Housing

Newark’s award-winning Section 8 Homeownership Conversion Program is a national model for comprehensive economic mobility. The City of Newark has seen an incredible boom in housing development in the last few years, in every ward. It is important that this development be equitable and beneficial to all of our residents and tenants, regardless of income level. This administration has committed itself to ensuring that Newark will have affordable housing for our residents, particularly those at-risk, as well as to encourage new home ownership for low- to moderate-income families.

“ This administration has committed itself to ensure that Newark will have affordable housing for our residents.”

HOMEOWNERSHIP

Working with Invest Newark, Newark’s Economic Development Corporation, we developed a partnership to create the Section 8 Homeownership Conversion Program, which provides Section 8 tenants with rebuilt homes on blighted properties. Tenants use their rental vouchers and down payment assistance to purchase homes. This pioneering program also provides construction jobs for the renovation work. The Urban League of Essex County provides counseling and HUD Certified Coaches to work with the new homeowners.

20% Our groundbreaking Inclusionary Zoning for Affordable Housing Ordinance requires developers to set aside 20 percent of their residential units in buildings of more than 30 units as affordable housing, and they must give priority to Newark residents and assign these units equally throughout the structure. This applies to both new construction and renovated buildings. In 2020 and 2021, we created 3,569 housing units, of which 1,512 are affordable. That means more than 42 percent of our new units designated for affordable housing. 3K The Office of Tenant Legal Services has provided free legal services to tenants facing eviction since its creation in 2019, enabling 3,000 residents to stay in their homes.

$10K Our LIVE NEWARK program supports our residents’ dream of home ownership. It provides up to $10,000 of forgivable loans to help cover closing costs for first-time homebuyers and forgivable loans of up to $20,000 for external home repairs. So far, the City has given out 80 closing cost grants and 66 grants for external home repairs since 2019.

$100M The New Jersey 40 Acres and a Mule Fund, a private investment vehicle, was created by the Mayors of Newark, Orange, East Orange, Paterson, Camden, Trenton, Irvington and Atlantic City to put capital directly in the hands of New Jersey’s Black and Latinx business owners and communities, to combat and reduce social and economic inequalities.