Dear Editor:
A recent news article by the Associated Press told us the unsettling story of how an increasing number of families in our area are paying more in rent than they can really afford. In fact, according to this story, many pay over half of the amount of their income for rent.
It seems the rents working families are expected to pay can no longer be considered “affordable” by any stretch of the imagination. Rents, especially in Hudson County, are out of control, and it is time that the Federal government allocates more funding for real affordable housing and for property tax relief so that increases in property taxes are not passed on to tenants.
With the country’s economy uncertain and employers making cut after cut in personnel, jobs are being lost and not being replaced. Low-income working families who were struggling before are now facing homelessness.
I urge our Federal representatives to find a way to keep families in their homes by working for more affordable housing in our communities.
Brian P. Stack
Mayor