op ed printed in the Courier Post April 25 2006 Working-poor families need help with state's high housing costs By TIM TOUHEY and DEBORAH DE SANTIS For the Courier-Post It's getting harder and harder for many families to keep up with the rent in New Jersey. But there is good news for these struggling families. Keeping promise Gov. Jon Corzine has proposed increasing funding for the state's Rental Assistance Program. This offers hope to more than 4,000 households in New Jersey. The Homes for New Jersey organization thanks Corzine for keeping his campaign promise to low-income residents. However, the governor's proposal has not yet been approved. In the coming months, we must ensure that the urgently needed $40 million in funding recommended by the governor in his 2007 budget is approved by the Legislature. Most people are aware the cost of housing has sky-rocketed in New Jersey. Yet, what this means for extremely low-income families is not as widely known. Over the past five years, housing prices have gone up 76 percent. New Jersey ranks as the third most expensive state for renters. This places minimum-wage workers in an increasingly uphill battle to meet basic needs, such as a place to live. Homes for New Jersey, a nonpartisan coalition of more than 200 business, religious and community leaders who support better housing in New Jersey, appreciates Corzine's budgetary stand. Without the program, many residents would face homelessness or be forced to cut back on other basic needs such as health care, nutritious food and safe child care. The state's Rental Assistance Program, created in 2005 and managed by the Department of Community Affairs, helps working families keep a roof over their heads. Recipients are able to use vouchers to obtain safe, decent housing during a time of extremely high housing costs. The program has been enormously helpful to many residents, but it still reaches only a fraction of the people who qualify for it. More than 100,000 extremely low-income households in New Jersey pay more than half of their income for rent. The federal government considers housing affordable if it costs no more than 30 percent of a household's income. In New Jersey, salary increases have hardly kept pace with escalating housing and rental costs, placing low-income workers on shaky financial footing. New Jersey has broken new ground in providing assistance through a state-funded program. This program -- one that makes a significant difference to so many -- must continue to provide working families with assistance so they will have a place to call home. Tim Touhey is co-chairman and Deborah De Santis is a spokeswoman for Homes for New Jersey. Contact them at (609) 393-3752 ext. 25. Published in the Courier-Post: April 25. 2006 3:10AM