Thursday, August 9, 2012

Green: Too Much Doubt about Fate of Affordable Housing in NJ to Raid Funds


(TRENTON) – Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Jerry Green (D-Union/Middlesex/Somerset) issued the following statement after hearing testimony on the Christie administration’s effort to raid $161 million in affordable housing money from municipalities to plug in holes in its budget at today’s Assembly Housing and Local Government Committee hearing:
“Today’s testimony was constructive, but too many questions remain.
“Like many of my colleagues, I’m still waiting to hear how the administration plans to address the need for affordable housing if these funds are taken away from municipalities.
“These funds were intended to create affordable housing opportunities for residents of lower means, not to plug holes in the governor’s budget. I understand there was a deadline attached to these funds, but at the end of the day, we still have a responsibility to ensure there is reasonable housing for residents. So the question remains, what plan does the Christie administration have to provide affordable housing, other than taking funds away from municipalities to build such housing?”
“This is too big a concern in New Jersey for there to be so much uncertainty about what happens next. These are not just buildings we’re talking about; this is about families, so I would ask the administration to consider leaving these funds untouched until a clear plan is in place.”

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