Letter from the Director

I had just started writing this month’s newsletter when the phone rang. Emily, our Office Administrator, was helping someone else, so I picked up. On the other end of the line was Barbara, a 70-year-old Bergen County resident who had nowhere to go. She was crying and could hardly speak.

Barbara and her 49-year-old son who has special needs lived together, making ends meet on her small salary and the income from his part-time job. Then in August 2024, she and her son were both unexpectedly laid off.

At first, unemployment benefits kept them afloat. Barbara searched for a new job, no easy feat when one is 70. She exhausted her saving but eventually, they were evicted. She hunted for a new apartment that wasn’t charging three times what she and her son had been paying previously. No luck.

Barbara told me that she and her son had called every phone number and filled out every application possible in order to find help. Still, they came up empty handed. When she called, she was staying in a hotel thanks to the kindness of a local priest. Tonight was the last night. In the morning, Barbara and her son would have nowhere to go. This woman who had worked her whole life and her adult son with special needs were on the brink of homelessness.

This is what happens when municipalities all over the New Jersey fight the creation of affordable housing. NIMBY! Not in my backyard! We pretend it is someone else’s problem…until it isn’t. When our children move away, our parents can’t afford the taxes, and many working people are priced out of the market…then, maybe then, we will see that affordable housing doesn’t just benefit a select few. It helps all of us. It strengthens communities.

We have come to a crisis point. Low-income families and many middle-income families (if there is such a thing) currently struggle to keep a roof over their heads. This is not because they are lazy, refuse to work, or have substance use issues. It’s because housing has become too expensive!

Housing is a human necessity. Town councils, zoning boards, and residents must stop using red tape and fear to block its creation. We need policies that promote mixed-income neighborhoods and streamline the approval process for affordable units. We need residents willing to show up at town meetings not to oppose change—but to demand it.

The reality is that a diverse, inclusive neighborhood enriches everyone. It fosters understanding. It builds stability. It creates peace.

Help Family Promise break down the myths and fears around affordable housing. Share stories, ask questions, and start the conversations that lead to real understanding—and real change.

Blessed are the peacemakers.

Kate