Housing insecurity is one of the biggest threats to public health and safety at any time, but never more so than during the coronavirus pandemic. We owe it to those who have been harmed the most by the pandemic to recover equitably. Our leaders must commit to the steps needed to "HouseNJ," by advocating for transformative housing resources and investing in our communities in the Garden State.
HouseNJ Federal Priorities
The HouseNJ campaign is built on the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s effort, HoUSed, which calls on Congress to:
- Expand rental assistance to additional extremely low-income households, including those experiencing and at risk of homelessness.
- Increase the National Housing Trust Fund to build affordable, safe homes for households with the greatest needs.
- Repair and preserve public housing, which is home to 2.5 million residents across the country. Public housing is critical to ensuring people with the greatest needs have a safe, decent, affordable, and accessible place to call home, and the preservation of this community asset must be included in any strategy to ensure housing is a human right.
HouseNJ State Priorities
HouseNJ also seeks policy and program interventions on the state level urging Governor Murphy and legislative leaders to invest $975 million from federal and state funding sources into critical housing programs including:
- Protect and Expand the NJ Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Funding for this item must remain in place and grow. The AHTF should continue to serve NJ’s lower-wealth residents and not be diverted for any other purposes.
- Increase the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit. The Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC) is one of the most successful and responsible tax credit programs in NJ.
- Strengthen Rental Assistance and End Homelessness. This includes expanding project-based vouchers for the State Rental Assistance Program, addressing chronic homelessness and extending emergency rental assistance.
- Remove Barriers to Housing Access & Security. Policymakers can make it easier for NJ residents to find and keep stable, affordable homes by adopting innovative changes. These include: removing credit scores for voucher holders, allowing families and communities to purchase foreclosed properties to preserve wealth, adopting a first-generation homeownership program, and more.
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Eligibility window for emergency assistance doubled from 60 months to 120 months
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Community Wealth Preservation Program, which allows individuals and CDCs to access properties at sheriff's sale to generate wealth and promote affordable homes, was signed into law
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Interagency Council on Homelessness was established under the Office of the Governor
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Continued funding to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund with no diversions to address the state's 250,000 shortage of affordable homes
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$80 million allocated to NJHMFA’s Affordable Housing Rehabilitation and Renovation Program
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$30 million allocated to first generation homebuyers and the Resilient Home Construction Pilot Program
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$115 million allocated to the Affordable Housing Production Fund established last year through NJHMFA to help fulfill municipal housing obligations.
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Join the HouseNJ campaign
Contact your U.S. Representatives and U.S. Senators as well as NJ Assemblymembers and NJ Senators
Urge your local elected officials to pass a resolution in support of HouseNJ
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