Editorial: N.J.'s COAH money grab is the latest raid on property taxpayers

From: The Times of Trenton


It’s a classic case of “Catch 22.”
As they wait for state approvals for committing affordable housing funds, municipal officials throughout New Jersey find themselves fending off state attempts to take that money — because it’s not being spent.
But now that the state has been caught with its hand in the proverbial cookie jar, the case will go before a state appeals court June 5 to determine if the New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing is justified in commandeering as much as $164 million from the towns.

To read the whole editorial, click here.

Asbury Park Press: Sandy aid relief shorting renters

Mar 14, 2013

The devil is still in the details. While Governor Chris Christie announced Tuesday that the cavalry had arrived - with more than $800 million in federal funds to help homeowners and $500 million for businesses are included in New Jersey’s plan for its federal superstorm Sandy money, details about applying for that aid will not be revealed for another few weeks. And the few details that have been released raise troubling questions about whether the most vulnerable and the hardest hit, chiefly low-and moderate income renters, will receive a fair share of it.

The announcement triggers a seven-day public comment period. If the plan is approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, more than 20,000 homeowners, 5,000 renters and 10,000 businesses could get grants to help close the gap in the cost of repairing or rebuilding .Once that ends, the plan will be submitted to the Obama administration for approval, after which the specifics will be put in place.

That is a big if.

HUD could amend the plan and it should. As Kevin Walsh, associate director of the New Jersey-based Fair Share Housing Center said, 80 percent of the lowest income people impacted by Sandy are renters. Yet only 20 percent of the people covered by the State's proposed plan are renters, Associate Director Kevin D. Walsh said.

"Fewer than one out of every twenty renters who registered with FEMA would be helped through the state's plan," Walsh added.

On the surface, the announcement must seem like balm to those who sustained some of $3.83 billion in damage to homes and properties caused by Sandy. The programs for homeowners include: $600 million to provide eligible homeowners up to $150,000 to rebuild, repair and elevate damaged primary residences and $25 million to provide up to $50,000 to low- and moderate-income households to purchase a home.

Yet contrast that with the state’s proposal to spend $225 million to expand the stock of rental housing, including zero- and low-interest loans of up to $120,000 per unit for developers and public housing authorities to develop new rentals and zero-interest loans of up to $50,000 per unit to help repair small rental properties damaged by the storm. Another $40 million would be paid to rental property owners as incentives for agreeing to lease to low- and moderate-income households.

But the rental market in New Jersey has always been tough, even before Sandy. The crunch is even greater now as displaced homeowners scramble to put a roof over their heads. Other details the state’s residents are still waiting for include how people apply for these programs, the income eligibility requirements, and when and how the final two rounds of the federal monies for relief and rebuilding will arrive from Washington.

Gov. Christie said this week that these programs “ have been carefully, but quickly designed to fill the unmet needs faced by our residents.” Not carefully enough, though. HUD should insist on a more equitable distribution of funds to assist the renters in our state.

Christie rules on using foreclosed housing for the homeless

Gov. Chris Christie’s latest rejection of legislation to make vacant foreclosed homes available as affordable housing has left a broad coalition of proponents scratching their heads about what to try next to deal with New Jersey’s foreclosure crisis.

Two articles:

Christie rejects bill that would turn foreclosed homes to affordable housing. http://bit.ly/11e7VaK 

MT @jtyrrell87: Lesniak: "whoever wrote" Christie veto messages doesn't understand housing bill, foreclosure relief. http://bit.ly/11e7VaK 

The Politics of COAH: why the appointments to NJ's Top Court matter

Does the NJ Governor have the power to abolish COAH? Hearing has constitutional and budgetary implications. http://bit.ly/119FwXS 

ICYMI, our analysis of the COAH hearing -- or why Christie & Sweeney's battle over the NJ Supreme Court matters. http://bit.ly/119FwXS 

Christie Administration Announces Comprehensive Temporary Housing Assistance for Storm-Displaced Residents

This is a press release from the Governor's office (see http://www.state.nj.us/governor/news/news/552012/approved/20121210e.html)

Christie Administration Announces Comprehensive Temporary Housing Assistance for Storm-Displaced Residents
*       Monday, December 10, 2012

Additional Fort Monmouth Housing Units and Mobile Homes Will Help Address Disaster Housing Needs

Trenton, NJ - In response to a housing need unlike any New Jersey has before encountered, the Christie Administration today expanded a multi-faceted housing strategy with the support of FEMA to provide additional resources to the many households who are in need of temporary housing as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Additional housing units at the former Fort Monmouth Military Installation will immediately begin to be renovated and temporary housing units will be placed on existing concrete pads already serviced by utility hookups and facilities. Additionally, a request has been made to extend FEMA's Transitional Sheltering Assistance program and Bergen and Hudson counties will be added to the list of areas where a FEMA rapid housing repair program is offered.

"Among our top priorities is to ensure that everyone who has been displaced by Hurricane Sandy can find temporary housing that meets their needs in one available form or another, so they can begin to recover from this major disaster," said Governor Christie. "State departments and agencies, coordinated by my recovery and rebuilding team, have been working hard every day to assess and anticipate unmet housing needs and to develop a comprehensive strategy that, first and foremost, provides safe and adequate housing in the interim and, second, moves impacted households into permanent housing."

"As directed by Governor Christie, providing short and long term housing options for displaced New Jerseyans is the first critical task of the Governor's Office of Recovery and Rebuilding," said Marc Ferzan. "Working in concert with FEMA and the Department of Community Affairs, we are putting forward a plan to identify individual housing needs, provide clear options and help residents navigate the process. This is just part of an ongoing strategy to identify and respond to our state's housing needs and to reassure New Jersyeans and their families that federal, state and local government resources are collaborating to help those who need post-disaster assistance."

As of December 7, over 48,000 households have been determined eligible for financial assistance for housing exceeding $258 million in rental assistance and repair grants, according to FEMA disaster assistance registration data. Of those, over 9,500 sustained damage significant enough to warrant a call out from FEMA to determine the need for temporary housing. More than 8,000 of those households are located in Ocean, Monmouth, and Middlesex counties, demonstrating a concentration of unmet housing needs within a relatively compact geographic area. The number of available rentals listed locally and in the FEMA Housing Portal are not sufficient to meet the anticipated need.

"A very high percentage of displaced households were staying with family and friends when they registered with FEMA. However, as some of these housing situations become unsustainable, residents who have been unable to secure available, affordable housing will need additional temporary housing alternatives," said New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Richard E. Constable, III, whose department heads the New Jersey State led Disaster Housing Task Force. "We are confident our program will provide a comprehensive housing strategy to meet our citizens' needs."

In order to meet the housing needs of displaced residents, the Christie Administration, in partnership with FEMA, will:

*       Renovate housing units at Fort Monmouth in addition to the 45 units currently being renovated. The Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority is simultaneously preparing to issue multiple Requests for Offer to Purchase portions of Fort housing stock that could add approximately 375 units of permanent housing for Sandy displaced residents. The New Jersey Department of Education has advised that students housed at the Fort will have busing transportation available within a reasonable radius to their home school district;
*       Place manufactured housing units on existing pads in mobile home parks;
*       Request an extension of FEMA's Transitional Sheltering Assistance program to accommodate those residents who are currently staying in hotels and motels seeking housing. The program will be re-evaluated to determine the need beyond the January extension date; and
*       Add Hudson and Bergen counties to the list of jurisdictions where FEMA's Sheltering and Temporary Essential Power (STEP) Pilot Program is offered. Through the program, homeowners can apply through their municipalities for eligible repair work on residences, including electrical meter repairs, shelter essential measures, and rapid temporary exterior repairs so that they can live in their homes while permanent repairs are made. The program is already offered in Atlantic, Cape May, Monmouth, Ocean, and Middlesex counties.

The Christie Administration believes the expanded temporary housing assistance is warranted given the large number of uninhabitable homes in the state, the high percentage of households who are residing with family and friends, and the fact that more disaster assistance registrations are being received every day related to Hurricane Sandy losses. The Administration will continue to work with FEMA to monitor housing needs in the weeks and months to come.

Star Ledger: Atlantic City needs help addressing homelessness

The Star Ledger editorial board calls government to task for neglecting to provide housing for the homeless.

Published: Saturday, August 11, 2012:

There are many reasons the homeless come to Atlantic City: for shelter, a feeding kitchen, a temporary job. Many hope that charity follows a windfall; a lucky winner may be feeling generous.

But for too long, this entire city has been on a losing streak — and having panhandlers on the streets doesn’t help. With the recent opening of the Revel luxury casino and Gov. Chris Christie’s effort to recast its seedier side as family-friendly, Atlantic City is fighting for its image. So you can understand the frustration of local officials: They’re trying to attract tourists, not homeless people.

Yet other counties without shelters are still referring their homeless to Atlantic City’s overcrowded shelter.

Homelessness is a complex problem made worse by unemployment, harsh cuts to social services and the lack of affordable housing. A bill proposed by Republican Assemblymen Chris Brown and John Amodeo calls much-needed attention to the issue, but it isn’t likely to solve it. Their hope is at least to get lawmakers to examine why the system is failing.

The bill aims to prevent “Greyhound therapy,” an expression for the one-way bus ticket some communities give homeless people to go away. It would make it a disorderly persons offense to do this without first developing a case management plan, explaining why the services can’t be provided within the community and calling ahead to make sure a bed’s available.

In theory, it’s a good idea. Homeless people should be treated and housed in their own communities. The practical effect, though, is to flip up yet another barrier in a society that has long been playing pinball with the homeless — this time, on the receiving end. Because the reality is, everyone knows there aren’t enough shelter beds. So what’s the point of calling ahead?

When the safety net crumbles, charity-based shelters such as Atlantic City’s become the last line of help. Having passed budgets that underfund these services, politicians shouldn’t be surprised when the homeless have nowhere else to go. But they’re right that local governments can’t rely on “bus therapy.” Towns and counties also need to better coordinate and deploy the funding they have: Is it too often spent on emergency motel stays, rather than shelters? Or better yet, affordable housing?

Last month, Christie created a council to study the problem. We hope its recommendations are far-reaching. Many homeless people also come to Atlantic City of their own volition, and never go to a shelter.

So instead of just passing laws that shuffle the homeless around, we should focus on finding real solutions: getting people affordable housing; treating them for mental illness or addictions; helping them secure jobs.

And re-evaluating our budget priorities: Remember when Christie raised income taxes on the working poor and grabbed money set aside for affordable housing? And when the Democrats cut welfare and drug treatment programs?

That needs fixing, too, if we really want to solve the problem of homelessness in Atlantic City.

Report: Christie says homeless contribute to crime rate in Atlantic City

Gov. Chris Christie stopped at LBI last week, bashing the state government for not passing his budget and answering questions from the public. The Sandpaper (Aug 2, 2012) said in one response to a question about overcrowding at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission, the homeless contributed to the crime rate in Atlantic City.

From the article:
Dr. Melinda Boye-Nolan also asked that the state respect the area’s influx of homeless people. A board member of Family Promise of Southern Ocean County, a nonprofit interfaith organization based in Barnegat that helps needy families, she said she was concerned about the recent lawsuit against the county on behalf of the Atlantic City Rescue Mission. Looking for Christie’s advice on the matter, she said Family Promise has been sending the county’s homeless to the mission because Ocean County has no shelter to offer them.
In response, Christie said the mission is inundated with homeless people from many counties around southern New Jersey, and the problem is contributing to the city’s crime rate. He said it’s unfair to the homeless and to the city, especially while it’s trying to revitalize itself as a resort destination. He thought the situation needed better coordination among the different counties, which he said Human Services Commissioner Jennifer Velez would look into.
“This is a real problem,” said Christie. “… Lots of folks are sending homeless to Atlantic County, many more than the mission can handle. The homeless folks are just sleeping on the streets in Atlantic City; they have no place else to go,” he explained. “The mission down there does great work and does a great job, but they only have so much capacity. And when they can’t take people, and people begin to get turned away, it’s creating a bigger problem in Atlantic County.”