Sample Newsletter Article

Homes for New Jersey
A Priority We Can't Ignore

We invite you to get involved in Homes for New Jersey, a statewide campaign to get decision makers to acknowledge we have a housing crisis that needs solving, and to do something about it. The campaign is being spearheaded by a broad coalition of religious, business, community and other groups that believe safe and accessible homes are beyond the reach of far too many New Jerseyans, and that the time to deal with it is now.

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.

Nearly everyone in New Jersey is facing the sticker shock of rising home costs. Families in New Jersey must earn, on average, more than $43,000 a year to pay for a modest two-bedroom apartment, according to the "Out of Reach" report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition. New Jersey is the fourth most expensive place in the nation for renters.

The lack of affordable housing affects homeowners, too. According to the most recently available Census data, nearly 40 percent of all homeowners in our state are paying too much for their housing costs -- defined as paying more than the recommended one-third (or 30 percent) of household income on rent and utilities.

Even starter homes in most areas now cost more than $200,000. A shocking one-fourth of New Jersey homes are now selling for over $500,000, according to the New Jersey Association of Realtors.

And yet, the New Jersey Department of Labor reports that half of all 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.

Middle- and lower-income workers and their families MUST have access to homes they can afford!

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.

But in order to reach that goal, New Jersey needs a comprehensive housing strategy now.

Take a stand in support of New Jersey families and make Homes for New Jersey a priority.

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.

You can find out more about Homes for New Jersey and learn about "Within Reach: The Homes for New Jersey Housing Action Plan" by calling 609-393-3752, ext. 25, or visiting them on the Web at http://www.homesfornj.com/.