‘We’ve always had people dying every day in this country because of their economic situation’
This profile is part of the series, “The New Jersey 37,” which focuses on residents making up the 37 percent of households in state that cannot afford basic needs such as health care, housing, food, child care, and transportation.
Poverty and homelessness is a reality more than three million people in New Jersey face every day. One of the main contributors to this is New Jersey’s high cost of living, and by extension, the high cost of housing.
On the frontline of trying to help people get access to affordable housing in New Jersey is Renee Koubiadis, the executive director at Anti-Poverty Network (APN), a non-profit organization committed to lobbying Trenton on behalf of the working poor and homeless in New Jersey.
“Having grown up on welfare myself in New Jersey, I know there’s shame and isolation and depression that goes on,” said Koubiadis. “You engrain the messages from society that your economic situation is your fault. There’s education that needs to happen to get people to understand they did everything they could do.”
The mission of APN is to “prevent and end poverty in New Jersey,” Koubiadis said. She admits that it is not an easy mission, but APN utilizes its members and collaborations with other policy-driven organizations to promote government action.
It’s not enough for just the organization itself to promote its cause. Crucial to APN’s mission is teaching its members how to create systematic change within New Jersey. APN does this through leadership trainings and workshops, and educating its members on what they are fighting against and what they are fighting to gain.
“We bring people into the advocacy program through APN to take classes. One of the graduates is now on the APN board, we have people lobby legislation in Trenton, we have had people write for the Huffington Post on these issues,” said Koubiadis.
Advocating for housing legislation
Part of the advocacy and legislation APN pushes for centers on making housing more affordable in New Jersey. This year, the organization is asking legislators to increase the stock of affordable housing, seize zoning for mansions, increase funding for the State Rental Assistance Program — which provides housing vouchers to qualified people — , and increase Emergency Assistance that provides benefits to people in danger of being homeless or are homeless.
APN worked with the progressive think tank New Jersey Policy Perspective to develop a report that showed that the benefit level for temporary assistance for families had not been raised since the 1980's. Koubiadis said that when the report was presented to lawmakers, many did not know that it had been so long since the benefit level was raised.
“We have a housing crisis in our state,” said Koubiadis. “The state has been reducing the funding for emergency assistance. Governor Christie has been taking funds from all types of programs like housing and environmental funds to plug holes elsewhere in the state budget,” said Koubiadis.
While APN has always had to fight at the state level, the new presidential administration has only made things worse. President Trump’s proposed budget plan calls for a $6.2 billion cut in funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, a 13 percent decrease from the previous year.
This will have a huge impact in New Jersey, Koubiadis said, since the state Division of Housing and Community Resources receives its funding from Washington to support community develop organizations.
Life or death consequences
Whether or not families have access to affordable housing often has life or death consequences, Koubiadis said. She recalled a story, relayed to her by a social service organization worker, about how a man the worker knew had died during the cold winter months during his search for housing.
“We’ve always had people dying every day in this country because of their economic situation,” said Koubiadis.
However, Koubiadis still has faith in her work at APN and their allies in this fight to end poverty in New Jersey.
“There’s enough people involved in the process and there’s strong advocates to see the process through,” said Koubiadis.
