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NOHFH is committed to advocating on behalf of the working poor
and their right to affordable housing.
Below are links and information that will educate all of us on the issue of affordable
housing in the state of New Jersey.
Below are pictures taken from the recent "No Room at the Inn" protest held in Trenton.
Advocates from all over the state came to the Statehouse to call attention to the need for more affordable housing and help
for the homeless.
Letter to the Editor – submitted by Julia Hamilton, February 2010. Affordable housing is a hot-button and emotional issue. Before we throw out existing regulation,
we must have a housing policy in place that takes into account the history of affordable housing here in New Jersey. Without
a clear and comprehensive housing policy, any bill that allows municipalities to self-regulate along yet-to-be-determined
guidelines, with no plan for enforcement of these guidelines other than litigation, is setting the stage for another round
of “not in my backyard” fights and leaves the citizens who need housing once more out in the cold.
No mayor or town council is going to come right out and say “I
don’t like affordable housing and I don’t want those people in my town,” but actions speak louder than words.
In the past, we’ve seen that some municipalities throw up every possible roadblock to prevent affordable housing from
being built in their community. Small groups of residents and reluctant town councils find ways to delay and obstruct even
the most reasonable proposals. In towns like Summit, a group of clergy and residents have been working for nearly two years
to approve a modest six-unit building sponsored by Habitat for Humanity. Even this small step would not
be happening without the state regulations that forced Summit to spend the money locally. In the future,
will we have to rely on lawsuits, a cumbersome and expensive way to move forward, to insure that this housing gets built?
Will towns like Summit be allowed to “self-certify” their way out of responsibility without any oversight,
or resume the practice of paying to warehouse the less well-to-do outside the town limits with RCAs?As people of faith, we recognize that affordable housing is both an economic and a moral issue. We affirm the
dignity of all people and believe that the worth of an individual is not determined by the size of their paycheck. Creating
mixed-level housing options on every town is about creating the kind of vibrant and attractive communities that we dream of,
rather than letting our fears and prejudices get in the way. Any reforms must be made in the context of a housing policy that
moves the state forward, not backward to a time when citizens were kept out of towns because they were not the “right
sort.” Please don’t set the clock back on New Jersey.
Julia Hamilton, Director, Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of New Jersey
If you would
like to submit your own letter to the editor on this topic, please refer to the information below:
Letter to the Editor Submission Information
Asbury
Park Press Letters to the Editor. Send us your letters (250 words or fewer, please) for publication in the Asbury Park Press
by: Regular mail: Your
views, Asbury Park Press 3601 Highway 66, Box 1550, Neptune, NJ 07754-1551 E-mail: yourviews@app.com Fax: 732-643-4014
The Star-Ledger Please e-mail to: eletters@starledger.com (letters to the editor) oped@starledger.com (op-ed articles). Letters must not exceed 200 words. Op-Eds
must not exceed 800 words. All submissions must include the writer’s name, address and phone number.