The Consolidated Plan for New Brunswick utilizes $994,000 of Community Development Building Grant (CDBG) funds, which will mainly be spent on housing rehabilitation and improvements to public facilities and services.
The Office of Community Development in the Department of Planning, Community and Economic development is the lead agency for the Consolidated Plan. It works in collaboration with 14 agencies and departments, 11 social service agencies, and local citizens in coordinating New Brunswick's Consolidated Plan.
After interviews with various local agencies and city departments, a public hearing was held in March 1994 at a handicapped accessible site. Although public comments and suggestions were recorded at that time, no other comments were received during the public comment period, during which copies of the plan were available at four sites in the community. The city also submitted some sections of the plan to adjacent local governments for their review.
Located on the Raritan River in Middlesex County, New Jersey, the population of New Brunswick was 72,039 in 1990. Forty-five percent of the total population were minorities, 56 percent were low- and moderate-income persons, and almost 22 percent had incomes below the poverty level.
Because New Brunswick is primarily a college town built around Rutgers State University of New Jersey, 13,556 housing units are characterized by a disproportionate share of rental housing units to serve the transient student population. The overflow of students into off-campus housing has strained the limited supply of rental units and created a demand for affordable housing for nonstudents.
In the past owner-occupied housing units were purchased by real estate speculators and converted to more lucrative student housing, which depleted the availability of affordable single-family homes. In response to this problem, a joint venture between Rutgers University, the New Brunswick Housing Authority, and the city of New Brunswick resulted in the construction of University Center at Easton Avenue. This development offers 168 two-bedroom units for 700 students, but there are still more than 500 students who live off-campus.
According to the 1990 census, 68 percent of the total occupied units were rental dwellings due, in part, not only to the housing demands of the Rutgers University community but also to all segments of the population who have experienced high percentages of renter populations. In particular 82 percent of Hispanics, 78 percent of Asians, and 75 percent of blacks are renters.
The majority (83 percent) of New Brunswick's housing units were built before 1970. The city's housing stock is composed of a majority of rental units and owner-occupied units which are occupied by senior citizens on fixed incomes. Both renters and owners need assistance in order to assure that the units are maintained up to code and that they can live in the highest quality housing possible.
Due to the age of the housing stock, many first time homebuyers not only need assistance in purchasing their first home, but also need rehabilitation assistance in order to make the dwelling suitable to their needs.
Approximately 1 percent of New Brunswick's housing units are estimated to be in substandard condition and not suitable for rehabilitation, while another 7 percent are substandard, but suitable for rehabilitation. Of these units, 92 percent are occupied by low- and moderate-income households.
The median rents in New Brunswick are $702 for studio apartments, $769 for a one-bedroom unit, $961 for two-bedroom units, $1,306 for three-bedroom units, and $1,509 for four-bedroom units. Census figures show that rents have risen rapidly in the last 10 years, with 3 percent of renters paying $500 or more per month in 1980, as compared to 61 percent doing so in 1990.
Since revitalization efforts began 15 years ago, New Brunswick's residential real estate values have risen along with commercial and industrial real estate values. In 1990 the median value of an owner-occupied unit was $126,700 as compared to $42,600 in 1980. Likewise 43 percent of buyers purchased homes in the same price range in 1990 as compared to almost 2 percent in 1980.
Because New Brunswick is almost developed to capacity, the limited amount of vacant land and high land costs limit the opportunities for new construction. Due to high development costs, most new construction has been attached single family development at densities of 12 dwelling units per acre or greater. Given the limited supply of raw lands and high development costs in central New Jersey, it is expected that development of attached single-family and multifamily units will continue.
An assessment conducted by the city of New Brunswick found that for extremely low-income households (0-30 percent adjusted median family income [MFI]), large families showed a higher incidence of housing problems and cost burdens in excess of 30 percent as compared to the general population. For low-income households (31 and 50 percent of MFI), nonelderly homeowners have a higher incidence of housing problems and cost burdens.
Because New Brunswick has a higher than average number of agencies (17 facilities) assisting the homeless population, there has been an increase in the number of homeless individuals drawn to the area. In 1994 Elijah's Promise Soup Kitchen, for example, served an average of 145 lunches and 120 dinners per day, an increase of more than 7 percent during the previous year. All facilities reported such an increase.
Although accurate methods of estimating the homeless population were difficult to acquire, current figures show that approximately 113 individuals are homeless on any given night. Persons who are victims of domestic violence account for 28 percent of the total homeless population, followed by individuals with AIDS (24 percent), alcohol or drug abusers (17 percent), and persons with severe mental illness (11 percent).
Of particular note is that the number of persons in homeless families equals 59 percent of the total homeless population. Locating safe, affordable rental space for a medium to large-sized family is difficult, as three-bedroom and larger apartments comprise only 35 percent of total available rentals.
The New Brunswick Housing and Urban Development Authority (HUDA) is responsible for the overall management of 562 units of low-income public housing at four locations. There are 15 persons on the waiting list for public housing with an approximate wait of 18 months.
In addition HUDA administers the Section 8 Certificate Program and the Section 8 Voucher Program. The HOME Rental Rehabilitation program funds rehabilitation of rental property in the city as well as providing Section 8 subsidies to persons in renovated units.
For those who have special needs, there are no public housing units set aside specifically for the disabled in New Brunswick. Of the 51 disabled individuals in New Brunswick, 24 percent need assistance in housing or rehabilitation. The lack of supportive housing for the 315 cases of AIDS in New Brunswick, three-fourths of whom had incomes of less than $15,000 a year, has also created a serious need for affordable housing for this population.
New Brunswick's elderly population has been increasing and was 9.3 percent of the city's population in 1990. By 1993, there were 1,066 senior occupied rental units and 1,588 owner-occupied elderly units, of which 48 percent and 29 percent, respectively, reported having financial and/or housing quality problems. New Brunswick has been keeping up with this demand by developing new affordable senior citizen housing in mid-rise buildings, such as Providence Square, a 98-unit senior citizen facilities. A 50-unit senior housing project is being considered in the Livingston Avenue area.
The city of New Brunswick has identified the following barriers to affordable housing:
The city of New Brunswick had adopted the State Development and Redevelopment Plan, which provides coordinated policy guidelines for State agencies which fund affordable housing programs and other programs affecting affordable housing, such as environmental regulations, transportation investments, and economic development incentives.
The city of New Brunswick, with the input from The Housing Coalition of Middlesex County, identified four major impediments to fair housing as they relate to rental properties:
A 1990 census found that 83 percent of New Brunswick's 13,556 housing units were built before 1970 and therefore can be assumed to contain some lead-based paint. It is estimated that 99 percent of the contaminated units are occupied by low- or very low-income households. Out of 3,820 New Brunswick children screened for lead exposure in 1994, 48 were lead poisoned and 153 had elevated blood levels requiring further monitoring.
To address this problem, the city provides rehabilitation programs, homeowners, and contractors with a copy of the HUD notice on lead-based paint poisoning prior to the start of rehabilitation projects. It also offers yearly lead exposure screenings in schools, public education brochures on lead-based paint hazards, and incorporation of lead-based paint eradication in all housing rehabilitation programs.
New Brunswick's community development needs center on public facility and service improvements and better code enforcement. Specifically, improvements to recreational facilities and other infrastructure, better provision of health and welfare services, and increased crime prevention and safety activities are prominent needs.
The New Brunswick Housing and Urban Development Authority has already secured a private security firm to patrol the public housing complexes during evening and early morning hours in an effort to protect citizens from criminal activity, provide immediate response for noncriminal emergencies, and enforce the public housing regulations.
In an effort to deal with the increasing problem of drug addiction within the community, the Authority has implemented the Treatment Expansion for Addicted Minorities (T.E.A.M.) program, a multidimensional outpatient addiction program accessible to the minority multiple drug user with many barriers to treatment.
Due to limited land availability, the Consolidated Plan of New Brunswick is focused on rehabilitating the older existing housing stock and improving neighborhoods for its low- and moderate-income residents.
The city of New Brunswick has identified the following objectives:
The Consolidated Plan identified the following five housing priorities:
The Consolidated Plan identified the following community development priorities:
The city of New Brunswick has taken the following steps to attempt to reduce the number of households with incomes below the poverty line:
The Consolidated Plan for New Brunswick involves resources from both the public and private sectors, including the Community Development Block Grant program, the New Brunswick Development Corporation, the Puerto Rican Action Board, the Housing Coalition of Middlesex County, and Catholic Charities.
The Consolidated Plan calls for collaboration between three agencies:
Among the key projects detailed in the Consolidated Plan for New Brunswick are:
MAP 1 depicts points of interest in the jurisdiction.
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 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 6 is a map, sectioned by neighborhood, which depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 7 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within one of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.
MAP 8 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within another of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.
MAP 9 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded project(s) from a street level vantage point; in addition, a table provides information about the project(s).
