Compliance: A Critical Step to Implementing Affordable Housing in New Jersey March 28th, 2023   By Laura Smith-Denker  Following the New Jersey Supreme Court’s decision in Mount Laurel IV, every town that has filed a declaratory judgment since 2015 is ultimately seeking a final order that finds them in compliance and grants repose, meaning that their town has a realistic plan for fulfilling theiraffordable housing obligations and is no longer subject to Third Round litigation. The municipality must prove through a compliance package that they will implement the mechanisms to provide their fair share of the regions need of affordable housing. Compliance is a critical element

Housing Must be a Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Priority for New Jersey February 16th, 2023   By James C. Williams IV  Fair Share Housing Center has advocated for housing justice since its founding in 1975. As housing needs and wealth disparities in New Jersey continue to grow, so does the need for increased investments in the state’s housing infrastructure. To that end, New Jersey’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget should build on investments the state has already made to advance affordable housing development and protections throughout 2022, including the $305 million budget allocation in the FY23 budget. This year, Fair Share

Moving Affordable Housing Forward in 2023 January 18th, 2023   By Esmé Devenney  It’s the start of a new year, and two months have passed since applications opened for the Affordable Housing Production Fund (“AHPF”). The AHPF is a new $305 million dollar funding stream created in the FY23 state budget intended to accelerate affordable housing production in the state. The fund is administered by the NJ Housing Mortgage and Finance Agency and supported with American Rescue Plan dollars. The fund is anticipated to support the development of more than 3,300 affordable homes. But even with this historic line item

Paths to Eviction Reform in New Jersey December 7th, 2022   By Chris Romero  As housing prices continue to rise, the threat of eviction looms for thousands of New Jersey residents. As of February 2022, 393,000 households in New Jersey were considered delinquent on their rent, with a disproportionate number of households identifying as Hispanic or African American. Households with children and households with a combined income of $50,000 or less are also disproportionately impacted by eviction, putting increased pressure and strain on New Jersey’s most vulnerable tenants. Despite eviction moratoriums during the COVID-19 pandemic, rising housing costs and insufficient

The Truth About COAH: A Disingenuous Return to a Broken System Will Leave NJ Residents in a Housing Crisis November 4th, 2022   By Esmé Devenney  In September, a handful of towns sued Governor Murphy and then testified at an Assembly Housing Committee hearing calling for the return of the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH). Those who want to return to the broken COAH system are making that demand for two reasons: they seek to avoid their constitutional affordable housing obligations and uphold residential segregation. New Jersey has one of the most robust civil rights frameworks in the country—the Mount

A History of the Mount Laurel Doctrine  October 28th, 2022   By Martina Manicastri In 1975, Black and Latino community organizers in South Jersey won a landmark civil rights case against Mount Laurel Township that to this day, still constitutes one of the most progressive housing laws in the nation. As the rise of suburbia prompted a national trend of white flight and gentrification, white people left the cities of Camden and Philadelphia in favor of more suburban towns, like Mount Laurel Township. In Mount Laurel, residents of the Township’s historic Black neighborhood suddenly found themselves priced out of generational