Monarch Housing’s Blog!

We have posted a few photos from the Governor’s Conference. These include photos of our colleagues and friends as well as of the efforts to create a green future in Atlantic City. You can click on any photo to see it full size or click here to view all of the photos. To save a photo right click on the photo. To view a slide show click here.

In this photo, newly appointed Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Doria, Donna DelValle Executive Director of SEED and Acting DCA Commissioner Chuck Richman discuss supportive housing plans in Sussex County.

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The New York Times published an editorial on the New Jersey affordable housing crisis on Sunday September 30, 2007. We encourage everyone to read the editorial. The following is the opening and closing paragraphs of the editorial. Click here to read the full editorial.

One of the mysteries of the Corzine administration is how little progress has been made in building affordable housing.

Numerous economists have pointed out that a key in reviving New Jersey’s sluggish economy is building new homes that workers can afford to buy. Unless that happens, many businesses and the jobs they provide will locate elsewhere. We hope that Mr. Doria, who is expected to be confirmed by the State Senate, will use the political skill he has developed over his many years in government to see that more affordable housing gets built. 

In addition on Saturday September 29, 2007, The New York Times published an article entitled “Patience With Corzine Wears Thin“. This is also recommended reading. Click here to read the full article.

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The new Fair Market Rents that are effective on October 1, 2007 have been released by HUD.

To view the list for NJ click here.

To view the full national list click here.

In Wednesday’s Star-Ledger, Peter G. Verniero, a former state Supreme Court justice and attorney general, had an op-ed entitled “Over years, drug court has proven its worth”.  The full op-ed is worth reading. We agree with his analysis that drug courts have worked and believe as he does that innovation needs to occur to find other areas for innovation. obviously our first choice would be the Homeless Court being implemented in Hudson County.

The following is the final three paragraph of the op-ed which summarize his view of the “need to surrender old notions” so we can avoid overcrowding in our jails. One of the largest populations in the jails are the homeless. Hopefully. his call for surrendering old notions will ensure not only the success of the Hudson County Homeless Court but its expansion throughout the state. In addition, the expansion of permanent, affordable and supportive housing needs to be part of the solution.

To read the full article click here.

Beyond drug courts, we should review other sentencing provisions of the criminal code to determine what works and what really doesn’t.

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Tags: Ending Homelessness, Hudson-Homeless-Court

This is both an excellent example of how county-based homeless trust funds could be change agent needed to help end homelessness in New jersey as well as a model that might be something that could work here.

After gaining national attention, a homeless reduction model in Miami is formalizing plans to expand throughout the country, reported The Miami Herald. The Community Partnership for the Homeless and the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust operate a sophisticated street outreach effort that uses computer databases to track homeless people, and offers housing units and wraparound social services to those persuaded to leave the streets. The Miami Model has been lauded for reducing the number of street homeless from 8,000 in 1993 to 1,683 in July. Representatives from more than 60 cities have come to Miami to examine the program, with San Antonio officials selecting it from among 35 cities visited. The Community Partnership for the Homeless just created a national committee to export the Miami Model to other cities struggling to reduce homelessness. 

Miami’s Community Partnership for the Homeless is Taking Model Program Nationwide 09/21/2007 | The Miami Herald (Florida)

This was first published in KnowledgePlex.

This is from our friends at Shelterforce: the Journal of Affordable Housing and Community Building.

“Poised for Change,” the cover story in the Fall 2007 issue of Shelterforce magazine, explores strategies for promoting a progressive housing agenda in a Democratic-controlled Congress and White House.
 
With the majority of Americans now in favor of eliminating poverty, the time is right to advance progressive policies for achieving social and economic equity into the mainstream of American politics. Housing activists are strategizing with their political allies on how to move the inequality debate to center stage in the 2008 presidential debate.
 
In this issue of Shelterforce, Peter Dreier, Barbara Sard, and Greg Squires offer proposals—from reforming the Earned Income Tax Credit to building a more robust fair-housing movement—for translating a growing national sentiment into a movement for genuine change.
 
PLUS: Two years on in New Orleans—Read “Struggling in the Crescent City” to learn how a burgeoning network of local grass-roots organizations has taken the lead in rebuilding homes and neighborhoods.
 
You will find a summary and links to these and more feature articles below. Contact achasan [Email address: achasan #AT# nhi.org - replace #AT# with @ ]">Alice Chasan with questions. To view the full issue or subscribe to Shelterforce, click here.
 
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The NJCDC Birch Street Apartment project is a permanent, affordable and supportive housing development sponsored by New Jersey Community Development Corporation. When completed at the end of January 2008, the site will provide fifteen (15) permanent, affordable and supportive units for very low income individuals who are homeless with a mental illness. Every unit will have it’s own living area, as well as a kitchen and bathroom.

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