Geography: New Jersey

Housing as a Foundational Element of Family Well-Being

Housing as a Foundational Element of Family Well-Being shares key insights and lessons from a six‑month national learning collaborative convened by Casey Family Programs, CSH (Corporation for Supportive Housing), and Chapin Hall. Developed in response to growing evidence that housing instability and family homelessness are major drivers of child welfare system involvement, the cohort created a shared learning space for state housing and child welfare leaders to align policy, practice, and resources in an increasingly complex funding and policy environment.

Cross-sector leadership teams from New Jersey, Colorado, Kentucky, and Oregon participated in peer learning, tailored technical assistance, and state‑hosted site sessions that highlighted innovations, surfaced challenges, and advanced practical solutions. By the end of the cohort, participants reported new ways of thinking about housing as a prevention strategy—reframing housing needs for decisionmakers, identifying cost‑saving opportunities, and exploring how to blend and braid funding to better support families. This brief captures those insights to inform policymakers, practitioners, and advocates working to strengthen family well‑being and prevent unnecessary child welfare involvement.

The ‘Road Map to Financing Supportive Housing in New Jersey’ provides developers, service providers, community partners, owners and funders with resources to build supportive housing. There is no single “go-to” source to build and sustain supportive housing. However, this Road Map seeks to identify public funding sources and resources that typically leverage private capital and lending.

NJ Prospecting Tools for Developers

This resource provides developers and nonprofit partners with practical tools and strategies to identify and pursue funding opportunities in New Jersey. It outlines key types of grant makers, offers guidance on building effective funder relationships, and highlights national and state‑specific prospecting tools to support housing and services development. Designed as a companion to the Road Map to Financing Supportive Housing in New Jersey, this resource helps developers diversify funding sources that can be used for gap financing and other critical needs in supportive housing projects.

Supportive Housing Case Studies — Navigating the Financing of Small and Medium‑Sized Projects 

CSH is grateful to the Affordable Housing Alliance (ADA) for this session that brings listeners inside two  supportive housing developments, tracing their journey from early concept through completion. Chris Pugliese, AHA’s Chief Property Development Officer in Monmouth County, breaks down how capital, operating, and service funding streams come together in real projects.

Both projects spotlighted have supportive housing dedicated to people who were formerly homeless, a (small) 3‑unit project and a (medium) 67‑unit LIHTC development with a 5‑unit supportive set‑aside. Click here to watch the recording.

To proactively think through realistic solutions in closing the gap in the supportive housing need for older adults in New Jersey, CSH developed an Advocacy Agenda in collaboration with stakeholders representing local and state, nonprofit and government perspectives.

The following four workgroups met throughout 2021 to brainstorm ideas to guide the state in the critical coordination, funding and policy changes needed to expand supportive housing for the ageing population. The influx of federal and state dollars, the unique Medicaid proposals for the state’s 1115 waiver, and Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) set new standards within the national conversation. This is the moment for New Jersey to think big on supporting aging residents who need a combination of affordable housing and services to stay in their community and age in place. This Advocacy Agenda is the road map to guide New Jersey in this effort.

Workgroups that developed the Advocacy Agenda

• Maintaining Capital Funding
• Expanding Service Dollars / Eligibility 
• Strengthening the Workforce 
• Addressing Not In My Backyard (NIMBYism)

The number of older adults in New Jersey is steadily growing, yet the demand for affordable, accessible housing and services far outpaces the supply. Our report, “Assessing New Jersey’s Need for Supportive Housing for an Aging Population,” examines how many additional units of supportive housing the state currently needs to meet the demand. It also highlights the demographics of those in need of supportive housing, and the specific needs of each population.