This week, several bills related to Affordable Housing and Senior Housing were heard before various committees.
Below, please find information regarding these bills.
Support
A-586: Provides for expanded use of affordable housing voucher program funding.
Status: Reported out of Committee with Committee Amendments and referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee on May 13, 2024.
Summary: A-586 establishes a rental assistance program for low-income households, supplementing existing programs under the Prevention of Homelessness Act. The program prioritizes senior citizens and veterans and includes provisions for tenant-based vouchers, homeownership assistance, and the Home Repair Emergency Assistance Fund.
The League supports this legislation as it expands existing programs that assist residents with home ownership.
A-3363: Establishes a centralized directory for affordable and senior citizen housing.
Status: Reported out of the Assembly Housing Committee on May 13, 2024.
Summary: A-3363 requires that each county in the state submits a monthly report on affordable and senior housing units to the Commissioner of Community Affairs. It would include details about each housing unit, landlord contact, application status, waitlist availability, and application instructions. This information submitted will be uploaded to the DCA’s website, the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, and the New Jersey Housing Resource Center.
The League supports this legislation as it provides information to residents seeking affordable housing.
S-3065: Excludes environmentally sensitive and flood-prone land from designation as vacant or available for purposes of affordable housing construction.
Status: Reported out of committee with amendments on May 13, 2024, and awaits second reading in the Senate.
Summary: S-3065 requires that certain environmentally sensitive, flood-prone lands regulated by state or federal agencies be excluded from the calculation of available land for affordable housing construction under a municipality's fair share obligation. These include lands regulated by the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council, Flood Hazard Aera Control Act, and the Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act.
The League supports this legislation because it provides an additional tool to preserve some of New Jersey's most environmentally sensitive lands.
Contact: Frank Marshall, Esq., Associate General Counsel, fmarshall@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x137.