Op-Ed: We Must Face New Jersey’s Affordable Housing Crisis

By Paul Shackford, president, Family Promise of Bergen County

August 26, 2025 | njspotlightnews.org

I’ve been involved with addressing housing and food insecurity in Bergen County for over 35 years. Early on, I spoke to a group of 200 people in one town about working with local houses of worship to provide overnight temporary shelter for homeless adults. My colleagues and I were drowned out by residents yelling that we were going to ruin their town. They were afraid.

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NJ SEED: Family Promise works to find housing for the homeless and the working poor in Bergan County. Mr. Shackford in describing the problem points out that statewide estimates suggest there is a shortage of over 200,000 affordable and available units and that proposals are often met with community objections (NIMBY). The problem is well understood; acceptable solutions are harder to find.