AG Platkin and the Division on Civil Rights (DCR) announced that DCR and the City of Hoboken have agreed to a settlement resolving a complaint alleging that a residency preference in Hoboken’s affordable housing program discriminated based on race in violation of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD).

The settlement resolves a DCR investigation regarding Hoboken’s Municipal Ordinance Amendment B-175, which was enacted in 2019 and grants current Hoboken residents preferential access to affordable housing. The Ordinance replaced a prior policy that gave affordable housing preference to residents of a broader four-county region (Hudson, Bergen, Passaic, and Sussex counties). DCR opened its investigation after a Black Jersey City resident filed a complaint with DCR alleging that she was not permitted to apply for an affordable housing unit in Hoboken despite having been on the waitlist for five years.  Among other things, the complainant alleged that Hoboken discriminated based on race. Hoboken has agreed to amend its Ordinance to no longer have a Hoboken-only residency requirement. As part of the settlement announced today, Hoboken will also provide relief to individuals who were previously denied or skipped over on the waitlist, and Hoboken has agreed to allocate an additional $30,000 for affordability assistance and other fair housing projects.

“Housing discrimination continues to deny too many New Jerseyans the opportunity to access safe, affordable housing. That’s why I have made combating housing discrimination a priority since day one. The agreement announced today will make it easier for eligible low-income people to access affordable housing in a part of our state where rents are skyrocketing and affordable housing opportunities are at a premium. This settlement underscores our ongoing commitment to ensuring that affordable housing is available – free from discrimination – to those who need it.” – AG Platkin