Housing for All

Affordable housing is one of the most critical issues in Monmouth County, noted by 70.7% of respondents to the UWMC Community Leaders survey as a very serious—second only to health insurance. Housing costs represent one of the largest monthly expenses for a household’s budget. And this financial burden is felt more keenly on lower-income working households. In Monmouth County 58.8% of lower-income working households spend more than 40% of their income on housing; 38.9% spend more than 50%. Participants in the UWMC focus group on Diversity and Demographics noted the key relationship between housing and employment, citing the availability of affordable housing impacts employers’ ability to attract and hire entry-level employees. Both the Diversity and Demographics and Income focus group participants discussed stigma, NIMBY and community attitudes as some of the largest obstacles to affordable housing in our county.