The New Jersey Assembly Appropriations Committee today voted in favor of legislation which provides protections from foreclosure and eviction for homeowners and tenants during the coronavirus pandemic. Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey (the Network) President and CEO Staci Berger issued the following statement on the bill’s passage:

“New Jersey’s moratorium on foreclosures and evictions remains in effect but rents and mortgages continue to be due. With the second highest unemployment rate in the nation, too many NJ families are being crushed by the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. At a time when we are supposed to be home as a matter of public health, the uncertainty around housing stability puts our state and our residents in a dangerously tenuous position. People cannot stay home when they cannot afford to keep their home.

“The ‘People’s Bill’ is historic, ground-breaking and precedent setting for our residents and the rest of our country. It stabilizes the rental market and strengthens our neighborhoods. As our national leaders seem unable or unwilling to protect so many families, it is up to our state elected officials to lead the way. We look forward to seeing this bill enacted quickly, so that people can be stably housed during and after the pandemic. This law will be the first of its kind in the nation and is our best chance to protect New Jerseyans.”

To view the Network’s testimony submitted during today’s Assembly Appropriations Committee hearing, visit www.hcdnnj.org.