Housing and Community Development Network of NJ Congratulates Governor-Elect Sherrill, Urges New Administration to Make Housing Affordability a Top Priority

11/05/2025

The Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey (the Network) congratulates Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill and Lt. Governor-elect Dale Caldwell on their victory and welcomes a partnership with the incoming administration to address New Jersey’s urgent housing affordability crisis.

"Housing affordability is a top concern for an overwhelming majority of New Jerseyans," said Staci Berger, president and chief executive officer of the Network. “Making our state a place everyone can afford to call home takes bold leadership and we look forward to working with the Sherrill-Caldwell Administration to achieve our mutual goals. We congratulate Governor-elect Sherrill and urge the new administration to make housing security and affordability a top priority. Every New Jerseyan deserves a safe, stable, and affordable home because housing is a human right.”

Governor-elect Sherrill has previously gone on record opposing any budget diversions from the New Jersey Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) to ensure the state continues to support municipalities developing new housing. Last month at Under One Roof: The Network’s Annual Conference and Membership Meeting, Governor-elect Sherrill and Lt. Governor-elect Caldwell delivered remarks addressing a sold-out crowd of more than 400 attendees. In her remarks, Sherrill said, “We can’t make New Jersey more affordable without making housing more affordable.”

The Network and its members have spent more than 35 years advancing solutions to ensure all New Jersey residents have access to affordable homes and thriving communities. Through its recently released policy blueprint, HouseNJ 2026–27: Building Resilient Communities in Uncertain
Times, the Network outlines actionable steps the next administration can take to reduce the state’s 250,000-unit affordable home deficit and promote equitable growth.

Key recommendations from HouseNJ 2026–27 include:

• Protecting and expanding the AHTF as a dedicated source of funding for low- and moderate-income housing, with no diversionsto the general fund.
• Strengthening tenant protections and eviction prevention programs to keep residents safely and stably housed.
• Fully implementing New Jersey’s new affordable housing framework under A4/S50 to ensure every municipality meets its fair share of affordable homes.
• Expanding the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC) program to better reflect community needs.
• Investing in homelessness prevention, Housing First initiatives, and the nonprofit community development sector, which has been at the forefront of revitalizing neighborhoods and preventing displacement.

“New Jersey has made significant progress in recent years, but too many of our neighbors still struggle to afford rent or achieve homeownership,” Berger added. “The next administration has the opportunity to build on these successes by protecting and growing the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, help keep families in their homes, and rejecting policies that criminalize homelessness or restrict fair housing access.”

The Network calls on the incoming Sherrill Administration to recognize housing as a human right and to champion policies that ensure every resident, regardless of income, race, or ZIP code, can afford to call New Jersey home.
 
About the Housing and Community Development Network of NJ 
The Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey is the statewide association of more than 270 community development corporations, individuals and other organizations that support the creation of affordable homes, economic opportunities, and strong communities. For more information on the Network, visit www.hcdnnj.org.