Susan Kramer-Mills, Executive Director of Town Clock CDC, has been with the organization since its inception. As the co-pastor of the First Reformed Church, New Brunswick in 2009, she chaired the Church Committee that began investigating how to better use the buildings of the church with a greater missional purpose. In 2010, the 501(c)3 named Town Clock CDC was founded, and Rev. Susan was instrumental in leading the efforts to convert the sanctuary into safe and affordable housing for survivors of domestic abuse and their children. The project, called Dina’s Dwellings, was completed in April 2016 and includes ten apartments, offices, a community room, a food pantry, and laundry facilities. In October 2020, she led another housing project, the renovation of a single-family home on the same campus of the First Reformed Church, called the Barbara Littman House.
At Town Clock CDC, Rev. Susan manages fundraising, oversees programming and wrap-around services to eleven families, and promotes the work and mission of the organization through speaking engagements. Town Clock CDC’s housing-first approach disrupts the cycle of domestic violence by removing the threat of homelessness. They are one of only a few facilities taking this approach, with less than 40 permanent housing facilities for survivors throughout the entire United States. Town Clock CDC’s approach to ending the cycle of domestic violence has made an immeasurable difference in so many lives. Several residents have achieved the ultimate mission of finding a stable job, developing healthy relationships, and moving into their own independent housing. With Susan at the helm, Town Clock CDC has become an invaluable resource for some of our community’s most vulnerable people. We are honored to recognize their tirelessly selfless efforts.