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Announcements 2024-2025 HouseNJ Legislative Priorities The 2024-2025 legislative session kicked off with the historic passage of S50/A4, which establishes a new framework for municipalities as they fulfill their Mt. Laurel fair share housing obligations. Thanks to the advocacy efforts of Network members and A-Teams, this landmark legislation will give municipalities expanded tools to work with Network members to meet their 4th round obligations. The Network continues to advance its HouseNJ policy priorities, including growing the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to address NJ's severe affordable home deficit and to anticipate the state's 4th round affordable housing obligations. Other HouseNJ goals include growing the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit program, ending home appraisal bias, de-emphasizing credit scores for prospective affordable home applicants, and creating safe spaces during times of extreme heat. Network A-Teams will also continue to advocate for local and state-level rental protections and resources, including calling on the legislature to define what constitutes an "unconscionable" rent increase. Programmatically, Network members and A-Teams will actively advocate for the implementation of essential tools like local land banks and the launch of the new Community Wealth Preservation Program.
NRTC Advocacy Toolkit The Network recently published a new NRTC Advocacy Toolkit, covering details about the program, what it needs to function to the fullest, and ways to support it.
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Monmouth
Asbury Park, for example, has a poverty rate more than four times (30 percent) the level of the county (7.5 percent), and has a median household income that is a third of the county. And yet, the city’s the median property value is $335,000, just a tick higher than the state average. In fact, property values continue to rise as people invest down the shore, but high poverty rates continue to hurt communities in places like Asbury Park, Neptune City, Long Branch. With the median property value in Monmouth County now at $421,700 in 2017—nearly twice the national average--and with New Jersey’s shore towns developing stronger economies, there are concerns about rising rents, access to homeownership, and availability of affordable homes. There are also more economically depressed parts of the county, including northern county towns like Union Beach and Keansburg that lack economic investment and have higher poverty rates. Our members are working to address these ongoing issues through a carefully-implemented policy agenda. Key policy focus:
Resources The following is a list of food, healthcare, housing, and financial resources along with resources for families, children, and seniors. Additional resources can be found here on our main resources page. Monmouth County Housing Resource Guide (English/Spanish) Emergency Assistance SEED: Growing our Communities Program New Jersey HUD Certified Housing Counseling Organizations Homelessness Trust Fund The time is NOW for our elected officials to implement bold policies and investments address housing affordability, stability and security, making NJ more affordable for generations to come. That’s why we are launching "House NJ," our new initiative to ensure housing security and stability for all NJ residents. Click here to urge our public officials at every level of government to invest crucial resources to create more homes that are safe and affordable, expand rental assistance and protect our most vulnerable neighbors. Together, we can "House NJ"! |
Monmouth County, a sprawling, 53-town region outpaces the state in median household income, median property value, and boasts poverty rates that fall under the state average. But it’s an incubator for housing inequity, particularly as shore towns benefit from reinvestment and suffer from gentrification.
