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Ask Governor Corzine to lift the hiring freeze for the Senior Deputy Commissioner for Housing!

This action alert is from our friends at Homes For New Jersey. We strongly encourage our readers to take action.

Dear Homes for New Jersey Partners,

Passage of the historic housing reform bill A500/S1783 brings with it the promise of real progress towards our 100,000 home goal. But we need your help to ensure the effective implementation of one of its most important components-hiring the most qualified professional possible for the new position of DCA Senior Deputy Commissioner for Housing.

The Senior Deputy Commissioner for Housing will help lead the new State Housing Commission, also created by A500, and the development of New Jersey’s much needed housing plan. The potential is tremendous; with the right expertise, the Senior Deputy Commissioner for Housing could play a key leadership role in ensuring every New Jersey resident has a safe, decent affordable home. The current hiring freeze will limit the pool of candidates from which DCA Commissioner Doria can choose to fill the position.

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On June 23rd the New Jersey State Senate approved by a vote of 21-16 S1783, its version of the comprehensive housing reform bill, identical to A500 which passed the Assembly on June 16.

This is an important step toward meeting the affordable and supportive housing needs of individuals and families including the homeless.

According to the Star-Ledger, Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts (D-Camden), a prime sponsor in the lower house said “I’m gratified. We have taken a giant step toward making the dream of affordable housing a reality in New Jersey.”

Roberts said Gov. Jon Corzine has assured him he will sign the legislation in the near future.

This legislation includes a number of policy priorities the Housing and Community Development Network, Homes for New Jersey and Monarch Housing have championed for many years.

The core elements of S1783 represent significant opportunities for New Jersey to provide safe, quality and affordable housing to residents of our State, including:

Creating a State Housing Plan and Commission: This Commission will provide strategic direction in establishing housing goals, strategies and resource priorities for the state. Comprised of public, private and government representatives, it will gather and disseminate information on housing needs, and prepare and adopt an annual Strategic Housing Plan with public input. New Jersey needs a regularly updated housing plan to establish priorities, identify needed reforms and ensure the most effective and targeted use of limited state resources. DCA and HMFA must submit an annual report detailing its housing activity.

Establishing a Statewide Developer Fee: This assessment will help increase critically needed resources for affordable housing development. It will also help create a predictable playing field for commercial and non-residential developers, by applying a statewide 2.5% fee on these projects, rather than a fee, that under COAH regulations, could be as high as 9% on these projects.

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Tags: Advocacy, affordable-housing, Ending Homelessness, Joe-Roberts, Supportive Housing

On Monday, June 23, the full New Jersey Senate will take up S1783, its version of the comprehensive housing reform bill, identical to A500 which passed the Assembly on June 16. Please contact your state senator by phone or fax or e-mail and urge him or her to support this important measure. Passage by the Senate means the bill will go next to the Governor, who is expected to sign it into law. Go here to find contact information for your senator. Let your voice be heard at this crucial juncture for more affordable housing and a better way to deliver it.

This legislation includes a number of policy priorities the Housing and Community Development Network, Homes for New Jersey and Monarch Housing have championed for many years.

The core elements of S1783 represent significant opportunities for New Jersey to provide safe, quality and affordable housing to residents of our State, including:

Creating a State Housing Plan and Commission: This Commission will provide strategic direction in establishing housing goals, strategies and resource priorities for the state. Comprised of public, private and government representatives, it will gather and disseminate information on housing needs, and prepare and adopt an annual Strategic Housing Plan with public input. New Jersey needs a regularly updated housing plan to establish priorities, identify needed reforms and ensure the most effective and targeted use of limited state resources. DCA and HMFA must submit an annual report detailing its housing activity.

Establishing a Statewide Developer Fee: This assessment will help increase critically needed resources for affordable housing development. It will also help create a predictable playing field for commercial and non-residential developers, by applying a statewide 2.5% fee on these projects, rather than a fee, that under COAH regulations, could be as high as 9% on these projects.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Advocacy, affordable-housing, Homes-for-New-Jersey, Housing-and-Community-Development-Network, Joe-Roberts, Supportive Housing

On June 16, 2008, the New Jersey Assembly passed by a vote 45-33-2, A-500, the bill that will reform affordable housing in New Jersey. This is the most significant reform in over twenty years.

According to the Speaker of the Assembly Joseph Roberts, Jr., “The Legislature can no longer take an ostrich-like view of the state’s housing policy. New Jerseyans need homes they can afford and jobs they can reach. The state must lead by example by expanding access to equitable and affordable housing.”

To read the full bill click here. To read a statement on the bill click here.

In addition to Speaker Roberts the other prime sponsors in the Assembly included Bonnie Watson Coleman, Jerry Green, Thomas P.Giblin, Albert Coutinho, and Mila M. Jasey. Co-sponsors included L. Grace Spencer, Nilsa Cruz-Perez and Elease Evans.

The A-500 bill will make the following changes.

Abolish “regional contribution agreements,” (RCAs) ending the practice of allowing municipalities to duck their affordable housing responsibilities while generating new funding through a 2.5 percent fee on nonresidential development. These funds may be used for new construction or rehabilitation of affordable housing units;

Establish a 20-percent affordable housing set aside for all state-assisted development projects - including smart growth areas and transit villages;

Promote the production of housing units by setting-aside 13 percent of all affordable housing for families earning less than 30 percent of the state’s median income and;

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New Jersey Assembly members Roberts, Watson Coleman and Green have unveiled a 12 point plan to “will lead to the creation of greater affordable housing opportunities in New Jersey.”

To read the full plan click here.

The 12 proposals are:

* Abolish RCAs: End the reprehensible practice of allowing municipalities to duck their affordable housing responsibilities, but give urban communities new funding so they don’t have to rely on RCAs.

* 20-percent set aside for state projects: Establish a 20-percent affordable housing set aside for all state-assisted development projects — such Smart Growth Areas and Transit villages; state needs to lead by example.

* New Housing Trust Fund: Create a reconstituted state affordable housing umbrella fund with an expanded pool of revenue sources.

* Tax Credits: Make federal Low Income Tax Credits available to private developers; New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Washington, and California already do this.

* Increasing Access: Expand middle-income eligibility for affordable housing units and promote production of housing units for families earning less than 30 percent of the state’s median income.

* Utilizing school funding: Use school funding formula to award towns that provide affordable housing to low- and moderate-income students.

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