As I celebrate my ninth year as Chief Executive Officer of New Concepts for Living (NCFL), I also celebrate my ninth year in my new profession.  After three decades of owning and operating a midsize for-profit company in an unrelated industry, followed by a brief three-year retirement, leading this remarkable non-profit organization has brought me great fulfillment.

Since 2016, NCFL’s growth has been truly remarkable.  The number of Community Residences (group homes) we operate has nearly tripled, with significant continued residential expansion underway.  Our Community Residences are exceptional, both in terms of aesthetic appeal and functional design.  Recognizing a need for homes for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) as well as complex medical needs requiring 24/7 on-site nursing, we custom built our first home for Medically Fragile adults in 2021.  We now operate four of these highly specialized homes with more under construction.  In addition to our Community Residences, 15 new apartments in Saddle Brook are scheduled to open in 2025 which will serve an additional 21 adults living with I/DD.

Recognizing the importance of employing a well-qualified and dedicated team, NCFL prioritizes hiring highly competent professionals for every position.  Our management, administrative staff, and Direct Support Professionals (DSP’s) are among the highest paid in our field.  In the interest of providing the finest services possible, our DSP’s are fully vetted and go through a rigorous training program before they qualify to care for our residents. 

NCFL prides itself on creating the safest and most secure environment for our individuals and staff.  We were the first agency in New Jersey to install sophisticated, high-tech digital cameras in all our Community Residences, throughout our Achievement Center (day program) and in our entire transportation fleet.  In addition, our highly advanced Information Technology (IT) platforms throughout our organization are second to none, helping streamline processes, workflows and so much more.

With a commitment to integrating our family of extraordinary individuals into their communities, NCFL is among the most active agencies in New Jersey, with our participants regularly visiting a multitude of venues.  We strongly believe in the rights of everyone to participate in the community, whether it be daily outings from our Achievement Center, or from our homes on weeknights and weekends.

Having grown to full capacity at our Rochelle Park Achievement Center, in May of 2022 NCFL purchased, gutted and built out a large facility on Route 17 in Paramus.  Our new Center opened in June 2024 and was custom built utilizing advanced design enhancements specific to the needs of our population.  Our goal during the planning/design phase and throughout construction was to be, in all metrics, the finest day program for I/DD individuals in the nation.  I am proud to say that we have accomplished that goal!

Our new Center provides specialized programs for high-need, low-need, and Medically Fragile individuals which include therapeutic services (physical, occupational & speech), nursing and behavioral services, prevocational and life skills training, sensory rooms, wellness screenings, abundant program rooms and recreational spaces.  This new facility will increase our ability to serve the number of individuals with I/DD by 400%.

From a financial perspective, NCFL’s budget has increased six-fold over the last eight years enabling significant expansion of our services.  The outcome of our growth has resulted in our ability to serve an ever-growing number of deserving special needs individuals who have now become part of our NCFL family.

Over the last several years, NCFL has earned a reputation of excellence in the I/DD community throughout New Jersey and beyond.  We could not have achieved such success without the dedication of our outstanding staff, our generous donors, our guardians and families, and our Board of Trustees.  We are also grateful for the support from our Governor, State Legislature, and the NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD).

I am humbled by how far we have come and remain steadfast and focused on where we are headed.  In closing, I cannot think of a more rewarding second career.  I thoroughly enjoy caring and advocating for the rights of society’s most vulnerable population.  I fully appreciate and welcome each new day, serving our family of extraordinary individuals for whom we provide a “Lifetime of Care.”

I look forward to what we can accomplish together in 2024 and beyond!