The Courier - July 24, 2008

Rest in peace, RCAs
Gov. Corzine signed Bill A500, which eliminated RCAs in N.J.

By MELISSA L. GAFFNEY
Staff Writer

    "It will be a cold day in hell when you eliminate RCAs in New Jersey."
    State Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts Jr., D-Camden, said someone from the "other side" spoke those words to him years ago.
    On Thursday, July 17, it was neither cold nor a day in hell when Gov. Jon Corzine signed away the use of Regional Contribution Agreements (RCAs) and ushered in a groundbreaking phase of affordable housing reform in New Jersey.
    As per previous statutes, the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) conditions allowed a wealthy municipality to sell up to 50 percent of its affordable housing obligation to another town for use in rehabilitation.
    On the beautiful landscaped grounds of the Ethel Lawrence Homes, in Mount Laurel, Corzine finalized Bill A500 after years of legislative and moral battles.
    The bill many said would never make it, the bill that has been nearly 30 years in the making, was enacted in less than a few seconds in the town where the fight for affordable housing first began back 'in 1975.
    Corzine said many courageous, passionate leaders put aside any political safety to stand up for what is right when endorsing this bill. The governor also called the right to live in one's own state a human right, above all else.
    Bill A500 was passed in both houses of the New Jersey State Legislature last month.
    It was sponsored by Roberts and Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-Mercer, in the Assembly.
    In the Senate, Ray Lesniak, D-Union, and Dana Redd, D-Camden, sponsored the bill's equivalent, S1783.
    It is less than a month later, and the grass roots movement in affordable housing has surfaced statewide.
    Aside from eliminating RCAs, Bill A500 mandates that 13 percent of affordable housing be provided to those "truly poor," those earning below 30 percent of the median income level.
    The legislation also creates a 2.5-percent developers fee for community developers, something Roberts said would generate about $160 million a year for use in affordable housing development.
    A500 also provides that the $10 million produced each year through RCAs would become a $20 million-a-year fund available for housing activities.
    Corzine said he knows the bill does not do everything all the time, but it does a lot; "We (New Jerseyans) are better because of it," he said.
    Without the work of many hands, Bill A500 would never have been made a reality.
    Corzine thanked the legislators, which also included Assemblywoman Mila Jasey, D-Camden; Assemblyman Tom Giblin, D-Passaic; and Senate President Richard Cody, D-Essex.
    He thanked the advocacy groups who have fought for years and stood solidly on this issue, including the New Jersey Regional Coalition (NJRC) and Fair Share Housing Development, Inc.
    Both Corzine and Roberts also thanked Joseph Doria Jr., the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, and Peter O'Connor, the man who began it all back in the 1970s when he filed the original Mount Laurel case on behalf of Ethel Lawrence.
    Although there have been grumblings, the governor said this bill provides other tools to the 566 New Jersey municipalities for their use in creating affordable housing. "We're talking, thinking and acting as regions," Corzine said. "We're also providing funding."
    Roberts said New Jersey's past reliance on RCAs and flawed housing policies has proved only to create a more segregated state, both racially and economically.
    "Housing segregation doesn't stop there," Corzine said. "Economic opportunity, educational opportunity, health care and the general quality of life come when we accept our responsibilities and make sure everyone has housing choices."
    Roberts said Corzine was a man of his word, as the then-candidate had promised to turn around the state's affordable housing policy and repudiate RCAs years ago, before he was even governor.
    The day many thought was a dream in the sky then became a profound reality; Corzine signed Bill A500 among legislators, clergy, advocates and community members.
    The right to an affordable house in New Jersey joined the ranks of many other freedoms statewide on July 17. Corzine said it became just that - a right.