{"id":1766,"date":"2023-11-28T16:37:32","date_gmt":"2023-11-28T16:37:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fairsharehousing.org\/?p=1766"},"modified":"2024-08-06T23:04:47","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T23:04:47","slug":"60-civil-rights-leaders-housing-advocates-call-on-gov-murphy-legislative-leadership-to-protect-affordable-housing","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/www.fairsharehousing.org\/es\/press-release\/60-civil-rights-leaders-housing-advocates-call-on-gov-murphy-legislative-leadership-to-protect-affordable-housing\/","title":{"rendered":"60+ Civil Rights Leaders & Housing Advocates Call On Gov. Murphy & Legislative Leadership to Protect Affordable Housing"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
<\/b>November 28, 2023<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Contact:
Jag Davies, (786) 393-8100,\u00a0jag.davies@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

More Than 60 Civil Rights Leaders & Housing Advocates Call On Gov. Murphy & Legislative Leadership to Protect Affordable Housing<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

New Jersey Must Move Forward to Address Housing Affordability \u2014 Going Back to COAH Is Not the Answer<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

TRENTON \u2013 Today, more than 60 civil rights leaders and housing advocates sent a\u00a0letter<\/a>\u00a0to Governor Murphy, Senate President Scutari, and Assembly Speaker Coughlin, calling for their commitment to uphold the principles and spirit of the\u00a0Mount Laurel\u00a0Doctrine and to not return to the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) or a similar agency-based system of enforcement for affordable housing obligations.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

New Jersey\u2019s landmark\u00a0Mount Laurel\u00a0Doctrine<\/a>\u00a0requires all towns to create their fair share of affordable housing. Thanks to current enforcement of the Doctrine by the New Jersey judiciary, the state is developing more affordable housing than ever before. Since 2015, when the New Jersey Supreme Court put an end to COAH\u2019s decades of dysfunction, New Jersey\u2019s annual affordable housing production has\u00a0nearly doubled\u00a0<\/a>\u2014 providing safe and healthy housing to more than 50,000 people over the last eight years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cRecent calls to return to COAH or a similar system of endless state agency review of affordable housing plans from local elected officials and some state legislators are nothing more than veiled attempts to maintain segregation throughout New Jersey,\u201d said\u00a0Adam Gordon, Executive Director at Fair Share Housing Center<\/b>. \u201cWe already know that COAH did not work to build affordable housing. Those advocating for a return to that system are focused on keeping low-income families and people of color out of their towns \u2014 not on addressing the housing affordability crisis facing the majority of New Jerseyans.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Jersey is one of the most diverse states in the country, yet also one of the most segregated,\u201d said\u00a0Richard Smith, President of the NAACP New Jersey State Conference<\/b>. \u201cWe must do all that we can to end segregation and create equitable, inclusive communities throughout New Jersey. We cannot go back to the failed bureaucracy of the Council on Affordable Housing and allowing wealthy towns to pay out of building affordable homes. We call on Governor Murphy and our legislative leaders to defend the law that the Southern Burlington County and Camden County NAACP established decades ago: every town must do its fair share.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHousing is at the center of almost all racial disparities, and without a safe, healthy, and affordable place to call home, no individual, family, or community can thrive,\u201d said\u00a0Dr. Jesselly De La Cruz of the Latino Action Network Foundation<\/b>. \u201cProtecting the current enforcement process for affordable housing obligations is critical to addressing the housing crisis currently facing all New Jerseyans. Those calling for a return to the old system want to maintain their status and power, instead of building inclusive communities.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTo end homelessness in New Jersey, there is nothing more important than effective enforcement of New Jersey\u2019s fair housing laws,\u201d said\u00a0Connie Mercer, CEO of the Coalition to End Homelessness<\/b>. \u201cWe cannot go back to the days when affordable housing obligations existed on paper, but not in reality. We need to build on the success happening now, and do even more going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHousing affordability and instability often places people in dire situations, including violent ones,\u201d said\u00a0Elizabeth Reubman, Policy Director of Newark Community Street Team<\/b>. \u201cFor the health and safety of all New Jerseyans, the state must prioritize the development of more affordable housing, and not just in urban centers. All towns must do their fair share. Going back to a system that didn\u2019t work puts everyone at risk.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe current process of enforcing towns\u2019 affordable housing obligations has helped VOADV create many housing opportunities with wraparound services for families throughout South Jersey,\u201d said\u00a0Owen McCabe, Housing Development Director at Volunteers of America Delaware Valley<\/b>. \u201cBut we need to do more. There are many more families who apply for homes than are available. Now is the time to build off of what works.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere one lives is the biggest predictor of someone\u2019s health and success. As one of the most segregated states in the country\u2014with some of the worst racial disparities\u2014we should be focused on building healthy communities where everyone has an opportunity to thrive regardless of race,\u201d said\u00a0Racquel Romans-Henry, Policy Director at Salvation and Social Justice<\/b>. \u201cGoing back to a failed system will do nothing to strengthen our communities and will only set us back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs New Jersey continues to grapple with the lack of affordable housing and intensely segregated communities across the state, it is vital that the Legislature act to codify and build on the current processes to ensure there is meaningful enforcement of affordable housing obligations,\u201d said\u00a0Joe Johnson, Policy Counsel at the ACLU of New Jersey<\/b>. \u201cIf we are to address this critical issue, New Jersey must not return to the days of lax enforcement, minimal oversight, and carveouts which allowed municipalities to disregard their obligations for far too long.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00abNew Jersey is one of the most diverse states in the country \u2014 but it is also one of the most segregated,\u201d said\u00a0Laura Sullivan, Director of the Economic Justice Program at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice<\/b>. \u201cWe must prioritize affordable housing development and racial and economic integration so that all New Jerseyans \u2014 particularly Black and Brown communities \u2014 can thrive and benefit from all the state has to offer.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Jersey has a housing crisis. In 2019 our state ranked #1 in the percentage of adult children, ages 18 to 24, who are still living with their parents,\u201d said\u00a0Chris Sturm, Policy Director for Land Use at New Jersey Future.<\/b>\u00a0\u201cWe need more affordable housing units \u2014 and court enforcement has proven to be the best mechanism for ensuring that they are built.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Mount Laurel Doctrine is responsible for providing thousands of homes to residents throughout New Jersey. Since oversight has been transferred to the courts, Habitats for Humanity across the state have successfully worked in partnership with municipalities, tripling housing production,\u201d said\u00a0Lori Leonard, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of South Central New Jersey<\/b>. \u201cAttempts to revert to a historically failed enforcement process will diminish our ability to provide families struggling with the high cost of living the opportunity for an affordable place to live, as well as increasing the deficit of affordable homes in the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00abSince 2015, Morris Habitat for Humanity has constructed nearly 100 new homes, collaborating closely with municipalities to fulfill their Mount Laurel Doctrine obligations. Our ongoing partnerships have paved the way for a robust pipeline, with plans to build over 300 additional homes. These 400 homes signify opportunities for families to achieve affordable homeownership, made possible only by the current enforcement of the Mount Laurel Doctrine by the New Jersey courts,\u201d said\u00a0Liz DeCoursey, CEO, Morris Habitat for Humanity<\/b>. \u201cIn the face of an unprecedented housing crisis, reinstating COAH would jeopardize the progress of the past 8 years. On behalf of over 200,000 fellow New Jerseyans seeking an affordable place to call home, I urge the continued enforcement of the Doctrine through the New Jersey courts.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we continue to advocate upward economic mobility for all New Jersey residents, we understand the imperative nature of housing in the arena of economic justice. Access to housing, both rental and homeownership, is absolutely necessary to create generational wealth,\u201d said\u00a0Beverly Brown-Ruggia, Financial Justice Program Director at New Jersey Citizen Action<\/b>. \u201cEnsuring that the 4th round of Mount Laurel obligations continues to provide housing opportunities to Black and Brown communities is paramount to the work we at New Jersey Citizens Action believe in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00abWe are just beginning to chip away at the tremendous shortage of available and affordable homes in our state,\u201d said\u00a0Staci Berger, President and CEO of the Housing and Community Development Network of NJ<\/b>. \u201cThe system in place now is allowing more families than ever before to access healthy, affordable homes. We cannot afford to hinder that progress by going back to a process that enables recalcitrant towns to shut people out. We cannot press pause when people are unable to afford to live in our state. We can only\u00a0HouseNJ\u00a0by continuing to move forward in a way that creates greater opportunities for all residents to be able to afford to call NJ home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSupportive Housing Association supports a thoughtful examination of any changes to the current and successful framework that has led to much needed increases\u00a0in\u00a0the building of affordable housing,\u201d said\u00a0Diane Riley, Executive Director of the Supportive Housing Association of NJ<\/b>.\u00a0\u201cHowever New Jersey cannot afford a move back to an unsuccessful framework and more delays.\u00a0 We can examine and improve but continue to build.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHousing sits at the center of all health determinants. Providing safe and secure housing is vital to continued progress within our communities,\u201d said\u00a0Anita D. Wemple, President and CEO of Community Planning and Advocacy Council<\/b>. \u201cAny conversation that entertains the reintroduction of COAH or RCAs is not only irrational but would be a direct attack on low to moderate-income communities and specifically communities of color.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00abNew Jersey is in the midst of a housing crisis. The need for affordable housing is at an all-time high and our homelessness programs cannot keep up with the demand. To reinstate COAH will only further exacerbate an already difficult housing market,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Jeff Bashe and Blair Schleicher Wilson, Co-Chairs at The Housing Alliance of Morris County<\/b>.\u00a0\u201cWe urge New Jersey to prioritize policies that accelerate the development of affordable housing, not those that set them back.\u00bb<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no progress for African American communities without housing. Protecting and strengthening the Mount Laurel Doctrine is an essential tool for Black forward progress,\u201d said\u00a0Alexander H. McLucas, District Director of the New Jersey Association of Alpha Phi Alpha Chapters<\/b>.\u00a0 \u201cThis constitutional mandate is a critical component for civil rights and social justice within New Jersey. The work started by Ethel Lawrence must be protected.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHomes for more than 50,000 lower income people have been created since transferring oversight of the Mount Laurel Doctrine back to the courts in 2015.\u00a0The incompetence at best, or intentional dysfunction of the Council on Affordable Housing has been well documented,\u201d said\u00a0Frank Argote-Freyre, Chair of the Board of Fair Share Housing Center<\/b>. \u201cIt created a crisis of affordable housing in New Jersey, and we cannot afford to return to those days.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Read the sign-on letter\u00a0to Governor Murphy, Senate President Scutari, and Assembly Speaker Coughlin.<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Fair Share Housing Center<\/a>\u00a0is a nonprofit advocacy organization that uses legal, policy, and community-building strategies to dismantle decades of racial and economic discrimination in New Jersey and nationally that excludes people from the opportunity to live in safe, healthy, and affordable housing.<\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tView PDF<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENovember 28, 2023 \u00a0 Contact:Jag Davies, (786) 393-8100,\u00a0jag.davies@gmail.com \u00a0 More Than 60 Civil Rights Leaders & Housing Advocates Call On Gov. Murphy & Legislative Leadership to Protect Affordable Housing \u00a0 New Jersey Must Move Forward to Address Housing Affordability \u2014 Going Back to COAH Is Not the Answer \u00a0 TRENTON \u2013 Today, more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1766","press-release","type-press-release","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-releases"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fairsharehousing.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/1766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fairsharehousing.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fairsharehousing.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-release"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fairsharehousing.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fairsharehousing.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1766"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.fairsharehousing.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/1766\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fairsharehousing.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fairsharehousing.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fairsharehousing.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}