March 22, 2010
Dear Senator,
As the oldest and largest statewide tenant membership organization in
the country, the New Jersey Tenants Organization (NJTO) has been the
voice of tenants in New Jersey for the last 40 years. With rents in
New Jersey near the highest in the nation, its 1.1 million tenant
families are understandably concerned with housing cost. This is
especially true of low and moderate income tenants, who are the most
vulnerable. With at least a hundred thousand low and moderate income
families desperately in need of housing they can afford near transit
and employment, we cannot as a state afford not to meet that need.
To force these families to continue to live in overcrowded housing,
in cars, in shelters, or just on the street is the wrong direction
for New Jersey to move in. Although we do not believe this is the
intent of the sponsors, we do believe S-1 will do this by causing
much less, if any, housing to be built or rehabilitated which is
affordable to low and moderate income families.
It will do this by effectively eliminating the state enforcement
agency (COAH), replacing the existing requirements with ineffective
ones, and eliminating a major source of funding -- developer fees --
which cannot realistically be replaced given the state's budget
crisis. If you need more details, please refer to the letter you
received from the Housing and Community Development Network of New
Jersey (attached), with which we agree in its entirety.
Please understand that we do not think that COAH is perfect. It
could certainly be improved. Aside from not producing nearly enough
affordable housing, the issue of CONTINUED affordability has not been
adequately addressed, to say the least. Any housing built under COAH
or using State funding of any sort, should be guaranteed to be
affordable in perpetuity and maintained in good, safe, habitable
condition in conformity with the Hotel and Multiple Dwelling Act.
That has not been the case in many of these buildings and complexes,
and it makes absolutely no sense to build housing as being
affordable, only to lose that affordability as rents increase faster
than incomes, and habitability rules are not enforced.
For our economy to thrive, low, moderate and middle income working
families must have the security of decent housing they can afford.
We include middle income families as rising rents are pricing them
out as well. Municipalities which prevent rents from rising faster
than incomes by realistic rent controls at or below wage inflation
should somehow be rewarded by a revised affordable housing law.
We would be happy to work with you to shape legislation that would
really address the crisis in affordability of New Jersey's rental
housing.
Again, if it actually comes to the floor for a vote today, we urge
you to vote NO on S-1, since it moves us in the wrong direction. The
better choice would be to hold the bill, and work with us and others
committed to affordable housing in finding a real solution to the
state's affordable housing needs.
Sincerely yours,
Mathew B. Shapiro
President
New Jersey Tenants Organization
