The annual Out of Reach report finds fair market rent and 'housing wage' in New Jersey are less than in 2021. But "the picture is much worse" than the data.
Only 6% of adults with known intellectual or developmental disabilities are accessing residential support in New Jersey at this time, which advocates say is not acceptable for a state with such broad resources.
The continued dearth of available housing, particularly that which is designated as affordable, coupled with New Jersey's still-high unemployment rate compared with the rest of the United States post-COVID, makes for a unique and hard-to-solve problem.
Gov. Phil Murphy says he can't sign a bill creating a Rental Assistance Navigation Program for fears it could cost $300 million. Similar help is on the way.