Four years after fire, NJ commits $14.5M to rebuild Paterson's Straight & Narrow

Joe Malinconico
·2 min read

PATERSON — State officials have allocated $14.5 million for the reconstruction of the Straight & Narrow substance abuse treatment program building destroyed in a fire four years ago this month.

The project would include a 50-bed halfway house for people who have completed their substance-related jail terms as well as outpatient treatment rooms, a recreation and kitchen area, and warehouse space for storing donations to clients, officials said.

What officials said

From left, Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh, Fire Chief Brian McDermott and Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. survey the damage on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019, after a five-alarm fire destroyed the Straight & Narrow counseling center, displacing about 200 people, on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019.
From left, Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh, Fire Chief Brian McDermott and Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. survey the damage on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019, after a five-alarm fire destroyed the Straight & Narrow counseling center, displacing about 200 people, on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019.

“Straight & Narrow has been a fixture in Paterson for more than six decades, offering critical social services to our community and positively impacting the lives of our most vulnerable and underserved residents,” said state Sen. Nellie Pou, who helped get the state funding for the program.

“Unfortunately, due to a catastrophic fire in 2019 that destroyed the building at 410 Straight St., followed by the devastation left by the COVID-19 pandemic, Straight & Narrow has struggled to maintain all its services and perform its core mission, which is ‘to provide help and create hope,’” Pou added.

The senator said the state money would allow Straight & Narrow to restore services and rebuild what she said would be “a comprehensive campus.”

Earlier: 'Incredible' support continues for Paterson's Straight & Narrow six months after fire

When would construction start?

It remains unclear exactly when construction would start. Straight & Narrow is owned by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Paterson of the Roman Catholic Church. Paterson Press has asked the diocese five different times in July and August about its Straight & Narrow reconstruction plans, but the church has not provided a response.

City officials have not disclosed whether Catholic Charities has submitted any applications for its project. Mayor Andre Sayegh last week confirmed that the $14.5 million in state funding should cover the full cost of the work.

What funding has NJ provided?

Tyler Jones, a spokesman for Gov. Phil Murphy, provided the following breakdown of the state money allocated to Straight & Narrow:

  • $5 million from the general budget fund for the 2023 fiscal year that ended June 30.

  • $2.5 million from the State Fiscal Recovery Fund designed to help New Jersey rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • $7 million from the state’s general fund for the 2024 fiscal year that started July 1.

That money would pay for a 55,000-square-foot, two-story building, which would include the treatment space, halfway house rooms and program space, officials said.

Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press.

Email: editor@patersonpress.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ: Straight and Narrow gets $14.5M to rebuild