About Us

FOCUS was established in 1967 at the height of President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty campaign. With a $30,000 government grant, a tenacious founder, Dr. Jose Rosario, and a staff of three, the organization began its work sponsoring educational and developmental programs to improve quality-of-life and promote self-sufficiency within Newark's indigent community. FOCUS' human and financial resources have continually strengthened over the past 45 years, enabling FOCUS to offer a greater variety of services and to help an increasing number of clients.

But the environment has changed; the middle-class is becoming the new poor, experiencing conditions akin to those of the poor, but without supports and services to address their needs and halt impoverishment. The emergent environment of poverty among the middle class has created new challenges.

FOCUS intends to lead in addressing the needs of this new environment. We propose to:

• Raise awareness of the emergent environment of poverty. This environment affects not only the middle class, but it encompasses and further oppresses the poor.
• Research areas and solutions for concerted effort to stem the advancement of poverty within the middle class.
• Develop and implement strategies to address, remediate and reduce the plight of the middle-class by providing and supporting key foundations to help them maintain self-sufficiency.
• Continue helping the poor to gain independence, while cognizant of the increased restraints an environment of middle-class poverty bears.
• Continue vital services to the poor.