NEWARK: Planning for migrant housing

2 I. Background A. History Of Newark

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B. Demographics

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Other Immigrant Populations

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D. Newark Zoning And Land Use

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B. Research Question

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C. Client’s Charge + Study Area

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Government

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Economy

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III. Methods

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Social Service Agencies/CBOs

Regional Organizations

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B. Mapping

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C. Development Process

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Parameters for an Effective CBO

IV. Proposals A. Proposal 1: Considerations & Site Suitability

Development & Financing

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B. Proposal 2: Further Housing Policy Recommendations

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C. Proposal 3: City-Level Migrant Policies

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V. Discussion

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A. Mission Statement

A. Stakeholders

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C. Economic Context II. Studio Mission

contents.

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A. Limitations

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B. Opportunities

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VI. Acknowledgements

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VII. References

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4 abstract.

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ewark has long been a city of immigrants fighting for their place in the United States. As the most populous city in New Jersey, where nearly one out of every four residents is an immigrant, Newark has the largest immigrant population in the state, making up 32.5% of the city’s total population. In 2017, Mayor Ras Baraka signed the Executive Order A Fair and Welcoming City, turning Newark into a sanctuary city. To show his support for immigrant communities, this provided equal protection from police discrimination and police profiling to all undocumented folks, allowing them identification cards, driver's licenses, and documentation needed to access basic city services. This order sent a clear message that the city of Newark wants its immigrant residents to live and work without fear, and to be treated with dignity and respect. Such a proclamation honors the city’s history and sets a precedent for its future. This policy, however, does not specifically address housing needs.

Just as immigrants made Newark what it is, they are also a crucial part of what it can become. The studio, titled “Planning for Migrant Shelter in Newark,” addresses the concept of housing, instead of a shelter, to explore different options for Newark360, the decennial update to the city’s master plan, which has three main priorities: health, equity, and resilience. The client for this project is Christopher Watson, the director of City Planning for the City of Newark, who requested to maintain a broad approach for migrant shelters. This proposal seeks to aid the City of Newark to implement a replicable model for providing decent, dignified housing to migrants in vulnerable situations to help them establish themselves in the city.

In this context, the concept of vulnerability is understood as both situational and personal. It is important to highlight that migrants are not inherently vulnerable.

Rather, vulnerability to economic oppression and human rights violations is the outcome of many intersecting forms of discrimination, inequality and structural dynamics that lead to unequal power relations. In order to guarantee that every migrant is able to access appropriate protection of their rights, the situation of each person must be assessed individually.

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I.

background.

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Until the beginning of the 1600s, the Lenapes hadn’t established steady connections with the European colonizers.3 The Dutch traders didn’t respect the Native Americans, and even treated enslaved some of them. With the expansion of European colonization, the Lenapes were forced into Indian Territories in the 19th century, mostly in Oklahoma.4 In the year 1666, a settlement was founded in present-day Newark by Connecticut Puritans led by Robert Treat. They came from the New Haven Colony to preserve their lifestyle from the uncertainty caused by the merger of Connecticut and New Haven Colonies1. The Colonizers decided to settle down at the edge of the Passaic River and exchanged the land for what would be about $7505 with the Munsee. Until 1733, the Puritan Church ruled this colony. In 1746, the Puritan theocracy was broken5.

a. history of newark

Newark’s industrial boom in the leather, ironworks, brewing, and manufacturing industries in the 1800s led to a wave of immigration from Ireland, Germany, and Italy. Waves of Black migrants arrived from the segregated south and clustered in the Central Ward, being pushed into tenements, and then into housing projects by discriminatory practices. Newark was hit hard by the Great Depression and began the process of deindustrialization thereafter. After WW2, the racial structure of Newark changed to become majority Black city7 as a result of deindustrialization and suburbanization driving affluent, white families away from the city center and into the suburbs. In the 50s, manufacturing jobs disappeared.

After decades of development, the first industry in Newark was founded: leather tanning. Abundant tamarack trees in the city provided the industry with materials. Until 1865, one-third of the population of Newark was German6, and In the 19th century, the first group of immigrants arrived. Irish immigrants settled in Newark to build the Morris Canal, which helped to support the existing leather tanning industry in Newark. The creation of the Essex Railroad and the turnpikes between Newark and Elizabeth, Belleville, New Brunswick, Springfield and Pompton, and Newark Bay assisted in embedding the leather tanning industry.

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he predecessor of Newark City is one of the first few settlements in North America built by British colonizers.1 “Welcome to the New World” seems to be the slogan of Newark from the very beginning. However, before the City of Newark came to be, Native Americans had already been living on the land for countless years. The indigenous group who inhabited the land was known as the Lenape, also called Leni Lenape, Hackensack, or Delaware Indians. The tribe used to have a broad territory on the East Coast, including the Passaic River. The tribe consisted of three different groups: Munsee, Unami, and Unalactgio.2 The area which became the City of Newark originally belonged to the Munsee peoples.

In the late 19th century, manufacturing industries besides leather tanning started becoming more prominent in Newark.

Inventors like Thomas Edison, Seth Boyden, and John W. Hyatt can be attributed to boosting industry presence Newark6.

Insurance and financial industries also became an important sector of Newark’s industry in the 19th century6.

A Photo in Newark in 1950s During the Long Hot Summer of 1967, racial tensions amounted to a critical rebellion in Newark. The national guard and police force were deployed in order to suppress the rebellion resulting in more frequent racial confrontations as instances of police brutality increased. New immigration legislation further set the stage for significant changes to the demographic makeup of the city, as more affordable housing began to be built, better health care was finally being provided and waves of Asian, West African, Caribbean migrants settled in the area. These events had profound effects of civil unrest, but also helped propel civic activism that continues today, including significant strides in environmental justice.

A Factory Ad in Newark in the 1800s The territories of Lenape and a painting of Lenape 3 4 5 6

1 Rindler, Edward Paul, The Migration From The New Haven Colony To Newark, East New Jersey: A Study Of Puritan Values And Behavior, 1630 - 1720.

2 http://www.penntreatymuseum.org/americans.php NEWARK: PLANNING FOR MIGRANT HOUSING

Background

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/nj/state/Lenape.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenape https://www.thirteen.org/newark/history.html https://www.thirteen.org/newark/history2.html

National Guard in Newark during 1967 7

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_Newark_riots

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b. demographics M

uch of the racial, economic, and environmental justice advocacy in Newark has come out of the city’s vibrant immigrant communities, which over the years have created a rich mosaic of neighborhoods. In order to better understand the city’s tapestry, we looked into the city’s racial and linguistic demographics as represented by the 2016-2020 American Community Survey (ACS) data. Here, we can see concentrations of Black residents in the south and west ward, Latinx populations in the north and east ward, and foreign-born populations spread throughout the city, with notably concentrated immigrant populations in the west and east wards. The city overall is 49.5% Black alone, 6.6% mixed race, and 36.7% Latinx of any race. Across all racial categories, 32.5% of Newarkers were born abroad.

In 1984, Newarkers in Ironbound gathered to protest big industry polluters that were running rampant in the city, eventually leading to the Community Right to Know Act and the Toxic Inventory Release in 1986, mandating that industry polluters publicly report on their emissions and pollution levels. This legacy remains in Newark today, as residents have continued to clean up their city from existing pollutants, like the 2017 Passaic River Waterfront restoration, completed with the EPA. The city government has also taken an active role, implementing its ambitious lead reduction program to replace all the lead pipes with copper.

NEWARK: PLANNING FOR MIGRANT HOUSING

Background

Newark is linguistically diverse, too, with high concentrations of multilingual residents in the east, north, and far west wards.

The north ward has the highest concentration of Spanish speakers, while the east and far west wards are home to Newarkers speaking other non-English languages at home. The high percentages in the east ward coincide with Ironbound, Newark’s famous Portuguese-speaking community. Overall, 60.1% of Newarkers speak only English, while 27.2% speak Spanish at home, with the remaining 12.8% speaking other languages.

Based on the available data, we find a well-established, native-born Latinx community in the north ward; a diverse east ward of new immigrants and native-born people speaking multiple languages, but particularly Spanish and Portuguese; a strong, largely native-born Black population in the south ward; and a growing concentration of foreign-born, Black Newarkers in the west ward. Within its 25 square miles, Newark provides a diverse array of welcoming communities for migrants of various backgrounds.

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other immigrant populations.

Although the census data can paint a broad picture of the city’s demographics, it does not provide a breakdown of immigrants living with different legal statuses. Because of the precarious position of many of these migrants, particularly undocumented folks, exact data on these populations is very difficult to obtain.

Poverty Status Estimate

In order to get a better sense of Newark’s undocumented population, we are using estimates for Essex County, where Newark is located. While no such data is available for the city, as the county seat and largest city, –being home to 36% of its total population and 42% of its foreign-born population, we can estimate that Newark is home to about 22,000 to 26,000 of the county’s 52,000 undocumented migrants.

Given the sensitivity of information regarding undocumented migrants, we recommend that any research into these numbers be managed cautiously to prioritize the safety of these populations.

Educational Attainment

Region of Birth for Undocumented Migrants (Essex County)

Asylum seekers are another important subset of the migrant population for which it can be difficult to collect data.

While there is no data available for the exact number of asylum seekers living in the city, over 60,000 asylum cases have been registered in Newark’s immigration court since the year 2000; of these, only a little over 7,000 were granted asylum, and nearly 38,000 are still pending. Again, it is difficult to estimate how many of these reside in Newark.

Over half of undocumented individuals in Essex County speak Spanish at home, followed by a smaller portion speaking Portuguese, and around a quarter speaking languages other than English.

Overall, undocumented migrant households see higher rates of poverty and lower rates of basic educational attainment than the total population of Newark. Unfortunately, this is unsurprising, considering the many legal and economic barriers they face.

NEWARK: PLANNING FOR MIGRANT HOUSING

Background

The state of New Jersey is home to a total of 15,110 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients: Haitian people make up about 25%, and around three quarters are from Honduras and El Salvador. While it is difficult to extrapolate how many of them call Newark home, it can be estimated that there are several thousand TPS recipients in the city. As a whole, the state of New Jersey took only 124 resettled refugees in 2020, and another 99 from October 2021 to February of this year. While refugee resettlement often dominates the news, this population makes up a relatively small proportion of the overall migrant population.

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c. econonmic context

Median Income By Period Of Entry To The U.S.

Migrants as an economic force in Newark As much as Newark can serve as an important first home for new immigrants, new immigrants can contribute to the city’s ongoing renaissance.

They are a powerful economic force, contributing billions in tax dollars, making up more than 25% percent of the state’s workforce, despite being just 22% of its population, and creating vibrant local economies through opening small businesses. Being a welcoming city is not just a nod to Newark’s past, but an investment in its future.

As seen here, each additional decade in the U.S. translates into around $5,000 growth in median income for foreign-born Newarkers. By the time the average immigrant has been in the city for 10 years, they are making above the city’s median wage of $37,476. The most crucial time for a new migrant to receive a leg up is in their first years in the country, when they are still adjusting and before they have formed the networks and gained the knowledge they need to succeed.

NEWARK: PLANNING FOR MIGRANT HOUSING

d. zoning & land use T

A

fter continuing decades of disinvestment following the national decline of manufacturing, Newark has lagged economically behind the rest of the metropolitan area. Based on 2016-2020 American Community Survey (ACS) data, this has left the city with a median income of $37,476, less than half of the New York-New Jersey metro area median of $81,954. Newark has a labor force participation rate of 61.1% overall, and an unemployment rate of 10.6%, nearly twice the metro area unemployment of 5.9%. Newark’s poverty rate of 26.3% is also more than double the metro area’s 12.4% poverty rate. Despite these huge gaps, Newark’s median gross rent of $1,116 is only 24.7% below the area median rent of $1,483, meaning that while Newark is more affordable than the rest of the region, it remains deeply unaffordable for many Newarkers. In light of that, Mayor Ras Baraka has made repeated commitments to stop the city from “becoming the next Brooklyn” by fighting gentrification and increasing housing supply.

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Background

he New Jersey State allows municipalities such as the City of Newark to adopt its own building and land use laws within their municipal boundary lines and all property owners must abide by these laws. These local laws are often referred to as municipal zoning ordinances and restrict the type and size of developments built on each parcel or lot.

Most of Newark’s residential neighborhoods are zoned for residential use with very few mixed-use districts, predominantly in the East Wards closer to industrial areas such as the Port of Newark and Newark Liberty International Airport. Strict single-use residential zoning restricts the housing options in a strained housing market. This also poses an issue when planning for housing suitable to vulnerable groups such as migrants. The average price of a property in Newark is $393,961, unaffordable to the median household income of $37,476.

However, much of Newark is currently zoned under redevelopment zones which allows more flexible planning for development.

In Redevelopment Zones & Special Districts (RDV- SD), zoning and land use regulations are set by Redevelopment Plans adopted by the City of Newark under New Jersey Local Housing and Redevelopment Law. In the upcoming decennial Newark 360 plan we expect the city to designate more mixed-use commercial-residential zones as well as higher density zoning in neighborhoods originally designated 1-2 Family Residential Zones to increase affordable housing options.

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a. mission statement T

he City of Newark asks for a plan for access to shelter and/or housing for migrants that could serve as a guiding framework for the city. As a group, we are moving forward with a proposal for housing, rather than shelter, in order to provide dignified living, as well as larger policy recommendations to make Newark a welcoming city in the long term. This project aims to prioritize the needs of migrants in vulnerable situations in Newark while enabling them to establish social and economic stability and connect to the city while respecting their autonomy and individuality.

II.

studio mission.

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How can housing facilitate the social & economic integration of the most vulnerable migrants in Newark?

As planners, what creative planning processes & tools can we employ to ensure that the needs of migrants are met and that their living is dignified?

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b. research question Studio Mission

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of households are families. These demographic statistics suggest that the neighorhood is suitable for migrant shelters given its diverse demographic composition.

c. client’s charge + study area

The site is located within the Kent/Brenner/Springfield Redevelopment Area, a special zoning district seeking to revitalize the redevelopment area. Some of the most pressing issues the plan aims to address include abandoned buildings, lack of goods and services due to diminished commercial capacity, lack of affordable housing choices for members of the community, and public safety issues. Since our site is located within the area, it gives our studio greater flexibility to design the physical component of our project, particularly since the redevelopment plan is hoping to broaden affordable housing stock.

government Newark City is one of the oldest cities in the United States.

It was established in 1666 and was meant to be a city that upholds Christian values, its own community and government.

Newark is about 24.8 square miles but only 17 square miles are habitable by city residents. Newark is a city within Essex County and within the state of New Jersey.

O

ur client proposed two sites for migrant shelter development, lot 1 is located on 432-438 S 10th St. and is 10, 088 sq. ft, and lot 2 is located on 477-481 15th Ave and is 7, 500 sq. ft. These sites are in the West Side neighborhood of Newark’s Central Ward and together are greater than 17,000 sq. ft.

Based on our analysis of flooding data, the two lots are not at risk of flooding. Flooding is a particular problem in Newark, where many areas are at sea level. Just last year, Hurricane Ida resulted in at least $5 million in damages in Newark, and 27 people lost their lives. The large areas of the city, including the airport, were flooded with over 8 inches of rain and about 483 people were stuck and waiting to get rescued. In order to prioritize the needs of vulnerable groups and with increasingly intense storm surges resulting from climate change, we wanted to ensure that our affordable housing proposal was not at risk of flooding.

In addition to ensuring that the sites are not at risk of flooding, we wanted to make sure that the neighborhood provides a variety of amenities for future tenants. The sites are located near three different bus stops, elementary schools, grocery stores, religious institutions, a community health clinic, a hospital, and more within a 20-minute walk. As employment is a central concern for newly arrived migrants, it is important that housing provides access to jobs. For these sites, three bus lines offer a 20-minute trip to Newark Penn Station, giving residents access not only to jobs in downtown Newark but also throughout the New York City region via Penn Station’s connections to Manhattan and other cities in New Jersey.

According to census data, the West Side neighborhood has a population of around 14 thousand, of which 25% are foreign-born. The main language spoken at home is Spanish. 25% of the population are foreign born and 58%

NEWARK: PLANNING FOR MIGRANT HOUSING

Studio Mission

Newark is governed as a Mayor-Council structure that follows the Faulkner Act, which means power within the city is split between the mayor and the 9 city council members, in the table below are their responsibilities.

Newark is under the jurisdiction of Essex County, which is under the jurisdiction of New Jersey State which is under the oversight of the United States federal government. Newark’s public services heavily rely on federal, state and county subsidies; •

Public services include public housing programs, public education and environmental protection

•

About 70% of Newark’s public school district relies on New Jersey’s yearly state budget

economy Although Newark is one of New Jersey’s three economic city hubs, with giant corporations such as Prudential Life, Verizon and the Newark Liberty International Airport operating within city limits, majority of these corporations employees are not residents of Newark, in fact only about 25% of all workers in Newark live even within the Essex county area.

As of 2020, the US Census Bureau has estimated Newark City’s median household income to be at $37,476 which is less than half of the NYC-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area of $81,951. 26.3% of Newark city’s residents are in poverty, and are experiencing a 10.6% unemployment rate.

Mayor

City Council Members 9 members that serve 4-year terms

Chief Executive •

•

5 elected via Newark’s five wards

•

4 elected by all of Newark’s residents

Elected by city residents and serve 4-year terms

Represents the city on state, national and international levels

Primary legislative body

Appoints city employees

Approves and adopts the city yearly budget

Supervises and directs all city department activities

Levies taxes

Prepares and submits annual budget to the City Council members for approval

Making and amending city laws, policies and ordinances Establishes how financials are controlled

Drafts and signs legislation into law

•

Sets salaries for all local officials and other high-level appointed administrators within the city

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III.

methods.

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movement towards upzoning is a major concern for the organization who served as a major force behind the implementation of the first Inclusive Zoning Ordinance under Mayor Ras Baraka in 2017. The ICC states that legal status of immigrants living in the neighborhood largely determines the types of housing they are allowed to apply for and issues of income loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the issue. As restaurants and small businesses make up most of the storefronts, loss of revenue for both business owners have pushed the most vulnerable undocmented population to the edges.

a. stakeholders

New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice The New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ) is a state-wide coalition that fights for policies that empower and protect immigrants. NJAIJ is a membership-based coalition of groups that span labor, faith, policy, community-based, and grassroots organizations. Together, they use the power and strength of their member organizations to position immigrant communities as leaders in campaigns that advance justice, inclusion, and belonging. Through their work, policy and decision-makers are held accountable to win immigrants’ fair share of resources, and access to services, and promote strategies that keep communities whole, empowered, and active agents of civic and social change.

social service agencies/ CBOs

United Community Corporation UCC's mission is to assist low-income, disadvantaged and at-risk individuals and families, including seniors and youth, to become self-sufficient and self-supporting; while enhancing their quality of life and standard of living.

In order to better understand the needs of the diverse immigrant population of Newark and which groups to prioritize in the need for housing we’ve reached out to local Community-Based Organizations and Community Development Corporation in Newark through qualitative interviews that enabled us to better understand the governance and planning framework as well as the local demographic and physical environment.

Ironbound Community Corporation Founded in 1969, Ironbound Community Corporation’s (ICC’s) mission is to engage and empower individuals, families, and groups in realizing their aspirations and, together, work to create a just, vibrant and sustainable community in the East Ward neighborhood. We spoke with Drew Curtis who explained how the Ironbound District was historically the first stop for immigrants arriving in Newark due to its proximity to the airport and port. As one of the city’s neighborhoods that is predominantly zoned for mixed-use, it retains a diverse and vibrant residential character. However threats of gentrification due to the NEWARK: PLANNING FOR MIGRANT HOUSING

Methods

People’s Organization for Progress The People’s Organization for Progress has been formed for the following purposes: To educate the people about relevant social, economic, and political issues. To continuously organize and mobilize the grassroots community so that it can effectively solve its problems and fight for its needs. To improve the social and economic conditions in our community. To work for the total elimination of racism and sexism. To further develop and increase the political power of working and poor people. To strive for a more just and equitable distribution of wealth in our society. To serve as an advocate of human and civil rights. To support the struggles of people at home and abroad against oppression and exploitation. To promote world peace.

To build unity with other organizations and individuals whose goals are similar to our own American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)

Clinton Hill Community Action A community development organization that works with residents and stakeholders to revitalize the Clinton Hill neighborhood and improve the quality of life of all residents.

We talked to Khaatim Sherrer El from Clinton Hill Community Action who has stressed that the main focus of the organization is to reach out to stakeholders and provide services catered to the needs of the community. Along with the economic empowerment program they provide, Clinton Hill Community Action also provides a childcare centre that assists families with children from birth to age five which is an

They advocate for human-centered alternatives to policing and incarceration, better reintegration after prison, an end to prison privatization, more humane conditions of confinement, and ultimately, the abolition of prisons, jails, and detention centers; Just Economies- Economies should work for all people and our planet and promote thriving communities. AFSC works to support just economic priorities and policies, challenges growing inequality and the corporate abuse of human rights, and advocates for increased access to basic resources.

Make the Road New Jersey builds the power of immigrant and working-class communities to achieve dignity and respect. They do that through four key components that reach thousands of families every year: Community Organizing to change the systems and power structures affecting our communities; Legal and Support Services to tackle discrimination, abuse, and poverty; Policy Innovation to rewrite unfair laws/ policies and make our democracy accountable to all of us, and Transformative Education to develop leadership by amplifying our community members’ abilities to become leaders and lead in our movement.

The NIA Masjid & Community Center was established in 1985 to serve a growing Muslim community in the North Ward of Newark, NJ. Over the years, it has spawned into a very dynamic and diverse community of Muslims from all walks of life.

Also detailed the various issues around the movement toward building high-rises in Newark as often times the community lacks the resources to maintain such high-density building proposals. His recommendation for our studio is to think of options for transitional housing that is both dignified but allowed migrants to consider other neighbourhoods of the city that suits their family’s needs including schools, community support, and language service.

The American Friends Service Committee aims to work with communities and partners worldwide to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace. The key issues that AFSC prioritizes are Advancing Peacebuilding- AFSC works to build societies that divest from militarism, organized political violence, and state violence—and invest in alternatives that enable sustainable peace, open civic space, and prioritize human dignity and rights; Humane Migration ResponsesAFSC works for a world where migrants, refugees, and internally displaced people have the power to determine where they live and the opportunity to thrive in society. They work to address both the economic and political drivers of migration in multiple countries as well as to support migrants and refugees, whether they are in transit or settled in new communities; Healing, Not Punitive, Justice- To build a more just, peaceful society, AFSC believes that healing must be promoted—instead of punishment—in the U.S. criminal legal system.

Make the Road New Jersey

Nia Masjid and Community Center

important when planning for migrant families.

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Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Newark- St. Rocco's St. Rocco's Emergency Family Shelter helps families become self-sufficient by giving them an opportunity for decision making and for assuming responsibility for improving their situation under the supervision, support, and guidance of shelter staff.

The program accepts homeless Essex County families that are referred from the Essex County Division of Family Assistance and Benefits (DFAB), the City of Newark, and the Essex County Social Services for the Homeless (SSH) program for working families. St. Rocco's also has a Prevention Program for Essex County residents at risk for eviction or needing assistance with paying overdue Public Service bills. St. Rocco’s Emergency Family Shelter’s housing program houses up to 15 families, the program offers short-term supervised emergency shelter, including three meals a day, assessment/planning, case management, housing, education, food, and clothing, supportive individual counseling, educational workshops, instruction in parenting skills, referral to community resources, assistance with job and housing placement, and referrals for mental health and substance abuse services.

African Hispanic Immigration Organization, Inc. (AHIO) AHIO provides a wide range of immigration programs and services to residents of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The areas of immigration legal assistance that AHIO provides are Adjustment of Status, Asylum applications, Consular Processing, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Employment authorization, Family-based petitions, Habeas Corpus, Naturalization/Citizenship, Removal hearings, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, T visas, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), U visas, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) petitions. AHIO also helps residents with completing forms such as Filings with USCIS, Representation at Asylum Interviews (Credible Fear Interviews, Reasonable Fear Interviews), Representation before the Immigration Court, Representation before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) as well as Employment services, Legal Orientation Programs (LOP) / Know Your Rights Presentations (KYR), Referrals to other services.

Welcome Home Refugees (New Jersey) Welcome Home Refugees is a nonprofit organization based in New Jersey that provides all newly arrived refugees: airport pickup, apartment set up, meals, support in navigating the new environment, friendship and companionship, assistance with any

NEWARK: PLANNING FOR MIGRANT HOUSING

government paperwork and appointments, weekly ESL and continuing education classes, employment assistance, and other services that individuals may need in order to gain their footing in their new environment.

The Apostle’s House The Apostle’s House is Newark -based social service organization dedicated to providing comprehensive and innovative services to help empower families and individuals experiencing homelessness.

Circle of Life Treatment Center and Shelter Circle of Life Treatment Center and Shelter is a non-profit treatment center/shelter that provides transitional housing and support services. They serve as a code Blue shelter or warming center for any individuals experiencing homelessness.

regional organizations

b. mapping I

n the early stages of our research, we wanted to conduct a robust site selection process using GIS analysis.

Regional Plan Association (RPA) Our source was Moses Gates, RPA’s Vice President for Housing and Neighborhood Planning, leading the organization’s planning, research and advocacy efforts in affordable housing, economic development, and urban design. He also leads RPA’s efforts to build international partnerships. Our key conversations circulated around ways that we could approach our project to leverage its funding sources as well as the building model, precedents, and structure of the development process.

RPA is an independent non-profit civic organization that develops and promotes ideas to improve the economic health, environmental resilience, and quality of life of the New York metropolitan area. RPA conducts research on the environment, land use, and good governance, and advises cities, communities, and public agencies.

Edison Properties Edison Properties is a private developer that is based in Newark, New Jersey and has been doing development projects in the city since 1956. They aim to maximize the potential of people and properties through a long-term perspective for growth and value creation.

Methods

We used mapping as one of the major factors in selecting our site, including demographic mapping (which is included in previous chapters), environmental risk mapping, and zoning & functional mapping.

Ultimately, we decided to proceed using the client’s site recommendations due to the lack of environmental risks and financial considerations of the lots being city-owned sites.

For environmental mapping, we focused on the potentially hazardous areas: locations of toxic sites, Newark’s FEMA flood map, and a storm surge map for major weather events.

The data comes from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and the ward boundaries are from Newark’s open data portal.

Our site is located away from a flood zone and is not at risk of flooding. Furthermore, the client’s recommended sites are not near an agglomeration of toxic sites.

28 For the zoning & functional mapping, we used Shannon Entropy as one of the criteria in measuring the wards. Shannon entropy works as an indicator to measure the mixture of land use in a neighborhood to identify areas of the city with more diverse land types and amenities. The higher the entropy is, the more diverse the land use in the area is. The goal of utilizing Shannon Entropy was to identify other potential areas or neighborhoods of the city with diverse land types and amenities that could be suitable for migrant shelters.

are on the border of the West Side and Fairmuont neighborhoods. Rather than associating entropy levels with neighborhood boundaries, it would have been more effective to conduct this study using 1-mile or walking-distance buffers around specific potential sites to measure the diversity of land functions within an easily-accessible distance. For this reason, our studio ultimately did not make any final recommendations based on the Shannon entropy analysis. Instead, we recommend siting migrant shelters on the client’s proposed city-owned lots since there are a lack of environmental risks present on the sites and given the financial feasability of developing on these sites, which will be explained further in the following sections.

c. development process

In our study, the P(xi) is defined as the percentage of area with a certain land-use type to the spatial bounds of the neighborhood. To make the calculation simple, the land use types from the zoning map were aggregated into more generalized types. After calculating this, we came out with a mapping of the Entropies of each neighborhoods. The darker the region is, the higher entropy is. Based on this analysis, we found that neighborhoods like Ironbound, University Heights, and South Broad Street possessed the highest levels of shannon entropy and could be suitable for migrant shelter purely based on the high levels land-use diversity, which would afford newly arrived migrants with ease of access to amenities.

There are, however, some limitations to using Shannon entropy as part of our methodology.

Since the entropy levels are tied to the neighborhood boundaries, it limits our understanding of the diversity of land use types and amenities immediately surrounding potential sites within a walking distance.

T

his chart presents a broad organizational structure we propose for this development and others of the same kind. This structure particularly favors the circumstances for the client-selected sites, as the parcels are already city-owned. In addition, it can also be replicated on other plots the city already owns or many take over from tax liens or for other reasons.

Our client’s recommended sites, for example,

As the owner of the land, the city can dictate the land to ensure purpose-driven affordability for the long-term. One approach to this is that the City would craft a land disposition to give ownership of the land to a Community Development Corporations (CDC), which would develop the site and building.

NEWARK: PLANNING FOR MIGRANT HOUSING

Methods

Another possibility is that the city could also offer the land on a long term lease, and remains a partner throughout the development process. However, this proposition requires further research to ensure the sustainability of this partnerships between each stakeholder.

The CDC would either contract out or internally operate as Property Managers and/or Builders/Developer.s The Community-based Organization (CBO) then would sign a contract with the CDC and is then mandated to tenant the affordable units, i.e. identify and refer qualifying migrant households. In addition, the CBO could also be obligated to provide onsite social services like job training, language access, etc.

30 parameters for an effective CBO The City’s Department of International Relations and Diaspora Affairs will work alongside the social service agency or CBOs to outreach to any migrant population that the said social service agency or CBO deems necessary. The CBOs that the city should work with are those that have a long-standing history of already serving migrant communities that currently reside within the city of Newark.

CBO parameters that can help the city choose the right partners: •

•

Must have a long-standing network of migrant community that they serve within Newark Must have a legal team that can fully provide immigration documentation processes and advice to migrants that will be residents in the units »

•

Must have programs directed at providing healthcare services for undocumented migrants

•

Must have programs that can provide ESL to any migrant residents that will reside in the unit

•

Must have a language translation team that can help migrant residents with filling up government service programs »

Examples of government service programs that may need language translation assistance are: ›

Food Stamps

›

Medicare

›

FAFSA

›

Childcare

The CBO that the city chooses will sign a contract with CDC and will be provided an office space to provide oversight for the on site-building.

Examples of immigration documentation that migrants may need legal help with: ›

TPS

›

Refugee/Asylum seekers

›

H1B visas

›

Green Card/Permanent Residency

›

Naturalization

›

DACA

NEWARK: PLANNING FOR MIGRANT HOUSING

Methods

32

33

a. proposal 1 considerations & site suitability

T

he client suggested sites are in the West Side neighborhood of Newark’s Central Ward.

Demographically, this neighborhood appears suited to host migrant housing. It has a population of around 14 thousand, of which 22% are foreign-born, and around 30% speak a language other than English at home. This diverse neighborhood has a large Black population, as well as Latinx community members. With a median income of $38,000, the neighborhood is economically on par with the rest of the city.

The sites are located near three different bus lines (line 5, 9, and 96), and located near elementary schools, grocery stores, religious institutions, a community health clinic, a hospital, and more within a 20-minute walk.

IV.

As employment is a central concern for newly arrived migrants, it is important that housing provides access to jobs.

For these sites, three bus lines offer a 20-minute trip to Newark Penn Station, giving residents access not only to jobs in downtown Newark but also throughout the New York City region via Penn Station’s connections to Manhattan and other cities in New Jersey.

Based on the environmental risk analysis, the proposed project is not at risk of flooding, a major concern to Newark residents. With rising sea levels and increasingly intense storms, climate change means that these factors must be taken into consideration now more than ever. The lots are not also not adjacent to toxic sites. In the interest of environmental justice, it is recommended that any future affordable migrant housing development be sited away from floodplains

proposals.

NEWARK: PLANNING FOR MIGRANT HOUSING

Report | Urban Planning Studio | Spring 2022

34

and toxic sites. In the interest of environmental justice, it is recommended that any future affordable migrant

housing development be sited away from floodplains and toxic sites. The total area of the two lots, which are across the street from one another, is over 17 thousand square feet1.

allows townhouses; we suggest that the city rezone that lot to include it in the Redevelopment Plan.

development & financing

Income by Family Size Family Size

The client sites sit within the 07103 zip code. Data from the American Community Survey shows that this area has an extremely low rental vacancy rate of 3.7%, highlighting that the rental market is oversubscribed in the area, and substantiating the input from many stakeholder groups that emphasized to us the need for affordable housing in Newark, especially for migrants. The zip code’s Median Gross Rent at $1,048 is lower than that of Newark city-wide. Most of the occupied units pay monthly rent rates from a range of $1,000 to $1,499, with the majority of rent amounts falling below $1,500. About 1 out of 5 occupied units pay around $1,500 and $3,000. This provides the project advantageous flexibility in choosing the rent rates for market-rate units that will subsidize maximum affordability.

Occupied Units Paying Rent

Lot 1 consists of three parcels, 289-5, 289-6, and 289-7. Each parcel is 75 ft by 100 ft and makes up a total of 7,500 square feet. This lot is located within the Kent, Brenner, Springfield Redevelopment Area, a special zoning district that uses flexible guidelines to promote neighborhood revitalization. The lot’s location within the area gives more flexibility in terms of design, meaning that the project can be tailored to resident needs.

Lot 2 also consists of three parcels 282-9.04, 2829.05, 282-9.06. The lot measures 105 feet by 96 feet for a total of 10088 square feet. This lot is currently zoned R-3, which only allows townhouses; we suggest that the city rezone Lot 2 to allow for the type of multifamily dwelling we are proposing.

One of the two lots is located within the Kent, Brenner, Springfield Redevelopment Area2, a special zoning district that uses flexible guidelines to promote neighborhood revitalization. Some of the most pressing issues the plan aims to address include are abandoned buildings, lack of goods and services due to diminished commercial capacity, lack of affordable housing choices for members of the community, and public safety issues.

NEWARK: PLANNING FOR MIGRANT HOUSING

30% AMI

40% AMI

50% AMI

60% AMI

70% AMI

80% AMI

1 Person

$15,040

$22,560

$30,080

$37,600

$45,120

$52,640

$60,160

2 Person

$17,200

$25,800

$34,400

$43,000

$51,600

$60,200

$68,800

3 Person

$19,340

$29,010

$38,680

$48,350

$58,020

$67,690

$77,360

4 Person

$21,480

$32,220

$42,960

$53,700

$64,440

$75,180

$85,920

5 Person

$23,200

$34,800

$46,400

$58,000

$69,600

$81,200

$92,800

6 Person

$24,920

$37,380

$49,840

$62,300

$74,760

$87,220

$99,680

Rent by Bedroom Size 9,164 Bedroom Size

20% AMI

30% AMI

40% AMI

50% AMI

60% AMI

70% AMI

80% AMI

Studio/Efficiency

$376

$564

$752

$940

$1,128

$1,316

$1,504

1 BR

$403

$604

$806

$1,007

$1,209

$1,410

$1,612

2 BR

$483

$725

$967

$1,208

$1,450

$1,692

$1,934

3 BR

$558

$837

$1,117

$1,396

$1,675

$1,954

$2,234

Less than $500

2,077

$500 to $999

2,209

$1,000 to $1,499

3,218

$1,500 to $1,999

1,254

$2,000 to $2,499

288

$2,500 to $2,999

118

4 BR

$623

$934

$1,246

$1,557

$1,869

$2,180

$2,492

$3,000 or more

0

5 BR

$687

$1,031

$1,375

$1,718

$2,062

$2,406

$2,750

Median (in US dollars)

1,048

No rent paid

134

Gross Rent rates, Zip-code specific Data for 071033

To define a brief illustration, for example, a 4-person family who earns $50,000 would fall just below 50% AMI and a two-bedroom apartment. For them, their rent would be around $1,200 a month. It is based on the federal threshold that households should not pay more than 30% of their income on rent. However, the income brackets of eligibility and rent rates charged for affordable units for the project are based on such calculations.

Furthermore, a study by Rutgers CLiME also suggests that the largest gap in affordable housing is of those with units that have two-or-more bedrooms. Therefore, with the prioritization of the two-or-more bedroom size units in mind, we looked into what kinds of housing structures existed in the area. Most housing structures range from single-family homes, 3 to 4 unit multi-family homes, and more than 20 unit

The lot’s location within the area gives more flexibility in terms of design, meaning that the project can be tailored to residents' needs rather than stringent design guidelines.. The other lot is zoned R-3, which only 1 https://newgin.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/ index.html?id=8364d36c5a204dfc8b60b4330af8b1df 2 https://digital.npl.org/islandora/object/newarkcitydocuments%3A2203cc2d-ed91-467f-b288-fb43a905dbde#page/1/ mode/2up

20% AMI

3

Source: ACS 2020 5-Year Estimates Data Proposals

builds.

As there is a lack of structures with 10 to 19 units, structures that are often referred to and advocated for is Missing Middle Housing. This structure encompasses a range of house-scale buildings with multiple units. These forms are compatible in scale and design with detached single-family homes that surround the neighborhood, while also providing the increased housing opportunities to accommodate as many affordable units as possible. This structure would be a good compromise between maximizing the number of affordable units while still creating housing that fits with the row houses and single-family homes of the neighborhood.

Taking into consideration the surrounding neighborhood character, we envision a low-rise multi-family building.

SF/ Floor

Floor 1

0

0

1

1

1450

Floor 2

0

2

1

4

4850

Floor 3

1

0

2

4

4800

Floor 4

2

2

2

2

4500

Total Units

3

4

6

11

Total SF

900

2000

3900

8800

650

800

Studio/1B

1BR/1B

2BR/1B

3BR/2B

SF/ Floor

Floor 1

0

0

2

2

2900

Floor 2

1

2

4

3

6300

Floor 3

1

4

4

2

6500

Floor 4

2

4

4

1

6000

Total Units

4

10

14

8

2100

5000

9100

6400

Total SF Total Units

NEWARK: PLANNING FOR MIGRANT HOUSING

21750 36

Proposals

1 https://www. homeblue.com/home-building/newark-nj-cost-to-build-ahouse.htm#:~:text=Home%20 building%20cost%20(standard%20grade,building%20 project%2C%20request%20 a%20quote.

$16,715,635 $13,929,696 $11,143,757

$2,785,939 $2,321,616 $1,857,293

$13,929,696 $11,608,080 $9,286,464

$7,989,696 $6,658,080 $5,326,464 6658.08

500

Lot 2

300

4950

Average SF

Lot 1

Lot 2 : Building Area Per Floor = 6658

$5,940,000

300 COST/ SF

25

TOTAL FLOORS

Total Units

15600

$8,357,818

3BR/2B

TOTAL COST

2BR/1B

$1,392,970

1BR/1B

Soft Cost (20%)

Studio/1B

$6,964,848

800

46432.32

650

Construction Cost

500

$3,994,848

300

In Newark, the average cost of construction is $130 -$180 per square foot1. Below is an example construction cost matrix with cost per square foot using 66% square feet building coverage. If $200 per square foot is used for construction, the estimated construction cost will be around $11.14 million dollars.

26632.32

800 SF

4

3BR/2B

$4,950,000

650 SF $3,960,000

2BR/1B

$2,970,000

500 SF

19800

1BR/1B

4

300 SF

Lot 1 : Building Area Per Floor = 4950 Average SF

250 COST/SF

Studio/1B

200 COST/ SF

City code requires no more than 66% lot coverage for

Average SF

150 COST /SF

Type of Unit

BUILDABLE AREA

The commercial space can be leased to a community clinic, offering services to tenants and surrounding community members. This could be an important addition to the community, as residents have long complained that the nearby University Hospital is overcrowded and underfunded. Building a closer clinic that can provide basic healthcare will serve an important need for both migrants and the neighborhood at large, while also relieving some of the pressure on the hospital.

37

TOTAL BUILDABLE AREA

low-rise multi-family buildings, leaving 4,950 SF buildable area for Lot 1 and 6,658 SF for Lot 2. The building design will include studios and one-, two-, and three-bedroom units in order to provide options to migrants and tenants in different family situations. Based on a sample calculation using 300 SF for studios, 500 SF for 1 bedroom, 650 SF for 2 bedrooms, and 800 SF for 3 bedrooms, the building could have about 60 units of varying sizes and a FAR of 2.64.

66% BUILDING COVERAGE

36

A four-story multi-family building will fit into the context of the neighborhood as well as avoid the installation of an elevator, which reduces construction and maintenance costs.

There will be residential units on all floors, with the ground floor including office space for a community-based organization to provide supportive services, a courtyard available for green space and community gardens, and commercial space to be leased to a tenant.

38

b. proposal 2

Expanding ADUs would allow established community members to provide housing options to newly-arrived folks.

Currently, there is little uniformity of policy governing ADUs across the region. While Newark’s current zoning code has permitted Accessory Uses in Residential Districts (§ 41:41), we recommend that the city explicitly allow ADUs and further standardize guidelines around them to expand their use similar to examples in nearby towns of Maplewood and Princeton, New Jersey (standards include size limits, owner occupancy, parking requirement, permits and fees).

Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC)

further housing policy recommendations

A potential funding source is the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), a program for state-level agencies to disburse billions in federal tax credits for the rehabilitation or construction of new affordable housing. There are two strands of applications for LIHTC: an as-of-right program, which could offset around 30% of hard costs, or a program that requires a competitive application, which could offset around 70% of hard costs.

I

n addition to structuring the construction, tenanting, and management of the development. Researching the city’s existing resources and available funding programs at the state and national level, we have identified several sources of funding and suggest that any developer combine several of these resources.

Developments that finance with this tax credit provide set-aside affordable units, based on discretionary AMI levels, for households that qualify based on certified income limit. There are steps installed to make sure that households are not displaced if they make more than their income when they first qualified, such as the Next Available Unit Rule. If the income increase is less than over 140% of the initial income limit, the difference is considered negligible and the household can stay in the unit. All households renting the affordable units will contribute no more than 30% of their income on rent, no matter the AMI level. This program is especially applicable to our project, given that there are “no current federal non-citizen eligibility restrictions for LIHTC units.”1

Accessory Dwelling Units Newark Zoning Code: Accessory Uses, Short-Term Rental According to the American Planning Association: An accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is a smaller, independent residential dwelling unit located on the same lot as a detached single-family home. Relatively common prior to WWII, post-war suburban zoning created barriers to such housing and in the city of current zoning code has permitted “short term rentals” as an Accessory Use. ADU’s provide affordable options in single-family neighborhoods, and also provide homeowners with an additional source of income. They are of particular interest when it comes to migrant housing, as immigrants frequently find housing and other opportunities through existing community networks or staying with family or friends that are already in the city.

Mixed-income and mixed-use housing can be deployed to supplement/subsidize affordable housing units to ensure that the gap funding is viable and long-term revenue for developers is sustainable. However, eligible construction costs for LIHTC depend on the percentage of total units that are affordable, i.e. higher the number of affordable units, the more tax credits for which developers can qualify. In being a mixed-income development, we would also open the applicant pool of units available to the wider community.

1 McCarty, M., & Kolker, A. F. (July 2020). Noncitizen Eligibility for Federal Housing Programs. 24.

NEWARK: PLANNING FOR MIGRANT HOUSING

Proposals

Tax Incentives and Other Funding Sources In addition, to expand housing options for migrants to create a home in Newark is for the city to implement incentives for affordable housing with built-in social services. For example, the city can implement incentives for affordable housing with built-in social services. In New York City, the 420-a Tax Incentive program provides a complete real estate tax exemption for projects that provide low-income housing with built-in social services, with some units set aside for people experiencing homelessness. A similar program providing real estate tax exemptions for housing developments that prioritize housing for newly arrived immigrants would serve Newarkers’ urgent need for affordable housing.

Furthermore, there are several available funding programs at the state and national level that can support the development to leverage federal LIHTC, these include: •

ASPIRE Tax Credit Program NJEDA2

•

HOME- Housing Production Program3

•

HMFA’s Multifamily Rental Housing Program4

•

Inclusionary Zoning5

Earlier this spring, Mayor Ras Baraka strengthened Newark’s existing inclusionary housing ordinance, which requires certain developments to set aside 20% of units as affordable, by applying it to all developments of 15 units or more, as opposed to 20 units or more. The new ordinance also increased to $180,000 per unit the required contribution to the city’s affordable housing fund for developers who choose not to build on site. We encourage the city to continue pushing policies like this that not only expand the affordable housing stock but also ensure that it stays integrated, to ensure that migrants can find homes that allow them to feel part of the community, not on the margins.

2 Aspire Program (NEW). (n.d.). NJEDA. Retrieved from https:// www.njeda.com/aspire/ 3 NJ Department of Community Affairs. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/dhcr/offices/homehpif.html.

4 New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency | Multifamily Programs. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nj.gov/dca/hmfa/developers/ multifamily/ 5 Newark IZO

40

41

c. proposal 3

New York City also has strong language access services, especially after their provision was enshrined in Local Law 30 of 2017 (City of New York, 2017). That law stipulates six citywide languages in which translation must be provided, as well as mandating that each agency covered by the law use demographic data to identify the four priority languages in the population they are serving. All agencies must also name Language Access Coordinators and submit annual reports to the city council, and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs plays a critical role in enforcing the policy. New York City should also be commended for tailoring translated announcements to the specific languages spoken in different languages.

city-level migrant policies

W

hile housing was revealed to be the primary need of migrants in Newark, there are other immigrant-specific needs that the city can address in order to truly live up to its Fair and Welcoming City declaration. Our migrant-focused policy recommendations fall into two broad categories: language access and immigrant service provision.

Language Access

We recommend that Newark pass a similar law that requires agencies to provide meaningful language access while setting up a periodic reporting mechanism and designating specific responsibilities in order to ensure compliance. In light of the city’s diverse array of different immigrant neighborhoods, we further recommend that such a policy require agencies to identify locally important foreign languages using neighborhood-level data.

According to a 2017 study by the local chapter of the American Friends Service Committee, around 40% of Newark’s immigrants spoke English “not well” or “not at all,” which interferes with their ability to access healthcare, education, transportation, and other services (Momen & Schlesinger, 2018). This represents a major hurdle to settling into the city, and is something that the city government can take action on.

We recommend that Newark pass language access legislation guaranteeing access to translated documents and interpretation services for in-person service provision. While the city should determine the best form for this legislation, we suggest two policies, those implemented by Washington, DC, and New York City, as potential guiding examples.

Creation of a designated city department for Immigration Affairs

Washington, DC’s policy was passed in 2008 and created a Language Access Director housed in the city’ Office of Human Rights (District of Columbia Register, 2008).

Under this law, the Language Access Director is responsible for collecting and reviewing biannual language access reports from city agencies, which are mandated to name an internal Language Access Coordinator and provide translations and/ or interpretation in any language spoken by 3% or 500 of the population it serves, whichever is smaller. Agencies are also required to hold an annual public meeting where people can provide feedback on services.

NEWARK: PLANNING FOR MIGRANT HOUSING

Beyond just housing and language access, there are other critical needs of immigrant populations that can be addressed at the municipal level. We recommend that Newark build up a city office that deals specifically with immigrant issues. Such offices exist in New York City (the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs) and Jersey City (the Health and Human Services Office’s Division of Immigrant Affairs). As shown

Proposals

by just these two examples, such an office can be housed within other similar city agencies or exist on its own under the mayor’s office. Newark’s government can decide for itself where exactly to situate such an office, either building up an existing one or creating a new one somewhere in the municipal structure.

The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) in New York City plays a coordinating role, providing information about services offered by other agencies and nonprofit groups. For example, they provide the ActionNYC program, under which the city connects immigrant New Yorkers to legal aid from local organizations. It also publishes city resource guides, produces reports on efforts by other agencies, and was involved in the launch of IDNYC, which provided a legal ID regardless of residency status.

The Jersey City Division of Immigrant Affairs fills similar roles to MOIA in New York City, also publishing a local resource guide for new immigrants in a number of different languages. However, the Division of Immigrant Affairs in Jersey City has a more hands-on role providing services directly to immigrants. According to its website, it recently became the first municipal agency in the country certified to provide help with immigration paperwork. We recommend that Newark’s immigrant affairs office take an active role like this, providing hands-on assistance with filling out immigration paperwork as well as applications for other government benefits. Such an office should also take an active role in coordinating other services like English language courses and job training.

42 morethan.art morethan.art

morethan.art

V.

discussion.

NEWARK: PLANNING FOR MIGRANT HOUSING

Report | Urban Planning Studio | Spring 2022

44

a. limitations

b. opportunities

T

he informal economy and migration are two major political and economic issues that are inextricably linked.

Many informal economies have developed as a result of the need of workers who have been excluded from the formal economy of their nations, as the majority of workers in informal economies join on account of economic survival. In light of this, the economic and social prospects for people engaged in informal economies are substantially inferior to those associated with formal employment, as wages and working conditions starkly contrast.

T

his project recognizes the need for further research on eligibility and additional determinant factors of immigrants’ access to federal public benefits. It is important to fill some of the gaps in noncitizen coverage in order to shelter and advance access to affordable housing to a greater number of eligible noncitizens. The collaboration across a variety of organizations is equally important, across the nonprofit and private sector and governmental organizations, and urgently needed to more effectively support and meet the needs of recently arrived migrants.

The informal sector of the U.S. economy continues to grow as the working population expands and employment opportunities in the formal economy are restricted to U.S. citizens. This project recognizes that immigrant workers play a significant role in the economies of Newark and the United States, and that federal public benefit programs have long excluded non-U.S. citizens from eligibility for assistance. Bureaucratic complexity often constrains the enrollment and participation of immigrant workers in public benefits and assistance programs.

NEWARK: PLANNING FOR MIGRANT HOUSING

Discussion

46

47 O

ur studio team would like to thank our client, Christopher Watson (Director of City Planning in the City of Newark), Professors Maxine Griffith & Nilda Mesa, as well as our Teaching Assistant Maureen Abi Ghanem. Their guidance was fundamental to our work. Additionally, we want to thank all the professionals we had the honor of communicating with early on in the semester: Chia-Chia Wang from AFSC, Drew Curtis from Ironbound Community Corp, Moses Gates from RPA, Khaatim Sherrer El from Clinton Hill Community Action, and Kenna Mateos from Welcome Home Refugees.

thank you for your time and input!

VI.

acknowledgments.

NEWARK: PLANNING FOR MIGRANT HOUSING

Report | Urban Planning Studio | Spring 2022

48

Abramitzky, R., & Boustan, L. (2017). Immigration in American Economic History. Journal of Economic Literature, 55(4), 1311–1345. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.20151189

munity wealth. https://democracycollaborative.org/learn/ publication/community-control-land-and-housing-exploring-strategies-combating-displacement

Angulo-Pasel, C. (2022). Rethinking the space of the migrant shelter in Mexico: humanitarian and security implications in the practices of bordering. Identities, 1–18. https://doi. org/10.1080/1070289x.2022.2029068

Hernandez, A. C., McNeill, S., & Tong, Y. (2020, December). INCREASING COMMUNITY POWER AND HEALTH THROUGH COMMUNITY LAND TRUSTS. https://trustsouthla.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ I n c r e a s i n g - C o m m u n i t y - P o w e r -T h r u - C LTs - R E PORT-TCE-BHC-Dec2020.pdf

Aspire Program (NEW). (n.d.). NJEDA. Retrieved from https:// www.njeda.com/aspire/ A Walk Through Newark. (n.d.). Thirteen.Org. https://www. thirteen.org/newark/history.html Boenigk, S., Fisk, R., Kabadayi, S., Alkire, L., Cheung, L., Corus, C., Finsterwalder, J., Kreimer, A. A., Luca, N., Omeira, M., Paul, P., Santos, M. F., & Smidt, N. (2020). Rethinking Service Systems and Public Policy: A Transformative Refugee Service Experience Framework. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 40(2), 165–183. https://doi. org/10.1177/0743915620962815 Bondarenko, V. (2017, July 12). The Newark Riots began 50 years ago today — here’s why they still matter.

Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.nl/newark-riots-anniversary-new-jersey-2017-7?international=true&r=US#while-problems-such-as-these-festeredfor-many-years-frustration-came-to-a-head-when-twowhite-police-officers-pulled-over-and-beat-up-black-taxidriver-john-william-smith-2 Cancellieri, A. (2015). Towards a progressive home-making: the ambivalence of migrants’ experience in a multicultural condominium. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 32(1), 49–61. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-0159489-7

Huang, X., & Liu, C. Y. (2016). Welcoming Cities: Immigration Policy at the Local Government Level. Urban Affairs Review, 54(1), 3–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078087416678999 McCarty, M., & Kolker, A. F. (July 2020). Noncitizen Eligibility for Federal Housing Programs. 24.

Meeus, B., Beeckmans, L., van Heur, B., & Arnaut, K. (2020).

Broadening the Urban Planning Repertoire with an ‘Arrival Infrastructures’ Perspective. Urban Planning, 5(3), 11–22. https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v5i3.3116 Missing Middle Housing: Diverse choices for walkable neighborhood living. (2021, May 6). Missing Middle Housing. https://missingmiddlehousing.com/ Momen, F., & Schlesinger, J. (2018, February). Language Access in Newark. American Friends Service Committee.

Nawyn, S. J. (2010). Gender and Migration: Integrating Feminist Theory into Migration Studies. Sociology Compass, 4(9), 749–765. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.17519020.2010.00318.x New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency | Multifamily Programs. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nj.gov/ dca/hmfa/developers/multifamily/

City of Newark. (2020, February 16). MAYOR BARAKA DEFENDS SANCTUARY CITIES [Press release]. https://www. newarknj.gov/news/mayor-baraka-defends-sanctuary-cities

NJ Department of Community Affairs. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/dhcr/offices/homehpif. html.

City of Newark. (2021, June). Equitable Economic Recovery Plan. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CFphGOsJd5qy6CWRR9Hl4UUxTEVWrzGz/view

New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA).

(2022, March). MAYOR’S OFFICE OF IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS 2021 REPORT. https://www1.nyc.gov/site/immigrants/about/annual-report.page

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Report | Urban Planning Studio | Spring 2022