included various activities including flag football, basketball, mental health and wellness group talks, a "Real Life Monopoly" life skills project, and a Brush-n-Slush painting exercise.

United Community Corporation helps empower all members of our community to achieve economic self-sufficiency by providing a range of supportive services. We continue to expand and improve our services, which include; an emergency shelter with case management, a program for seniors, low-income housing, and a range of high-quality after school and summer camp programs for youth.

We are always open to new partnerships and collaborations to aid in fulfilling our mission to help lift low-income residents out of poverty and to improve the quality of their lives in every way we can.

You can also contact us if you are interested in volunteering - we welcome your help in better serving the community !

Become a Volunteer

Upcoming Event

PSEG Newark Energy Assistance Day

Friday, April 19, 2024 | 10am-3pm

West Side Park Community Center, 600 S 17th Street, Newark, NJ 07018

West Ward Wellness Tour

Saturday, April 27, 2024 | 11am-2pm

West Side Park Community Center, 600 S 17th Street, Newark, NJ 07103

Vailsburg Park Community Conservancy's

Autism Walk or Run

Saturday, April 27, 2024 | Starts at 11am

Vailsburg Park Track

For more information, contact

info@uccnewark.org | 973-642-0181

If you or someone you know are in need of food, baby items, clothing, shelter, energy assistance, pending eviction or mortgage assistance, at risk of lead exposure at home, are a victim of a crime, and/or need youth development activities or young adult vocational training we have a department here to help!

Department Success Stories

In the past two years, more than five guests were able to attain permanent housing, and some were provided housing vouchers/and or rental assistance. During this time, another guest attained employment at UCC and was also able to find permanent housing. Additionally, one guest was able to obtain senior housing and various resources.

Fulton Street Emergency Shelter

One HPRP client came to UCC with a warrant of removal and was dealing with an abusive situation and was suicidal. This client had no income as she received her last unemployment check. Housing Assistance staff were able to provide case management and walk her through many goals after which she became gainfully employed after moving into her new apartment. She was phased out of the program as her income was above the guidelines. The client was referred to another DCA program; however, she decided she was not going to apply for it as she felt accomplished; she felt secure and happy to be in a better head space.

Housing Assistance

Making homes safer for residents has had a positive impact on our clients, including Linda Alemar. Linda was happy and thankful with everything that was done inside and outside her home, especially with Mr. Cifuentes and Joanna who went above and beyond helping her and her tenants applying for the lead program, especially since there were four children living in the residence. The contractor did a fantastic job, and now all three units in her home are free of lead.

Lead Abatement

One client, Althea Haynes, came to the Energy Assistance department in May with a $27,000 PSE&G bill. The client did not respond for a while but then came back to the department in December with her bill now being $34,000. The client stated that she was not sure why the bill was so high and only purchased the home in 2019. An email was then sent to the Supervisor of Operation at PSE&G to investigate this case.

The investigation found an issue at the client's home, and PSE&G lowered the client's bill to $16,000. Vallejo also processed her application, and she received more benefits from the energy program. With the outstanding balance after receiving her benefits, the client was able to make a payment agreement which was quite affordable for her. The client had no words to express her deep gratitude for receiving help from UCC.

Utility Assistance

One YouthBuild student, Kitana, enrolled in the program in September 2021 after recently graduating high school. At the time of enrollment, Kitana did not believe that college was the right choice for her. Fast forward, Kitana completed UCC’s YouthBuild program by obtaining both her Chair Side Dental Assistant Certification and her Dental Technician Certification.

Since completing UCC YouthBuild, Kitana has also earned her Dental Radiology Certification and enrolled at Essex County Community College to receive her associate degree in computer science. She began her internship at Lotus Smiles in Jersey City while enrolled at YouthBuild and became employed with the company full-time.

YouthBuild