The signing today of the bill banning the use of Regional Contribution Agreements is a victory for the men, women and children who have up to now been denied full access to the kind of affordable housing that was envisioned when the Mount Laurel decision first was enacted decades ago.
I commend Governor Corzine, Speaker Joe Roberts, Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman, the New Jersey Legislature, the New Jersey Catholic Conference, the New Jersey Regional Coalition, and all the clergy, civic leaders and concerned citizens of New Jersey who have worked so tirelessly to bring this bill forward for signing today.
Even though New Jersey municipalities have been legally obligated to provide affordable housing, they had been given a way to opt out of this through Regional Contribution Agreements, whereby wealthy suburban towns paid the poorest towns to accept a share of their affordable housing. This arrangement has been inherently unfair, for it concentrates the poor in the most impoverished cities, locking them into enclaves of disadvantage, out of sight and out of mind, with jobs and opportunity out of reach.
We must always insist that the human dignity of all persons be upheld through our laws, our policies and actions. A lack of affordable housing, or finding loopholes to avoid our obligation to provide it, is unacceptable and an affront to the God-given dignity of the human person. As people who are brothers and sisters to one another, we must accept responsibility for our obligation to assist the poor and disadvantaged. Any fear and apprehension some may feel at this time, we pray, will give way to an appreciation for the need for affordable housing, ongoing concern for the poor, and constant advocacy on their behalf.