In the news

Fifty years ago, the New Jersey Supreme Court created a groundbreaking affordable housing framework. A new law gives it real teeth

A 2024 law codifying the state’s Mount Laurel doctrine is speeding up construction and shifting local politics, even as lawsuits linger.

On a recent morning, I was listening to an old song by Simple Minds when I stumbled on a newer one called, “Who Killed Truth?” That lyric stuck with me — not because it was poetic, but because it felt like something I’d been circling around for years

Advocates accused New Jersey lawmakers this week of underfunding affordable housing in the $58.8 billion annual budget they approved Monday. The budget diverts money from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which supports the construction and preservation of housing for people earning at or below 80% of an area’s median income.

A developer is a step closer to building affordable housing on the former site of the Circus Liquors store in Middletown after a New Jersey appeals court upheld a decision that stopped the town from taking control of the property to build a commercial development instead.

Picture this: the nurse who bandages your child’s scraped knee, the firefighter who answers your call in the night, the home health aide who tends to your aging parent — all commuting long distances because they can’t afford to live where they work.

New Jersey’s affordable housing crisis has intensified, with homelessness rising 24% since 2023, totaling over 12,600 individuals, including a significant increase in families with children.

It’s been 50 years since the Supreme Court’s landmark Mount Laurel decision, effectively ending discriminatory zoning and expanding affordable housing opportunities throughout New Jersey.

As the U.S. faces an unprecedented housing affordability crisis, many New Jersey residents who want to contribute to their communities — seniors, working families and young professionals — are being priced out.