AHPNJ News

Innovations in Small House Construction Make Homeownership Attainable

Mon, 04 May 2026 18:29:00 +0000

In Asheville, North Carolina, Compact Cottages has been specializing in producing small, stick-built homes since 2008. Founded to help fill a market for small homes in the local area, the company has delivered more than 100 units to date. In the fall of 2024, the devastation following Hurricane Helene triggered a dramatic and sudden demand for quickly constructed housing in Asheville and Western North Carolina, where the storm damaged approximately 20,000 homes. In response, Compact Cottages leveraged its expertise in offsite, small-scale homebuilding to found Origami Homes, which developed a 349-square-foot dwelling that costs $90,000 and can be assembled in 1 week on a prepared site. Learn more about this innovative design for a small home.

Manufactured Housing Expands Its Reach

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 18:27:00 +0000

For decades, manufactured homes have faced stigma and been confined to trailer parks. But that's changing with updated designs and higher-quality construction — and as cities and states struggle with a housing shortage that has pushed prices out of reach for many. Learn from NPR about the role of manufactured housing in meeting affordability needs.

Affordable Housing Agreement in Toms River

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 17:49:00 +0000

Toms River has reached a major deal that settles how much affordable housing the township must provide over the next 10 years, avoiding the possibility of large, court-ordered developments. The deal allows 186 new affordable units to be built and extends long-term affordability guarantees on 518 existing homes and apartments. Learn more from Lakewood Alerts.

Hillsborough’s Housing Plan Faces Legal Challenges

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 16:47:00 +0000

A dozen challenges to the Hillsborough's affordable housing plan have been filed, including 11 by developers whose proposals to build multifamily housing were not included in the plan. Together, the 11 developers have proposed more than 1,200 residential units – both apartments and townhomes – throughout the 55-square-mile township with a population of more than 43,000. The township is claiming, through an analysis of vacant land, that it has a "realistic development potential" (RDP) of 270 units. All the challenges allege errors in Hillsborough's analysis of vacant land and the calculation of its RDP. Read more about Hillsborough and these legal challenges.

State Budget Causes Upset in Affordable Housing Community

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 16:46:00 +0000

The Affordable Housing Trust Fund was created in 1985 as part of the New Jersey Fair Housing Act to create a funding stream for rental and homeownership projects with 25 or fewer units. The funding comes from a tax on real estate sales. Now dozens of small housing projects are on hold after New Jersey lawmakers agreed to divert money from the fund. You can read about the budget in the Asbury Park Press and the New Jersey Monitor.

Tens of Thousands of NJ Homes Likely to Experience Climate-Driven Flooding

Mon, 12 May 2025 13:20:00 +0000

Some 62,000 people and 56,000 homes on and near the New Jersey Shore will see at least one annual flood because of sea-level rise by 2050, even if the world makes sweeping cuts to carbon emissions now, according to a new online tool released Wednesday by Climate Central, a New Jersey-based research and advocacy nonprofit. Read about climate-driven flooding data.

431 NJ Municipalities Met New Affordable Housing Deadline

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:17:00 +0000

According to The Gothamist, New Jersey’s Fair Share Housing Center reported on February 3rd that officials for 431 of the state’s 564 cities and towns filed resolutions committing to develop affordable housing over the next decade. Local officials had until Jan. 31 to either commit to a number of low-priced homes assigned to them in October by the state, or propose a new number that will be reviewed by the state over the next few months. Under state law, towns that did not meet the deadline could open themselves up to lawsuits from builders or developers that could force them to develop affordable housing in their town. Read more about the deadline.

Rural Communities Change as Housing Prices Increase

Mon, 16 Dec 2024 14:17:00 +0000

While the expansion of the suburbs is nothing new, a surge in home prices over the past several years has supercharged the trend, pushing homebuyers across the country further out from city centers and changing the rural character of many towns. Read more about the national trend to find affordable housing in rural areas.

Paterson Woman Continues to Take Action to Help Those in Need

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 14:50:00 +0000

Since 2017 Sharonda Roberts has provided portable showers--and dignity--to those in need of services in Paterson. Roberts, through her organization Muture Sisters, sets out up to three portable shower stalls throughout the summer for the city’s homeless population. Sometimes Roberts also hosts a cookout alongside the showers. And she always provides free clothing and bathing products and invites organizations to come and help connect people to social services. Learn more about the shower program.

Camden Program Helps Families with Low-Incomes Become Homeowners

Thu, 05 Sep 2024 14:50:00 +0000

Saint Joseph’s Carpenter Society in New Jersey buys abandoned properties in the city, rehabilitates them and sells them at a significant discount to people who otherwise don’t have the resources to become homeowners. Father Bob McDermott, a former parish priest who grew up in Camden, founded the Saint Joseph’s Carpenter Society in 1985 because he was determined to rebuild the community and restore it to the kind of family-friendly environment he remembered as a child. Saint Joseph’s Carpenter Society is currently renovating and then selling about a dozen homes a year. Learn more about this program in Camden.