April 25th 2018

NAACP and FSHC urge Jersey City Council to Vote Against Elimination of Obligation for 87 Affordable

Posted by Kevin Walsh

The Jersey City council is scheduled tonight to consider lifting an 87-unit obligation to develop affordable homes from a developer who has received enormous benefits from the city. The NJ State Conference of the NAACP Housing Committee and Fair Share Housing Center oppose this proposal. The NAACP and FSHC urge the council to withhold a decision tonight, to provide information regarding the decision and why the affordable homes may be eliminated, and to consider options under than the total elimination of the requirement to provide affordable homes. (more)

March 9th 2018

Mercer County court upholds fair housing obligations in major win for working families

Posted by Anthony Campisi

Mercer County Assignment Judge Mary C. Jacobson on Thursday delivered an important victory for tens of thousands of New Jersey families by recognizing the extent of our state’s housing affordability crisis and affirming that towns must meet fair housing needs totaling more than 150,000 units. (more)

January 22nd 2018

New HUD rules enable Voucher Holders to Use Vouchers in Higher-Rent Communities

Posted by Anthony Campisi

After years of pressure from civil rights and affordable housing advocates and residents and nearly two years of on-again, off-again movement by the federal government, new regulations went into effect on Jan. 17 that enable families who receive rental assistance under the HUD Housing Choice Housing Program (HCVP) to live in neighbors with better housing, better schools, more job opportunities and less violent crime. The new rules are aimed at breaking the generational cycle of poverty and at preventing landlords from artificially boosting rents in low-income neighborhoods – pricing out many families who do not receive voucher assistance. (more)

January 10th 2018

Struggling Sandy Homeowners and Advocates Welcome Clawback Legislation

Posted by Anthony Campisi

Legislation is headed to the Governor’s desk that would provide much needed clarity and relief for the latest challenge facing New Jersey’s Sandy families in the RREM program. In October of 2016, Sandy survivors and advocates testified at an Assembly Oversight Hearing about being asked for thousands of dollars back after they thought they had completed the state’s recovery programs in accordance with all guidelines they’d been provided. The oversight committee pledged to introduce legislation to address clawbacks, and that legislation passed unanimously and with bi-partisan co-sponsorship in the Senate and Assembly yesterday.  (more)

December 29th 2017

2017 accomplishments and forward to 2018!

Posted by Kevin Walsh

After more than a decade of delays, the logjam finally broke in 2017. Because of our work and because of your support, the widespread disregard of New Jersey’s fair housing laws has ended.

With your help, 2018 promises to be another year in which we make New Jersey fairer, more affordable, and more racially and economically inclusive.

But taking on hundreds of municipalities to make sure they create opportunities for working families, people with disabilities, and lower-income seniors is not an easy or inexpensive task. We need your support. Please send a gift today so we can continue our work in 2018. (more)