Frequently Asked Questions
What is "workforce housing"?
Workforce housing includes single-family homes, townhouses, condominiums, starter homes, and apartments
that are affordable to area workers.
Who needs workforce housing?
Teachers, firefighters,municipal employees and the other workers who provide essential services in our
communities - policing, healthcare, manufacturing, and retail workers.
No uniform income guidelines have been set to characterize workforce housing. One definition of workforce housing
is housing that is affordable to households earning incomes within the range 60% - 120% of area median income.
What can municipal leaders do to promote more workforce housing development in our town?
- Recognizing the importance of an adequate and balanced housing supply to the community's economic
well-being and ensure that your community's planning, zoning and land-use regulations and practices permit and
encourage the development of a range of housing types that will adequately meet the region's and state's housing
needs.
- Ensuring that local regulatory policies, such as building and fire codes, do not add unnecessary costs to the
creation of new workforce housing.
- Exempting affordable housing from fees and building caps, and create flexibility in other requirements, such as
density standards, to reduce the cost of housing development.
- Implementing mechanisms like incentive zoning, which allow new housing developments to include a certain amount
of housing for low and moderate income households, or mixed-use zoning that allows a blend of commercial and residential
development in a town center.
- Supporting the work of local non-profit housing providers to help meet your community's housing needs and consider
transferring municipally-owned land and buildings suitable for residential use to non-profit housing providers.
What can business leaders do to promote more workforce housing development in our town?
- Communicating with state and local policy makers about the need for an adequate and balanced supply of housing
in New Jersey and advocate for public policies and resources that support the development of workforce housing.
- Talking with your local Chamber of Commerce and other business leaders about forming a business housing coalition
in your area to advocate for policies and programs that support the creation of housing for working families.
- Serving on Boards of community development corporations and other nonprofit housing providers and support their
efforts to create housing.
- Taking advantage of state and federal tax credit programs that provide equity for housing development while
reducing tax liability.
- Making a municipality's willingness to provide housing opportunities appropriate to the needs of your workers a
condition of business expansion or relocation.
- Participating in local planning efforts or sit on local housing-related boards and commissions.
- Offering employer-assisted housing programs that provide assistance with down payments or security deposits and
encourage employee participation in homebuyer education classes.
What can I do to promote more workforce housing development in our town and neighborhoods?
- Taking notice of when agenda items pertaining to workforce housing come up before your local planning board and
city council. Attend the public meeting and speak up in support of projects that include workforce housing.
- Volunteering to serve on local housing-related boards and commissions.
- Supporting local nonprofit housing providers and developers through charitable donations and volunteering your time
and talents. Join the Toms River Workforce Housing organization.
