New Jersey’s Affordable Housing System Needs Reform: Overdevelopment, Loopholes, and Prioritization
By Giuseppe Palmeri, Jackson Township Councilman
January 2025
New Jersey’s affordable housing program, managed by the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), assigns obligations to municipalities every ten years to ensure residents in need have access to housing. While the idea of affordable housing is well-intended, the system is deeply flawed, and in my opinion, it is leading to overdevelopment and placing an unfair burden on local communities.
The problem stems from the mandates imposed by Democrats in Trenton, which force municipalities to build large-scale affordable housing projects without considering the long-term impact on infrastructure, schools, and emergency services. These mandates often strip towns of their ability to control responsible growth, leading to overcrowded schools, increased traffic, and strained municipal resources. Instead of allowing local governments to determine what makes sense for their communities, these top-down directives are crushing towns across New Jersey, forcing them into overdevelopment that many residents oppose.
At the same time, I believe affordable housing allocations need to prioritize those who have contributed to society and now find themselves struggling—our senior citizens. Many seniors who have worked their entire lives, paid taxes, and supported their communities now face financial hardship in one of the most expensive states in the country. It is only fair that they receive priority access to affordable housing so they can live out their retirement years with dignity and security.
For those still in the working age, I believe affordable housing should be a temporary solution rather than a permanent safety net. Assistance should be designed to help individuals during financial hardship, with clear pathways toward self-sufficiency. Programs should include job training, financial literacy education, and career development to help residents transition off government assistance. Without this focus, we risk creating a system of dependency rather than empowerment.
Additionally, I feel the state needs to do a better job of preventing abuse within the system. I’ve observed cases where affordable housing units may not be utilized as intended. For example, individuals might qualify based on reported income while others in the household contribute unreported income, taking advantage of loopholes. This misuse takes units away from those who genuinely need them. In my opinion, stricter verification processes and periodic reviews are necessary to close these gaps and ensure fairness.
New Jersey’s affordable housing system is broken. The Democrat-imposed mandates are forcing towns into overdevelopment, stretching local resources to the brink. Meanwhile, we must do a better job of prioritizing seniors and ensuring that assistance programs are temporary, not indefinite. I believe that with proper oversight, stronger local control, and a focus on transitioning individuals toward self-sufficiency, we can create a fairer and more effective housing system.
These are my thoughts on how we can strengthen New Jersey’s approach to affordable housing while protecting our communities from the crushing weight of overdevelopment.