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Background on the New Jersey Housing Justice Project
In July 2021, both houses of the New Jersey Legislature passed, without dissent, a new law to fund experiential housing advocacy programs to provide legal services for low- and moderate-income tenants in need of housing assistance. Governor Murphy signed the legislation on July 22, 2021. The legislation acknowledged that the lack of affordable housing, a longstanding issue in New Jersey, was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and disproportionately impacts Black and Latinx residents of New Jersey. The legislation also recognized that the provision of free legal services to low- and moderate-income tenants in eviction cases in court, negotiations with landlords, and obtaining rental assistance and other benefits, is one of the most effective ways to address the ongoing eviction crisis.
Through this funding, Seton Hall University School of Law and Rutgers University Law School have established the New Jersey Housing Justice Project. The new funding has enabled the law schools to expand their clinical programs and provide representation to more tenants than ever before. An effective response to the eviction crisis, however, requires more than individual representation. Our law schools are uniquely positioned to engage in thoughtful review of the landlord-tenant court system, gather data and information, analyze that information, and develop strategies to meet the crisis.
