| Hudson County Community College (HCCC) is located in Jersey City, New Jersey. From its humble beginnings as a contract college using rented space to its current distinction as the anchor for the $8 million Journal Square Redevelopment Project, HCCC has grown considerably. With more than 4,000 students, HCCC has emerged as a comprehensive urban community college whose mission is to serve the many, varied needs of Hudson County.
HCCC's mission is exemplified through its Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities grant that will be used to renovate unfinished community space in two public housing projects in Union City, Hillside Terrace and Colombian Gardens. Each 1,900-square-foot site will be used to administer expanded services in English as a Second Language, basic skills, and computer training, and consumer education.
Union City is situated on the Hudson River, directly across from Manhattan. One mile long and a quarter mile wide, it is the most densely populated city in the United States. The area has seen a large influx of Hispanics and was an attractive port of call in the wave of immigration that followed the Castro Revolution in 1959. During the Reagan Administration a stream of immigrants from Central America moved to the city, and within the last 10years, Mexicans, Peruvians, and Puerto Ricans have joined the Hispanic mix of the city. Today, Union City has the largest population of Cuban-Americans outside of Miami.
The chief hindrance to successful adjustment for Union City residents has been in language skills. Less than half of the adult Hispanic population completed high school, according to the 1990 Census. Current estimated are that 18 percent of the entire population and 27 percent of all children are below the poverty level. The unemployment rate in Union City is twice as high as that of the state.
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