United Way of Morris County Events
Past Events

Housing Alliance Joins
Voices in Trenton
Thursday, September 22, 2005

Members of the Housing Alliance joined dozens of Morris County residents, community leaders, and advocates for affordable housing and headed to Trenton on September 22, for a statewide rally to raise awareness about the affordable housing crisis in New Jersey. The rally was sponsored by Homes for New Jersey, a statewide, nonpartisan campaign that advocates for affordable housing throughout the Garden State.

A Sendoff Event was staged at Homeless Solutions in Morristown, with speakers addressing the crowd before they boarded their bus to the state capital. State Sen. Anthony Bucco, Assemblyman Rick Merkt and Assemblyman Alex DeCroce each addressed the group, noting the impact of the high cost of housing in Morris County.  Merkt confessed that his own daughter had been forced to leave the county in search of an affordable place to live.

John Franklin, CEO of United Way of Morris County, told the crowd that the housing issue affects everyone from the working poor to the middle class, "including people we know, people we care about, and people we need." Franklin continued, "Our teachers cannot afford to live in Morris County.  Our firefighters and police, the people who protect us, cannot afford to live here.  Our kids coming home from college and our parents cannot afford to live here."

The contingent was organized by the Housing Alliance, a coalition of organizations formed earlier this month, and which includes 22 public, private and nonprofit organizations dedicated to increasing the affordable housing stock in Morris County.