Photo courtesy of Patch Hoboken.
The holiday season starts a controversial time for affordable housing in the state, bringing on city council meetings and state investigations.
Read about what’s going on in Bayonne, Hoboken and new affordable housing opportunities in this month’s Jersey Escrow–where all your housing information is stored.
Bayonne Redevelopment Plans Raise Concern For Affordable Housing
Ordinance O-5 declared Bayonne as an “area in need of rehabilitation” earlier this year, and a Bayonne City Council vote on multiple story buildings in a Dec. 18 meeting solidified the city’s intentions for change.
The council voted to proceed on the redevelopment plans of Avenue 626-628 E and 62-72 Prospect Avenue, which raised doubt in long-time residents. Residents asked if the redevelopment plans would include senior, affordable or disabled housing, in which Councilman Neil Caroll responded “no” to, according to Hudson County View.
This became a point of debate in Bayonne, where residents are accustomed to living in one and two family homes rather than apartment buildings. According to the 2024 American Community Survey, 30.1% of the city are homeowners.
Hoboken Gets Rid Of City-Only Affordable Housing Applications After Racial and Housing Discrimination Investigation
The city of Hoboken will amend Municipal Ordinance B-175, which gave Hoboken residents privileged access to affordable housing, according to an investigation from New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division on Civil Rights.
The investigation was opened after a Black Jersey City resident told the Attorney General this ordinance, instead of helping residents, racially discriminated against those in need of housing. She claimed she was put on a housing waitlist for five years, but not allowed to apply for a unit because of her race and where she lived.
Compared to the diversity in other cities and towns in Hudson County, Hoboken has limited diversity, according to statistics.
According to the US Census, 69.1% of Hoboken residents are white, 13.8% are Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% are Asian and 4.5% are Black. Compared to its neighbor city Jersey City, 28.7% of residents are white, 25.7% are Hispanic or Latino, 25.8% are Asian and 21.5% are Black.
Hoboken was previously home to Latino and immigrant communities. The Hoboken fires of the late seventies and early eighties displaced over 7,000 Latinos from the community. Hoboken is often referenced when fires break out in other neighborhoods at the brink of redevelopment and verge of gentrification like West New York.
As a result of the investigation, which has reportedly found that Hoboken was participating in housing discrimination, Ordinance B-175 will now allow the rest of Hudson County to apply for affordable housing units and include Bergen, Passaic and Sussex counties. The ordinance, which was passed in 2019, blocked people from neighboring counties—like Hudson, Bergen, Passaic and Sussex—to prioritize Hoboken residents in affordable housing applications and waitlists.
“The agreement announced today will make it easier for eligible low-income people to access affordable housing in a part of our state where rents are skyrocketing and affordable housing opportunities are at a premium. This settlement underscores our ongoing commitment to ensuring that affordable housing is available—free from discrimination—to those who need it,” said Attorney General Platkin in a press release on Dec. 15.
As part of the agreement, Hoboken will also do the following:
- Applicants previously denied or skipped on the waitlist because of Hoboken’s residency preference will have their prior waitlist position reinstated
- Those removed from the waitlist for failing to complete annual recertifications may also seek reinstatement to the waitlist if they originally applied for affordable housing before the amendment to the Ordinance
- Applicants who were previously skipped or removed will be screened for an opportunity to apply to an affordable housing unit, if otherwise eligible
- Hoboken will allocate at least $30,000 to additional affordability assistance and other projects or training associated with fair housing
- All staff whose work relates to affordable housing administration will be required to complete training on housing discrimination laws
New Housing Opportunities for 2026
Fair Share Housing shared three affordable rental opportunities and one ownership opportunity across New Jersey this month that you can still apply to in time for the new year.
Rental Opportunities:
- Cornerstone at Galloway II in Galloway is accepting applications until Dec. 29 to be included in the development’s lottery system.
- Springdale at Robbinsville in Robbinsville has one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments available. Those interested in applying must do so by Jan. 6 to be added to the property’s waitlist.
- With priority for Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean county residents, Homes by TLC in Ewing is accepting applications for six three-bedroom apartments. Residents can apply until Jan. 8.
Ownership Opportunities:
- Habitat for Humanity of South Central New Jersey is accepting applications for those looking to purchase a single-family, three-bedroom home until Jan. 14. There is an application fee of $40 for one person and $80 for two. Applicants will be added to a lottery system.
- You can apply to purchase one of ten homes in Camden for $150,000, which is about $400,000 less than New Jersey’s average home value of $555,465. Applicants have until Jan. 5 to fill out this pre-application form, which asks for contact information, current address, household size and annual income. The lottery will be held on Jan. 11.
What does “added to a lottery system” mean?
A lottery system is intended to ensure that there is no bias in the selection process. Applicants are added to a list and selected at random.
Eligibility
Each development and organization has set different income limits and applications. For more information or help, you can visit or contact the New Jersey Housing Resource Center
Know any New Jersey housing news or resources we should include? Email Chelsea Pujols at [email protected].
