Blog – Page 2

HUD Disaster Recovery Cuts: A Looming Crisis for Housing Stability

By Carol M. Sainthilaire, Executive Director of The Waterfront Project The Latest Blow to Affordable Housing & Disaster Recovery The federal government’s latest move to slash 84% of HUD’s Community Planning and Development (CPD) budget is nothing short of a disaster for communities across the country. These cuts threaten critical disaster recovery and housing stability programs that thousands of families rely on, including right here in New Jersey. At The Waterfront Project (WFP),…

Addressing a Heartbreaking Story: Family of kids who froze to death reached out at least three times to Detroit’s homeless response team

By Elizabeth Hurley, Legal Director at The Waterfront Project On Monday, February 10, 2025, two homeless children froze to death in Detroit, sleeping in a van with their family, despite their mother’s repeated efforts to get assistance. This, in America. As a housing attorney with The Waterfront Project defending low-income tenants from eviction, I have met with so many mothers on the brink of homelessness, the terror in their eyes…

Client Success Story: Final Restraining Order Granted

By Elizabeth Hurley, Legal Director at The Waterfront Project In this domestic violence case, we successfully obtained a Final Restraining Order protecting our client from her former partner, whom the court found had assaulted her on multiple occasions, resulting in “horrific injuries.” The order prohibits our client’s abuser from having any contact with her, bars him from visiting her home and place of employment, as well as the home of…

Mortgage Maintenance Education

By Maria Mascola and William Paige Since 2018, The Waterfront Project has been dedicated to helping New Jersey residents navigate the complexities of the foreclosure process. We now have a full team of HUD-Certified housing counselors who offer support and education to client’s while reminding them they don’t have to go through this alone. While the foreclosure process in New Jersey can be extensive, we would like to share with…

Client Success Story – Landlord Dismissal

Written by Elizabeth Hurley, Legal Director at The Waterfront Project Sam, our Staff Attorney at The Waterfront Project, was able to get a landlord to dismiss a non-payment of rent case the landlord had filed against our client for arrears that were incurred between March and August 2021, a period protected under the Stack Bill. The landlord attempted to apply our client’s current rent payments to these pandemic arrears and…

12 Days of The Waterfront Project Representation: From Lockout to a Settlement Awarding 10 Months’ Rent as Relocation Assistance

Written by Elizabeth Hurley, Managing Attorney at The Waterfront Project Mr. V. called The Waterfront Project on January 16th, having been evicted from his apartment the day before without notice of any lawsuit filed against him. Although he went to court and was able to regain temporary possession of the apartment, the Court’s order left the judgment against him in place and gave him only 7 days to remove his…

Algorithms, Profits, and the Housing Crisis: A Step Toward Justice

Written by Christopher Gomes The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently filed a landmark lawsuit against six of the country’s largest landlords, alleging that their use of algorithmic pricing software and information sharing practices have significantly contributed to the housing crisis. The landlords named in the suit—Greystar Real Estate Partners LLC, Blackstone’s LivCor LLC, Camden Property Trust, Cushman & Wakefield Inc, Pinnacle Property Management Services LLC, Willow Bridge Property Company…

January 28, 2025

A Crisis We Can’t Ignore: Federal Funding Freeze Threatens Our Communities

Written By Executive Director, Carol Sainthilaire We are facing an unprecedented crisis that puts New Jersey’s most vulnerable families at immediate risk. The current Administration has just announced a freeze on all federal grants and loans—halting critical funding for nonprofits like The Waterfront Project (WFP), which provides essential services to low- and moderate-income families across Hudson County and beyond. This federal action jeopardizes the free, life-saving programs we offer to…

January 9, 2025

Client Success Story: Keeping a New Family Safe and Together

By Carol M. Sainthilaire, Executive Director of The Waterfront Project At The Waterfront Project, we believe that housing is a fundamental human right, and every day, our team fights to protect that right for our community’s most vulnerable residents. Recently, we had the privilege of supporting a young family in their time of dire need. On December 31st, a new mother gave birth at a local hospital to a healthy…

December 23, 2024

Bridging the Gap: Addressing Housing Needs and Homelessness in Jersey City and Hudson County

In recent months, two comprehensive reports have shed light on the escalating housing crisis in Jersey City and Hudson County. The Jersey City Housing Needs Assessment by the Regional Plan Association and the 2024 Hudson County Point-In-Time Count by Monarch Housing Associates together paint a vivid and urgent picture of our community’s housing challenges. These findings not only underscore the critical gaps in affordability and housing stability but also offer a roadmap for addressing…