Action Fund Urges Legislature to Expand Affordable Housing and Community Development Investments, Welcomes New Board Member

6/26/2026

The Housing and Community Development Network Action Fund today announced the appointment of Robert F. Guarasci, founder and chief executive officer of New Jersey Community Development Corporation (NJCDC), to its Board of Directors.

A nationally recognized community development leader, Guarasci has spent more than three decades advancing affordable housing, neighborhood revitalization, educational opportunity, and economic mobility in Paterson and communities across New Jersey.

"Bob has dedicated his career to creating opportunity and strengthening communities," said Staci Berger, vice chair of the Housing and Community Development Network Action Fund Board of Directors and president and chief executive officer of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey. "His experience and leadership will be tremendous assets to the Action Fund and the work ahead."

As Guarasci joins the Board, the Action Fund is intensifying its advocacy for two budget resolutions currently under consideration by the Legislature that would make significant investments in affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization.

The Action Fund is urging lawmakers to support a budget resolution that would invest an additional $140 million in the Affordable Housing Trust Fund in FY2027, helping address New Jersey's severe shortage of affordable homes. The organization is also calling for support of a separate resolution that would increase funding for the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit Program by $50 million, expanding resources for comprehensive community development efforts in neighborhoods across the state.

"The decisions lawmakers make during this budget process will shape whether families can find affordable homes, whether neighborhoods have the resources they need to thrive, and whether local economies can continue to grow," Berger said. "At a time when New Jersey faces an affordable housing shortage affecting communities in every region of the state, these investments are both necessary and overdue."

The HCDN Action Fund’s mission is to strengthen the environment for community development corporations and ensure New Jersey communities have the resources they need to thrive.