Affordable housing is tough to find in New Jersey. Studies show a shortage of 225,000 units for people of low and very low incomes — and rent has soared 20% to 40% since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Housing advocate Staci Berger calls it a crisis: “We routinely every day all the time are getting phone calls from families, residents, people with disabilities … We have a desperate, desperate need for affordable places for people to live.”
Every town in New Jersey must comply with state-ordered affordable housing mandates, with new goals negotiated every ten years. The fourth building cycle is set to start in July, 2025. But Sen. Anthony Bucco (R-Morris) introduced a bill to delay that next round until 2028. “These units will be built. It’s just a matter of how much, and when. And right now … towns are struggling all over the state with trying to meet these obligations,” said Bucco, who wants to pause the process and study where new development makes sense.
The Fair Share Housing Center opposes any delay. “What does that mean for families? It means three more years of struggling to find an apartment — paying too much in rent — living in homes with mice running around them and other substandard housing. It has a real, direct impact,” said Adam Gordon, the center’s executive director.
