Construction on a new base of operations for Homeworks Trenton, the free community-based after-school boarding program for marginalized girls, will begin later this summer in Trenton, N.J. National architecture and interiors firm Joshua Zinder Architecture + Design (JZA+D) will design the new residence, which will more than triple the current facility’s capacity and incorporate vital amenities.
Natalie Tung, the nonprofit's cofounder and executive director, worked with managing partner and architect Joshua Zinder and the JZA+D team to locate a viable property to adapt. They selected 1212 Edgewood Avenue, a building with a parallel past that could be repurposed for Homeworks Trenton. For nearly a century, the building served as a mission house providing support and opportunity to at-risk and disadvantaged young women and for over 20 years as a Juvenile Justice Commission facility. The location is near two Trenton public schools.
Zinder’s design increases usable square footage by about two-thirds and continues the building’s house-scale profile. The design includes dorm rooms for 40 scholars and five apartments for live-in staff. There are also work-study areas, a full kitchen and an elevator for universal resident accessibility and to meet ADA compliance.
JZA+D will also celebrate the achievement of Tung, who will be honored as one of three “Women of Achievement” by the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce on June 26. Zinder nominated her for the honor due to her commitment to taking action to provide stability, structure and support to teenage women in Trenton public schools.
“Every day, Natalie and her team at Homeworks make direct, positive and lasting impacts on the lives of young women, benefiting them as well as their families, with positive impacts for their broader communities,” said Zinder. “When I started JZA+D my goal was to grow a business that could support people and organizations trying to make a positive local impact, and there’s no one I know who’s working so hard and achieving so much for other people as Natalie Tung.”
Tung earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a teaching certification from Princeton University. She credits her success, confidence and capacity for empathy to her experiences in boarding school, where she lived with 40 other young women. She created Homeworks Trenton to offer similar experiences for students whose home lives create obstacles to positive educational experiences. After successfully constructing a residence for 12-15 students, Tung’s commitment to her mission and her talents for networking and fundraising have enabled Homeworks to have a new home base that allows for increased capacity and serves the two public schools.
The ”Women of Achievement” breakfast is set for Wednesday, June 26 at 8:30 a.m. at the Princeton golf club TPC Jasna Polana.
