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New Jersey becomes the most progressive state in the nation for affordable housing laws

  2. davetskinner
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Governor Jon Corzine signed A-500 into law, the first major overhaul of New Jersey's Fair Housing Act. The bill is the result of a major grassroots effort spearheaded by affordable housing advocates. As a result of a 1975 NJ Supreme Court case (the Mount Laurel decision) and subsequent court decisions, municipalities are required to provide their "fair share" of affordable housing.

The new legislation closes a loophole by which the towns could buy their way out of the obligation by funding projects in nearby inner cities. This is a major step in the fight against racism, concentration of poverty, and the long-standing exclusionary policies of New Jersey's suburban mayors.
davetskinner

1 response // New Jersey becomes the most progressive state in the nation for affordable housing laws

  • this is a huge step in a process that has been going on a looooooong time. my parents have been involved in the mt. laurel decision since i was a little girl. my father grew up in philadelphia and worked hard, along with many other families in our neighborhood, to afford a better life and community than they grew up in. while we understood the need for low-income housing in each town, the idea that those better off could brush off their social responsibility by paying to raise more housing in other towns was a slap in the face to the hard working families seeing their property values diminish as other towns continued to prosper.
    cwood

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