Morris County, New Jersey, is situated amid rolling hills and lakes in the center of northern New Jersey, approximately 30 miles northwest of New York City. Because of its close proximity to New York City, Morris County reaps many economic benefits that overflow from a large metropolitan area. Although new construction is attempting to serve the housing needs of its growing and affluent population, this growth has also resulted in higher housing and living costs. As a result, a tremendous burden is placed on many of its low- and moderate-income residents.
In the coming year Morris County will receive $2,775,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), $817,000 in HOME Investment Partnership (HOME), and $88,000 in Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) funds. It is the lead jurisdiction in the Morris County HOME Consortium. Funds received will be used to shelter the homeless, to improve facilities and infrastructure throughout the county, and to rehabilitate, repair, and construct affordable housing.
In preparing this plan, the Division of Community Development of Morris County held extensive consultations. Citizen participation efforts included appointing a 14-member citizen review committee and outreaching to 88 organizations. All five housing authorities located in the county--Boonton, Dover, Madison, Morristown, and Morris County--actively participated in the planning process.
Prior to development of the Consolidated Plan, a six-member ad hoc committee was appointed to review the Citizen Participation Plan and to identify neighborhoods and areas in need. Active community members and organizations received an introductory letter describing the process along with a request for volunteer participants who would identify and prioritize local and countywide housing and non-housing needs. Citizen participation was invited through public hearings, legal notices, media advertising, and mailings.
All the municipalities participate with Morris County in the Morris County
HOME Consortium. Except Parsippany Troy-Hills and Dover, who receive their own
CDBG allocations, all other municipalities participate with the county in CDBG
planning. Therefore, the two above-mentioned townships are not included in the
Housing and Homeless Needs, Housing Market Analysis, and Strategic Plan
sections.
Morris County is the seventh largest in New Jersey. It has an area of approximately 477 square miles, with a population over 420,000. There are 39 municipalities with varying sizes of population, from the Borough of Chester with 1,200 residents, to Parsippany-Troy Hills Township with over 48,000 residents. Only 3 percent of Morris County's population falls below the poverty line. Concentrations of minority and low-income populations exist in Dover, Morristown, Morris Township, and Victory Gardens.
According to the 1990 census, 72 percent of the 155,745 total housing units
in Morris County, are owner-occupied and 28 percent are rental units. Most of
the housing units were built prior to 1969, while only 16 percent were built in
the 1970s, and 15 percent in the 1980s. The majority of these housing units (67
percent) have three or more bedrooms.
Overall the housing stock is comparatively new, large, and relatively affordable to the residents. Just over 90 percent of the housing units were occupied at the time of the 1990 census. 5 percent of rental units and 1 percent of owner units were vacant. At that time, median rent was $659, and the median mortgage payment was $1,342. 63 percent of renters and 73 percent of owners paid less than 30 percent of their income for housing costs. In 1994, the average sale price of a single-family home was over $240,000.
Rental housing seems to be readily available. The problem is not with supply, but with the cost of rent, particularly for those with marginal incomes. This results in families paying more than 30 percent of income for housing. The "Mt. Laurel" Court decision resulted in the construction of new affordable rental and sale units. Most accessible housing is located in privately-owned but publicly-assisted housing projects.
Most apartments for low- and moderate-income individuals were built prior to 1980 and require extensive renovation. The county lacks affordable and accessible housing, especially for those persons with special needs. While the housing needs of some low-income disabled homeowners can be met through available programs, limited funds exist to assist other groups, such as developmentally disabled adults who live with elderly parents and require supervised housing.
The 1990 census for Morris County found 483 units without complete bathrooms and 575 units without complete kitchens. A 1993 report by the New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing identified 1,988 deteriorated housing units, with over 900 units in need of rehabilitation assistance.
According to 1990 census data, over 2,500 extremely low-income renter households experienced a cost burden (more than 30 percent of income for housing), while over 2,000 experience a severe cost burden (more than 50 percent of income for housing). Most of these households are the elderly, who comprise half of the overall renter households in this income group. Small families comprise 28 percent of renters in the extremely low-income group, with over 1,500 experiencing a cost burden. It is expected that cost burdens for elderly renters will decrease with the construction of new units, but will remain constant for small families because of the increasing number of female-headed households.
Approximately 2,400 extremely low-income elderly homeowners experience a cost burden, and 1,500 of those have extreme cost burdens. This burden will remain because of rising property taxes.
Among low-income households (31 to 50 percent of median family income [MFI]) affordability is the largest housing problem. Fewer than 1,000 elderly and 800 small family renter households are cost burdened. Although fewer owner households in this bracket are cost burdened, there are almost 1,000 non-elderly households who are severely cost burdened. These households have financial burdens of large mortgages, increasing property taxes, and often additional utility assessments and user charges.
Among moderate-income households (51 to 80 percent MFI), there are 2,400 renters who are cost burdened and 370 severely burdened. The most severe burden is on non-elderly, non-family households. Of the moderate income owners, fewer than 500 elderly are cost- burdened, but 2,000 non-elderly are spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing. This may be the result of personal choice to purchase new and expensive houses.
Physically disabled renters with incomes less than 50 percent of the median have more accessible units available than other income groups because they can apply for public housing or other federally assisted projects. There are programs to assist persons with incomes above 50 percent of the median to adapt their homes. The developmentally disabled need affordable supervised housing. Construction funds are available, but dollars are limited for support staff and activities. After institutional discharge, the mentally ill need counseling and case management. Persons with HIV/AIDS may get assistance through Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS, a program developed by the city of Newark.
The Comprehensive Emergency Assistance Services planning sub-committee developed the Morris County Homeless Continuum of Care Plan to address the needs of its increasing homeless population. The shelter system in Morris County consists of 5 agencies that provide 139 emergency overnight accommodations in their facilities, 2 agencies that provide shelter in motels, and 5 facilities for special needs transitional housing.
A February 1995 survey found that 139 (71 percent) of the total beds available for the homeless population were filled in 1994. Families comprised 41 percent of those sheltered, mostly single female-headed households. Homeless persons with special needs include:
Overall in 1994, there were 559 homeless individuals served by providers, and 355 were turned away. These statistics demonstrate a tremendous need for additional housing and services. The service providers include those who offer emergency shelter, such as: Interfaith Shelter, Board of Social Services, Morris Shelter, Salvation Army, and Market Street Mission. Service providers offering transitional shelter facilities include Alfre Transitional Shelter, Eric Johnson House, Pequannock, and St. Clare's.
Morris County has 973 public housing units and 1,341 units, which were produced through other Federal programs. State and locally assisted Mount Laurel projects provided another 655 rental and 686 sales units, most of which do not receive Federal assistance. Mount Laurel projects have used affordability controls for 20 years. All 5 housing authorities report long waiting lists, with waits ranging from 6 months for rental assistance in Morristown to 10 years for family housing in Madison.
Properties were rated excellent, very good, or good in four public housing authorities, with only one project rating fair. Morristown Housing Authority has a 5-year $8 million Comprehensive Grant to improve living conditions in both its family and senior units.
Among those with special needs, 200 individuals have mental illness, with another 200 having developmental disabilities. In addition, there are 50 with physical disabilities and 200 with AIDS/HIV. Of concern are the 2,000 frail elderly who need additional services. Because waiting lists for all public housing are long, additional housing with supportive services is needed throughout the county.
The predominant barrier to affordable housing is high cost. The county assists in the development of new affordable housing by donating land. Furthermore, although the county has no public policies that would affect the cost of housing, some State policies do affect it. Specifically, regulations by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the State Development and Redevelopment Plan limit growth and development in certain areas. Local planning boards and elected municipal officials must balance the need for additional residential units against the need for the fiscal and environmental health of the municipality.
There have been only 28 cases of lead-based paint hazards reported in Morris County between 1986 and 1995. Of the 375 children who were tested in 1995, only 3 had elevated blood levels.
Because lead-based paint hazards are rare, Morris County has not developed new programs for abatement. Homeowners are referred to the local health officer for more definitive testing. In addition, free clinics are available so that all residents can screen children for blood-lead levels. The majority of these facilities offer a public education segment to complement their programs, including literature, poster distribution, and counseling. In its rehabilitation activities, the county conducts preliminary tests in households with children under 6 when lead-based paint appears to be present.
Community develoment needs were solicited from each community and from a citizen panel. The Community development needs were then combined into nine categories for the Consolidated Plan.
Public facility needs, which would cost about $15 million, include:
Countywide infrastructure needs, which would cost an estimated $59 million, include:
Public service needs, which would cost an estimated $7.6 million, include:
Accessibility improvements, residential and non-residential historic
preservation, economic development, energy efficiency improvements, and planning
are considered to be necessary, but are of medium priority.
The Consolidated Plan for Morris County identified the following housing objectives:
Morris County Consolidated Plan identified the following community development priorities:
Morris County has no formal anti-poverty strategy because only 3 percent of its households fall below the poverty line. However, it does support several programs aimed at reducing the number of households with incomes below the poverty line, including:
Agencies and nonprofits are included among the housing and community development resources listed in the Consolidated Plan. In addition, the plan incorporates resources from five housing agencies and various county and State departments.
The Division of Community Development of Morris County is the designated lead agency responsible for the development, implementation, and monitoring of the Consolidated Plan. It works in collaboration with numerous organizations, agencies, and individuals in the implementation of the Consolidated Plan.
Because there is a recognized need for the creation of a countywide
community housing development organization, Morris County entered into a
Cooperatve Agreement with 37 municipalities to form a Consortium for the
Community Development program. Members of the Consortium include: the Morris
County League of Municipalities, Morris County Managers and Administrators
Association, and the Morris County Community Development Revenue Sharing
Committee. Funding resources and programs for the homeless population are
coordinated through the Comprehensive Emergency Assistance System, and human
service needs are coordinated by the Department of Human Services.
Among the key projects detailed for the first year of the Consolidated Plan are:
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas.
MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels.
MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.
MAP 5 is a map, sectioned by neighborhood, which depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects; in addition, a table provides information about the project(s).
MAP 6 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects, as described in the table and within one of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 5.
MAP 7 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects, as described in the table and within one of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 5.
MAP 8 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects, as described in the table and within one of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 5.
