ROBERTS: NEW REPORT REINFORCES NEED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN NEW JERSEY

(TRENTON) – Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts Jr. today said a new Princeton University study that found low-income New Jerseyans moving to states with lower costs of living is yet another example of the need for affordable housing in the state.

Roberts recently spearheaded into law A500, landmark new affordable housing reform that takes historic steps to eliminate inequitable housing practices and makes it easier for New Jersey towns to meet affordable housing obligations.

The study of U.S. Census data from 2000 to 2006 found that more people making less than $66,000 per year were leaving New Jersey than moving to it.

“These findings are yet another example that reinforces the need for affordable housing in New Jersey,” said Roberts, (D-Camden). “Critics who dismiss affordable housing are ignoring the fact that our neighbors, grandparents and children are among those who simply cannot afford a decent home and feel the need to look elsewhere.”

The Princeton University analysis comes after a recent report by the Fair Share Housing Center found that, among other things, many public workers cannot afford to live in the communities where they work, while the Brookings Institution recently found more working poor families are being trapped in urban areas with concentrated poverty.

The authors of the Princeton University report said, "Further, migration out of the state is almost entirely due to low-income individuals moving to areas with lower living costs. The most important step to reducing out-migration would be to improve the affordability of housing in the state, particularly for low-income residents."

“We’ve long known the state’s affordable housing laws promoted poverty and segregation, and the evidence continues to mount,” said Roberts. “If New Jersey is to remain prosperous, we must ensure housing is affordable to everyone so we can remain a diverse and vibrant state.”