Chartered in 1669, Woodbridge Township is one of New Jersey's oldest communities. The Township of Woodbridge is the fifth most populous municipality in the state. Situated in Middlesex County , central New Jersey, Woodbridge Township offers a pleasant community environment and is the crossroad of numerous major highways within the State.
The Woodbridge Township Consolidated Plan provides strategic direction for community development needs with short-term objectives and long-term planning goals. The Consolidated Plan includes a One-Year Action Plan which allocates approximately $1.3 million of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDs (HOPWA) funds within the community. These funds will be used primarily to assist low-income persons and families to secure and maintain safe, decent housing.
Woodbridge Township created a Citizen Participation Task Force responsible
for developing community awareness and participation in the decision-making
process. The Task Force sponsored three (3) public hearings to present issues
and elicit public response. The first hearing held on January 11, 1995 was
specifically designed to generate public responses to the proposed Citizen
Participation Plan. During the second hearing held on April 10, the Township
solicited citizen's views, comments and suggestions regarding the preparation of
the Township's Consolidated Plan. The third and final public hearing held on
May 8, 1995 sought feedback from the public concerning the Proposed Consolidated
Plan.
In 1990 there were 34,498 year-round housing units in Woodbridge Township. This represents a 15% increase in housing units since 1980. Of the 34,498 housing units in 1990, 33,473 or 97% were occupied units. Renter-occupied units account for 9,075 housing units and 24,398 units are owner-occupied. The 1990 Census reports that 4.8 % of the rental units were vacant and 0.9% of the owner-occupied units were vacant.
Approximately 55% of the Township's housing stock was constructed prior to
1960. The age of the housing stock is an indicator of the housing
rehabilitation needs of the community.
In 1990 the population of Woodbridge was 93,038 people. The Township population decreased by approximately 10,000 since 1980. The 1990 U.S. Census information reveals that Woodbridge's racial composition was 5% Asian, 5% Hispanic, 6% Black, and 83% White. Additionally, 19% of the population or 17,522 residents are over 60 years of age.
Approximately 29% of 9,779 households in Woodbridge Township reported some housing problem. Thirty-five (35%) percent of all rental households reported a housing problem and 27% of owner-occupied units reported a housing problem, as follows:
More than 30% More than 50%
Renter 1,633 900
Owner 2,760 1,444
Of the 1,633 cost-burden renter occupied units:
Elderly 572 297
Small Related 621 360
Large Related 114 18
Other 326 225
Of the 2,760 cost-burden owner occupied units:
Elderly 1,711 809
Other 1,049 635
2. Affordable Housing Needs
An indicator of housing Affordability is the number of units affordable to households with incomes below 30%, 50% or 80% of the HUD Adjusted Median Family Income or HAMFI. The HUD Data Book reports that of the 24,398 owner occupied units in Woodbridge Township, 2% or 572 units are affordable to those earning 0 to 30% of the HAMFI, 5% or 1,259 units are affordable to those earning 0 to 50% of the HAMFI and 7.5% or 1,845 units are affordable to those earning 0 to 80% of the HAMFI. The HUD Data Book reports that of the 9,075 renter occupied units in Woodbridge Township 9% or 827 units are affordable to those earning 0 to 30% of the HAMFI AND 52% or 4,677 units are affordable to those earning 0 to 80% of the HAMFI. Clearly, rental housing is a more realistic option to low-income individuals and families.
3. Homeless Needs
The Township does not have within its municipal boundaries a shelter for the homeless or those threatened with homelessness. Emergency shelter in Middlesex County is provided at Ozanam Family Shelter of Edison Township, offering 100 beds, Ozanam Men's Shelter, New Brunswick, offering 40 beds for a combined offering of over 48,000 nights of care. Woodbridge's percentage of homeless would be contained within these numbers and is not identifiable.
Many of the families on public assistance in Woodbridge Township are threatened with homelessness due to the extremely low level of income provided through public assistance, and the expensive land, unit, and utility costs associated with property located within Woodbridge Township.
The Township of Woodbridge on behalf of the greater metropolitan statistical area including Middlesex, Hunterdon, and Somerset Counties, has applied for $600,000 in HOPWA funds to assist low-income persons with HIV/AIDS to maintain decent living conditions. The HOPWA grant funds will be administered by the State Department of Community Affairs.
4. Public and Assisted Housing Needs
The Woodbridge Housing Authority last opened its waiting list for their Family Housing Project, Senior Housing Projects, and Section 8 Rental Assistance Program on October 13, 1992 and closed it on October 23, 1992. There are 366 applications for conventional housing on this list. This figure includes 112 applicants for family housing and 254 for senior housing.
5. Barriers to Affordable Housing
During the 1980's the median household income in Woodbridge grew by 77 percent, while the cost of housing increased by 165 percent. Persons earning the median household income of $45,516 can afford a home at the median value of approximately $160,000 with minimum of 5% down payment and an interest rate of 7 to 8 percent, however there are 8,701 households in the Township who could not afford to buy a home in Woodbridge. Thus, there is a need in Woodbridge for more owner occupied affordable housing.
6. Fair Housing
The Township has an active Fair Housing program sponsored by the Housing Coalition. On average, 200 to 300 individuals seek the services of the Housing Coalition counselor. Woodbridge supports this effort by funding partial salary and administrative expenses.
7. Lead-Based Paint
As part of its housing rehabilitation program, Woodbridge Township routinely inspects for lead-based pain hazards. New Jersey has developed a statewide program to abate hazards from lead paint. Communities are placed in one of three priority categories. Priorities are based on number of children at risk for lead poisoning, age of housing stock, occupancy status, occupancy by children under six years of age, overcrowding, and poverty status. The State's initial focus will be in priority one communities. Woodbridge is considered a priority two community and thus does not expect much financial assistance from the state.
The Township's Health Department will continue to provide educational material regarding the hazards of lead-based paint and the Department of Planning and Development will continue to inspect homes for lead hazards.
The non-housing needs are diversified and the Township's requests for funding or services always exceed the cap placed on the Community Development Block Grant that the Township has received for the past 20 years. Our current programs include: the Township's Multi-Service Program, the Township's Family Youth Counseling Program, the Kiddies Keepwell Camp, the Housing Coalition of New Jersey, the preliminary costs for location of a new senior public housing complex within Woodbridge, senior services, youth services, transportation services for the elderly and the handicapped, substance abuse services, fair housing counseling, child care services, and health care services.
Woodbridge Township has strong partnership with the Woodbridge Housing
Authority. Through its Department of Health, Woodbridge offers an array of
social programs designed to assist the need of residents.
Within the next five years it is unlikely that the needs of low income persons will change significantly. However, these needs are likely to continue to intensify as has been the past trend. For instance, greater numbers of low income elderly have reinforced the need for additional affordable senior housing and the need for congregate care.
The Woodbridge Township Housing Strategy consists of four (4) primary objectives to include:
The preservation and improvement of existing private and public housing helps to stabilize areas, preserve historic structures and encourage others to maintain and improve their properties. The cost of rehabilitating an existing unit is often far less that the cost of constructing a new unit.
The Council On Affordable Housing (COAH) has determined that there are 592 units in Woodbridge that require rehabilitation efforts. Historically, the Township's housing rehabilitation program has served a high percentage of elderly homeowners. Given this situation, the two areas of highest demand are permanent housing for elderly renters and rehabilitation and maintenance older rental units.
The Township non-housing community development needs include public service needs such as transportation for seniors, youth services, substance abuse counseling, and fair housing counseling.
The Township has undertaken revitalizing its downtown districts and created a special improvement district to augment this revitalization. Woodbridge has attracted many new businesses to the area and continues to search for economic incentives to attract business. These policies coupled with restructuring of the Township zoning standards to accommodate affordable housing will serve to increase jobs and decrease housing costs. Only over time can the Township begin to measure statistically the number of people these policies actively serve. These policies will be continued and periodically reevaluated to best serve the population over the next five years.
Federal Public Housing Development funds have been sought and awarded to construct elderly and handicapped housing. The Woodbridge Housing Authority (WHA) has been awarded $4,962,500 for this project and construction should begin this fiscal year.
The CDBG funds will be used to rehabilitate single family homes and rental units of very low and low income households and a Public Housing Comprehensive Grant Program will be used to rehabilitate existing Public housing units.
Intergovernmental cooperation is a necessity given the diversity of programs and agencies providing housing and housing services. The two primary housing service providers in Woodbridge are the Township and the Woodbridge Housing Authority.
The Township and WHA coordinate services to ensure the comprehensive
application of program services. The WHA manages 565 units of public housing
and 190 certificates and 82 vouchers. The Township provides a variety of
housing services through the Departments of Planning and Development and Health.
The Health Department provides emergency assistance to homeless individuals and
referrals to service providers. The Department of Planning and Development
administers the CDBG program and is the lead agency on other housing grant
programs. Additionally, the Middlesex County Board of Social Services and
Department of Human Services provide counseling programs for homeless persons
and emergency assistance.
The housing rehabilitation program will continue to be offered to lower income owner- occupied households throughout the Township. At current levels approximately fifteen (15) homes are rehabilitated each year.
Rehabilitation and Maintenance Program
Administered by the Woodbridge Housing Authority, the Comprehensive grant program provides for a million dollars in rehabilitation and maintenance of existing public housing units per year.
Section 8 Voucher and Certificate Program
Administered by the Woodbridge Housing Authority, the Comprehensive Grant Program provides for the Section 8 Voucher and Certificate System which subsidizes 272 renter units throughout the Township.
John E. Toolan Kiddies Keepwell Camp
The Township of Woodbridge will provide partial funding of Phase IV rehabilitation for general work items at cabins, support buildings and facilities. This facility provides recreational services to lower income and handicapped youth and senior citizen residents.
Ozanam Family Shelter Rehabilitation
The Township of Woodbridge will provide partial funding for the installation of a monitored smoke detection system in the dormitory at the Ozanam family shelter. This facility provides lodging for homeless families including homeless persons from Woodbridge Township.
Multi-Service Program on Aging
The Township of Woodbridge provides social services which include formal counseling such as: keeping frail elderly at home, burdens of being a caregiver, coping with loss, information and referral to resident senior citizen and handicapped persons, and outreach by home visits.
Family-Youth Counseling/Recreation Project
The Township of Woodbridge provides counseling to resident low-moderate youth and families (physical and emotional abuse, neglect, substance abuse, delinquency and adult criminal behavior, family and emotional difficulties, school failure, poverty, antisocial life style and marital problems). General and drop-in recreation, sports programming, arts and crafts are provided to youth.
Housing Coalition of New Jersey
The Township of Woodbridge will partially fund this county-wide agency which provides fair housing counseling to low-mod income Woodbridge residents.
New Senior Housing Construction
the Township of Woodbridge will provide an advance of CDBG funds to pay the salary of a Development Manager to perform services for pre-development tasks necessary for planning, design documentation, preparation of bidding documents, preliminary budgets, cost estimates developer's packet, site selection, etc. associated with 70 new senior citizen public housing units being constructed by the Woodbridge Housing Authority.
HOPWA Funding
The Township will use HOPWA funds set aside for the greater metropolitan statistical area, transmit those funds to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. The State will administer a rental assistance program within the statistical area to provide critical subsidies to low income persons with HIV/AIDs and their families.
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 in a Neighborhood Segment, the low-moderate income area, streets, and some proposed HUD funded projects.
