Affordable Housing
Update: June 24, 2008
Christian service to local organizations over the past 20 years has raised my awareness of the struggle that our lower income families and neighbors have in finding and keeping safe, decent affordable housing here in New Jersey. Working with Family Promise (formerly Interfaith Hospitality Network), the Love INC mentoring program, Habitat for Humanity and recently New Creations in Christ (NCIC), an affordable housing initiative, I have seen firsthand how this struggle affects our brothers and sisters.
Over the past year and a half I have attended monthly meetings of the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Planning Authority (FMERPA), as a board advisor to NCIC and a member of the Monmouth Advocacy Team. The overall objective has been to advocate for up to 1,500 affordable housing units in the master plan for the Fort property, 1125 acres of prime real estate in eastern Monmouth County. Last March, I helped NCIC team with Homes For All, Inc., a local non-profit builder, to submit a proposal to construct and manage a new affordable housing complex on Fort land, 20% of which would be for homeless families and individuals.
Last Wednesday (3/19) the long-awaited preliminary master plan was presented in a public meeting at Monmouth Regional H.S. As an advocate for affordable housing, I was under whelmed by what I heard proposed – only 375 affordable units over 20 years! I have already written the FMERPA board chair, Dr. Robert Lucky and FMERPA Exec. Director Frank Cosentino, to let them know how disappointed I am by their response.
If you share my disappointment, you are invited to join me in one or more of the following actions:
1. Come to the April 16th FMERPA meeting (7:00 pm at the Tinton Falls Municipal Building, 556 Tinton Avenue) and indicate your support for including 1,500 affordable housing units in the first 5 years of the Fort’s master plan, 2008-2012.
2. Write letters to FMERPA board members, tell them you support 1,500 affordable housing units over the next 5 years (2008-2012) at the Fort, and either fax it to the FMERPA offices (732-935-7440) or send it via email, askfmerpa(at)fmerpa.state.nj.us.
3. Sign a petition in the Narthex and take along copies to gather signatures from others. (Please return petitions by Sunday, April 13th, so we can present them at the 4/16 FMERPA meeting.)
More information on this will be available in the Narthex, including sample letters, directions to the FMERPA meeting and petitions. Please contact Phil Welch (732-747-5032) with any questions. Let me know if you would like to be added to the email list for information bulletins and actions alerts on this issue. Thank you!