PEOPLE THRIVE IN DIVERSE, INCLUSIVE, AND VIBRANT COMMUNITIES. But far too often, this ideal is frustrated by harmful policies like exclusionary zoning, that perpetuate residential segregation by preventing affordable housing from being built in certain areas. For generations, affluent white communities in the suburbs have supported separate yet unequal education, policing, economic, and health systems that benefit them, while ignoring the devastation in marginalized communities that stifles wealth-building and impacts health and well-being. Gentrifying urban centers also further racial and economic separation when low-income families and communities of color are priced out and displaced as neighborhoods are “revitalized.”
Fortunately, New Jersey has the strongest framework in the nation to fight against residential segregation and exclusionary zoning through the development of affordable housing. As Fair Share Housing Center works to enforce the Mount Laurel Doctrine, we also advocate for policies that prevent displacement and promote the development of more affordable housing across our state and beyond.
New Jersey’s landmark Mount Laurel Doctrine outlaws exclusionary zoning and requires all towns to create a realistic opportunity for their fair share of affordable housing, which has led to the construction of over 70,000 new affordable homes in high-opportunity communities. Since 2015, Fair Share Housing Center has settled cases with more than 340 towns throughout New Jersey, which will lead to approximately 50,000 more affordable homes in the next decade.
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Fair Share Housing Center is a nonprofit advocacy organization that uses legal, policy, and community-building strategies to fight for housing justice in New Jersey and beyond.
