Below is an open letter I sent to the JC City Council yesterday regarding Affordable Housing rents still being increased during the pandemic. Please share my story in hopes that they step in to put a freeze on rents for all affected.
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Dear Jersey City Council Members,

The raising of rents on our affordable homes during a pandemic is unjust and unconscionable.

I felt lucky to move into my Brookfield Properties owned and managed apartment in Jersey City, my hometown, after 'winning' the affordable housing lottery in 2018. I earned just enough to qualify for it based on the 2018 income requirements which ranged from $30,660 to $48,200. At the time, I was offered my one-bedroom apartment for $1092 per month after fees, which is the flat rate no matter where you fell in the income range.

Less than three years later, I count myself lucky to be earning the same income after returning to work from a three month furlough while many others find themselves in worse situations. However, I am made to feel like I must still catch up in order to fit into a program supposedly designed with the vision of making living in Jersey City affordable to its long-time citizens.

The uncertainty of income due to unemployment given growing infection rates are weighing heavily on a lot of families' minds. I'm sure those in affordable homes share my anguish and frustration that I did when I received a notice that my affordable rent is projected to be increased for the fourth time in three years, from the original $1092, to $1195, to $1320, and now projected to $1370 per month - a 20.2% increase.

Brookfield Properties coldly cited affordable housing guidelines when I pleaded against the untimely and aggressive rent increase. Meanwhile, their website advertises three free months of rent on available market rate apartments.

Moderate income affordable housing rental rates are based on a percentage of the median income in the county. This year, the qualifying income range for my affordable home has ballooned to include incomes of $41,250 to over $60,000 per year, surpassing my income, yet I am facing a rent increase that now accounts for over half my take-home pay every month. Mind you, the rent remains the same for the person earning $41,250 as it is for someone earning $60,000. It also breaks my heart to think that if I were searching for affordable housing to continue living in Jersey City with my current income today, I wouldn't qualify. This is a problem that will get worse as Downtown Jersey City's average income increases over time while the other wards lag behind.

The pandemic has affected everyone in more ways than one, but a Fed study has shown that nearly 40% of households earning under $40,000 per year have faced job loss this year. Why is the portion of the population most susceptible to job loss and income interruption subject to rent increases in a program meant to benefit them?

To help our vulnerable neighbors struggling to pay rent on affordable homes, I propose you act quickly to put a freeze on affordable rents until the pandemic is over and people have a chance to get back on their feet. Additionally, I encourage you to explore a sliding scale of rents based on qualifying incomes so those on the bottom end can still have an opportunity to save so they can break the cycle of living paycheck to paycheck. And since there are likely others like myself who have fallen behind the income requirements, I ask you to explore a rent stabilization to limit egregious increases in the future.

To avoid a home search and a move - a stressful and costly experience even outside a pandemic - I have no choice but to accept this increase and give an entire paycheck to my landlord every month. I'm afraid I'm delaying the inevitable move I'll be forced to make if I receive a notice next year telling me that I can no longer afford my affordable home.

As it stands, do you think affordable housing is affordable? I ask you to please strongly consider placing a freeze on affordable rents until this historic pandemic is over.