Campaign Overview

We invite you to become involved in Homes for New Jersey, a statewide nonpartisan campaign to get decision-makers in New Jersey 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.Ultimately, the coalition is promoting the production, rehabilitation and preservation of 100,000 homes over the next 10 years in environmentally appropriate places.

The Campaign's initial goal, make the housing crisis an issue in the 2005 race for governor in New Jersey, was a tremendous success. The candidates of both major parties endorsed Homes for New Jersey's call to build or preserve 100,000 units of affordable housing over the next decade. As Governor, Jon S. Corzine has reiterated his commitment to this campaign.

In the coming years, our main objective is to help Governor Jon S. Corzine and his administration fashion and implement a meaningful and attainable plan for reaching this critical goal. Many Homes partners have been working with the Department of Community Affairs and the New Jersey legislature to craft a plan that addresses the challenges of housing production and preservation while providing affordability and choice for New Jerseyans.

We look forward to the adoption of such a plan by the Governor and his Cabinet. Homes for New Jersey is ready to assist the Administration to make its commitment to affordable housing a reality. Homes for New Jersey will continue to educate the public and hold policymakers accountable for the crucial changes needed to make this plan succeed.

Homes for New Jersey is a long-term effort to expand and reform the state government's role in ensuring that lower- and middle-income residents can access homes they can afford. The focus of the coalition is to educate the public about New Jersey's housing crisis and:

Internal Structure: A steering committee of 20 committed stakeholder organizations, led by an Executive Director, oversees our campaign's continued development and implementation.

Obtain Diverse, Numerous and Well-Connected Campaign Partners:While Homes for New Jersey already has more than 280 members/partners representing business, civic, community, religious and labor organizations, we enthusiastically welcome new partners. You can help us recruit influential, wellconnected individuals from various sectors to serve on the campaign's leadership committees, recruit other organizations and act as public advocates.

Develop Local Strategies/Energize Local Partners: : We will work with local partners to enlist grassroots support and local involvement in the campaign. Local strategies may include letter-writing campaigns, carrying out parallel, citywide efforts to promote affordable housing, candidates' forums and meetings, tours of successful affordable housing developments, voter registration, special events, etc. We will keep partners informed and plugged in through regular e-mail updates with upcoming events, new resources, etc.

Obtain Broad Media Exposure: We have developed a Web page and a toolkit for campaign partners to download to help with outreach to other organizations, candidates and the media. Toolkit materials include a brochure, talking points to use in your discussions with candidates, sample letters to the editor, an article for your newsletter, etc. We will work with partners to obtain free media exposure for the campaign in a variety of ways, including editorial board meetings, op-eds, letters to the editor, and coverage of events being planned for the fall.

What have we achieved in our campaign?

Since Homes for New Jersey's formation, housing issues have gained more attention both by elected officials and in the media. We have made tremendous organizational and political strides, including the following achievements: