SRAP Sample Letter to Legislator

[DATE]

The Honorable [Name of Legislator]
[Address]
[Address]
[Address]

Dear Senator [Last Name] OR Assemblyman/woman [Last Name],

I am a registered voter [or resident] of your district OR [member of X organization, which serves XXX residents of in your district] and I am writing to urge you to support the Governor's proposed $40 million appropriation for the State Rental Assistance Program (SRAP) in the FY07 Budget.

This program is important to me because it helps ensure that New Jersey's communities remain a viable place to live for residents whose income is not sufficient to meet growing housing costs. These residents include our teachers, health workers and child-care professionals. [IF YOU HAVE A PERSONAL STORY, PLEASE ENTER IT HERE]

SRAP has given much-needed relief for over 4,000 households by providing temporary assistance to people who are unable to afford housing expenses. However, at its current level, SRAP is only able to provide help to a small fraction of eligible residents. Over 100,000 extremely low-income households in New Jersey currently pay more than half their income for rent. I hope you will take this opportunity to make rental assistance more available by passing the Governor's proposed FY07 budget.

Homes for New Jersey, a non-partisan coalition of more than 200 business, religious and community leaders who work towards better housing in New Jersey, supports Governor Corzine's budgetary stand for this program. Without it, many residents would face homelessness or be forced to cut back on basic needs such as health care, nutritious food, or safe child-care options.

I strongly urge you to support Governor Corzine's call for increased SRAP funding in the FY07 budget. This increase is absolutely critical for directly addressing the rising crisis in housing affordability. I hope to hear from you soon about your support for SRAP and other housing programs. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]