In New Jersey, we are grappling with an pivotal issue that touches the very core of our existence: our homes. Where we live shapes our health, finances, education, and legacy we leave for generations to come.
In communities all over our state, which has one of the most competitive rental markets in the U.S., soaring housing costs are making it impossible for a lot of hard-working families to keep a roof over their heads.
Like many other issues, the unprecedented housing affordability crisis is disproportionately impacting Black and Brown communities throughout our state. Fueled by residential segregation, New Jersey has some of the worst racial disparities in the nation.
Centuries of structural racism have formed our landscapes, literally and figuratively. The ripple effects of segregation touch every aspect of our lives — dictating where we work, where our kids go to school, and whether we live next to a park or a toxic waste dump.
Thankfully, we have a robust framework aimed at promoting affordable housing in historically exclusionary communities. New Jersey’s Mount Laurel Doctrine, established by a series of decisions by the New Jersey Supreme Court, has acted as a bulwark against exclusionary zoning that perpetuates residential segregation.
This year is an inflection point. Under the Mount Laurel framework, affordable housing obligations are based on population changes and growth in a region each decade. The current round of affordable housing obligations go through 2025, at which point the next round of obligations will begin.
Major legislation is currently moving through the New Jersey legislature to safeguard and strengthen this framework. With a shortage of over 200,000 affordable housing units statewide, we have a critical opportunity to ensure that more affordable housing gets built to fill this gap.
It is imperative to enact this legislation as soon as possible in order to give municipalities and other stakeholders time to prepare and effectively meet affordable housing production needs over the next decade that stretches to 2035.
Bill S50/A4 streamlines the affordable housing development process for municipalities and everyone involved. The bill’s structure provides more transparency throughout the process and more clarity on what towns have to do to fulfill their constitutional obligations. It also codifies the methodology used to determine each municipality’s affordable housing obligations — which avoids prolonged judicial involvement and legal costs.
In our current reality of increasing income inequality and a worsening housing shortage, New Jersey stands at a crossroads. While strides have been made in investing in affordable housing, much work remains.
The success of the Mount Laurel Doctrine, which was first established through organizing by New Jersey residents and local NAACP branches, relies on continued support from grassroots organizations and vigilant enforcement by the courts and state government.
Given the Mount Laurel Doctrine’s history of breaking down the walls of racial segregation, passing Bill S50/A4 would be a fitting way to commemorate Black History Month. Now, more than ever, we must protect and expand the Mount Laurel Doctrine to ensure that every community in our great state has a safe, healthy, and affordable place to call home.
It is our duty as New Jerseyans to unite in a concerted effort to dismantle racial and economic exclusion. The time for action is now — before our dire housing crisis goes from bad to worse.
