Mar. 15, 2007

N.J.'s shameful segregation
Regional contribution agreements allow affluent communities to shift their affordable-housing duty to needy towns. This must end.
By Rohn Hein

More than 30 years have passed since the New Jersey Supreme Court issued its famous Mount Laurel decision mandating that all communities in the state should bear their fair share of affordable housing - for poor, mostly black and Latino residents.

Since then, fearful suburban communities have hid their prejudice against poor minorities under the guise of "regional contribution agreements" to deal away those obligations.

The time for this practice to end is now come.

Regional contribution agreements, or RCAs, have been a critical factor in turning New Jersey into one of the most segregated states in the country.

Rapid development of the growth suburbs has not been accompanied by a share of opportunity for all New Jerseyans.

These towns have shunned the Supreme Court's call for the construction of affordable housing within their jurisdictions and made their enclaves beyond the reach of many.

Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts and State Sen. John Adler have introduced identical pieces of legislation that call for the abolition of RCAs and the creation of a fund to promote the rehabilitation of housing in urban areas. These bills have been sent to committee, but no action has taken place.

Under the present system of RCAs, affluent communities sell their obligations to needy towns. Urban centers, such as Trenton and Beverly, have accepted these funds, but find that they also must shoulder a larger population of low-income residents.

Financially struggling urban communities should not be tricked into taking on the responsibility of the suburbs to build affordable housing. The segregating of the poor into the urban areas is a blot upon the conscience of this state.

Affordable housing needs to be built throughout New Jersey, including the suburbs, where jobs and opportunity abound. The elimination of RCAs will block an escape route that wealthier communities have used to dodge their obligation.

All of our citizens deserve the right to live where growth and prosperity abound.

The League of Municipalities, which supposedly represents all of the communities in the state, has been a fierce supporter of RCAs. In truth, the league is a multimillion-dollar, corporate-funded group that chooses to protect the status quo.

A rising chorus of voices from its own members is denouncing this immoral practice and calling for change. The dissenting towns recognize that the pittance they receive from RCAs is not worth the cost of continued segregation in our state.

With alternative sources of funds available in the proposed legislation, most urban mayors will realize that they no longer need to be suckers for the communities that will not take up their rightful obligations.

The New Jersey Regional Coalition, a statewide coalition of religious and community groups, has worked feverishly on this issue as well as a social justice agenda that includes fundamental property-tax reform and immigrant rights.

The coalition believes fairness needs to be injected into the political debates on housing and property-tax reform.

Property-tax rebates are not reform, and the citizens will recognize this, unless an equitable school-funding plan is enacted.

Recently, the appellate court ruled that the regulations promulgated by the Council on Affordable Housing were poorly written and should be revised.

How many times must our politicians be told by our judiciary that their way of providing affordable housing for our residents is a mess?

Gov. Corzine recently stated that RCAs eventually should be made illegal. He said we should make sure we have diversity built into our communities.

Now is the time for more people to follow the lead of the governor, Roberts and Adler and to declare that the current system must be torn down.

New Jersey is dishonored as the most segregated state in America. We must do better.

Rohn Hein is a board member of the New Jersey Regional Coalition and chairman of the Social Justice Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Cherry Hill.

Source: http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/opinion/local1/16906367.htm
The Philadelphia Inquirer - South Jersey Commentary - Posted on Thu, Mar. 15, 2007