Many of Us Can't Afford to Live Here

As the cost of buying a house or renting an apartment in New Jersey gets farther and farther out of reach, more and more of us are finding it impossible to find a home we can afford.

More than one-fourth of New Jersey single-family homes are now selling for over $500,000.

Families in New Jersey must earn, on average, more than $43,000 a year to pay for a two-bedroom apartment or $60,000 for a "starter home," which in most areas now costs more than $200,000.

And yet, the New Jersey Department of Labor reports that half of New Jersey workers currently earn less than $33,000 a year. In the next ten years, three-quarters of all new jobs created here will pay $40,000 or less.

If you're a...

Security Guard Sheriff's Officer Emergency Medical Technician Nursing Aide Licensed Practical Nurse Home Health Aide Preschool Teacher Office Clerk Accounting Clerk File Clerk Retail Salesperson Customer Service Representative Casino Employee Housekeeper Child Care Provider

Homemaker Maintenance Worker Service Station Attendant Hairdresser School Bus Driver Cook Cashier Waitperson Food-Service Employee Groundskeeper Tractor Trailer Driver Construction Laborer Taxi Driver Transit Worker Senior Citizen Person with a Disability

...YOU probably can't afford New Jersey.

Everyone deserves a decent place to live, to raise a family, build a life and enjoy a future.

Together, we can make New Jersey a place where everyone has a fair shot at the American Dream. Contact Homes for New Jersey today to find out how you can help.

Nearly everyone in New Jersey is facing the "sticker shock" of rising home costs.

Middle- and lower-income workers and their families MUST have access to homes they can afford! New Jersey needs a comprehensive housing strategy to help everyone reach that goal. We can do it, and here's the Homes We Can Afford plan ready for action today.

Our State elected officials and government leaders should:

1. Create and preserve 100,000 more homes that New Jerseyans can afford by
   • Offering incentives for higher-density, mixed-income homes in our cities and towns
   • Creating new ways to help people stay in their homes
   • Replacing the homes of lower-income residents who are displaced by redevelopment
2. Address the housing needs of very low-income New Jerseyans by
   • Making sure current housing plans provide opportunities for very low-income families
   • Maintaining or increasing the current level of funding for the State's rental assistance program

This is not too much to ask New Jersey's leaders to do. But nothing will happen if we don't act.

What can you do?

• Take a stand in support of New Jersey families and make Homes for New Jersey a priority.
• Endorse the Homes We Can Afford Action Plan.

Contact Homes for New Jersey to find out what else you can do to make sure you and your neighbors have a decent, affordable place to live.