SCOTCH PLAINS – Congressman Leonard Lance (NJ-07) today announced that the House of Representatives recently approved his request for $300,000 to expand a popular seniors program in Union County.

Specifically, the funding Lance secured would allow for the expansion of the Natural Occurring Retirement Communities (NORC) program which is operated by the Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey and the Jewish Family Service of Central New Jersey.

For six years, the NORC program has assisted Jewish and non-Jewish seniors in Union County by allowing seniors to stay in their homes longer through a wide variety of critical services. For example, NORC delivers meals to seniors’ homes, provides seniors with transportation to doctors’ appointments, provides seniors with in-home care and provides seniors with beneficial recreational and social opportunities.

“The NORC program is clearly a successful program that provides critical services to Union County seniors,” said Lance. “These important federal funds will allow for the program to expand its services to seniors in Westfield. Thanks to the NORC program seniors are able to stay in their homes longer and receive critical services they need to avoid moving into a more costly institutionalized setting.”

Stanley Stone, the executive vice president of the Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey, praised Lance for his commitment and leadership on behalf of the NORC program. “We appreciate Congressman Lance for working so hard on behalf of the NORC program and allowing us to expand the good services of NORC to even more New Jersey seniors. NORC clearly has a successful track record of providing seniors the critical lifeline they need and we are proud of this accomplishment.”

Lance said the funding bill now moves to the Senate for consideration and must then be signed into law by the President.
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