52:27D-367. Findings

The Legislature finds that:

a. A substantial number of housing units in New Jersey are in deteriorating condition, many residents are living in dwelling units which do not conform to applicable local codes and ordinances that are intended to ensure the health and safety of the occupants, and this condition impedes the development and conservation of healthy, safe, and viable communities in this State;

b. The rehabilitation of suitable housing will increase its economic life, is more economical and less disruptive than replacement of the housing and the relocation of its occupants, can better promote community development when conducted through organized housing rehabilitation programs, and is essential to promote sound community development in this State;

c. The amount of public resources currently available or likely to be available for the rehabilitation and maintenance of marginal or substandard residential units is grossly inadequate and if significant progress is to be made in reducing or eliminating the stock of substandard housing in this State, it is imperative that the resources of the private sector be utilized to their best effect;

d. A partnership of State and local public agencies with private residential financing institutions to coordinate and optimize their respective efforts is critical to any serious attempt to conserve and protect existing housing, and, in this regard, the neighborhood housing services program of the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation has distinguished itself as a highly effective mechanism for rehabilitating housing and revitalizing declining neighborhoods by combining both public and private resources; and

e. The creation and expansion of neighborhood housing services programs within New Jersey hold the promise of improving the quality of life in those neighborhoods beset with problems associated with substandard housing and can serve as a model of an effective and innovative approach to a remedy, which has traditionally been viewed as the exclusive responsibility of the public sector, and by so improving the quality of life throughout New Jersey and forging new methods of public-private cooperation will serve the interests of all of the citizens of this State.

L. 1987, c. 50, s. 2.