CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE — The Need for Affordable Housing in Cape May County will be the topic of discussion at a Community Legal Education Workshop sponsored by South Jersey Legal Services, Inc. Thursday, May 22 at 6 p.m. at the Atlantic Cape Community College, Room 212, 341 South Dennis Road here.

It is open to the public.

A recent statewide conference was held that dealt with legal issues affecting low- and moderate-income families here in New Jersey. Of no surprise, a major topic was housing; more specifically, the lack of housing families can actually afford. During the discussions, I learned some facts about what annual wage would be needed to afford housing in New Jersey and did some research specific to Cape May County. So, I thought I would share some of this information based on the definition that a unit is affordable if it costs no more than 30% of one’s income.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition for 2008 using data from the Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the amount of income a family needs in order to afford to rent a 2-bedroom apartment at an average Fair Market Rent of $1,157 in New Jersey is $46,287 per year. This means that the person would need to have a job that pays $22.25 per hour. In order to earn the $46,287 to afford a 2-bedroom apartment, a person working a job that pays minimum wage of $7.15 per hour would have to work 124 hours per week, 52 weeks per year. That’s equal to 3.1 full-time jobs.

If you live in Cape May County, you would need to earn $35,800 a year in order to afford a 2-bedroom apartment for which the Fair Market Rent is set at $895. That means you need a job that pays $17.21 per hour. If you have a job that pays minimum wage of $7.15 per hour, you would need to work 96 hours per week, 52 weeks per year in order to afford a 2-bedroom apartment in Cape May County. That’s equal to 2.4 full-time jobs.

When the annual housing wage needed for a 2-bedroom apartment for the state is $46,287, and for Cape May County is $35,800, housing is out of reach for all members of the workforce in Cape May County working in such jobs as:

Occupation Average Salary
Medical Assistants……………………………………$24,189
Accounting and Auditing Clerks …………………….$32,175
Tellers…………………………………………………..$23,195
Police, Fire and Ambulance Dispatchers ………….$24,433
Emergency Medical Techs & Paramedics…………$27,709
Teacher Assistants …………………………………..$22,323
Hairstylists and Cosmetologists …………………….$22,960
School Bus Drivers ………………………..…………$24,216
Security Guards…………………………………….…$24,729
Service Station Attendants ………………………....$15,616
Home Health Aides …………………………………..$23,497
Child Care Workers …………………………………..$17,610
Cooks, Restaurant…………………………………….$24,911
Waiters and Waitresses ……………………………..$23,670
Dishwashers …………………………………………..$16,146
Hostesses, Restaurant/Lounge……………………...$19,584
Food Preparation Workers …………………………..$18,837
Cashiers………………………………………………..$19,377
Retail Salespersons ………………………………….$25,133
Stock Clerks and Order Fillers………………………$22,553
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners ………………..$20,027
Landscaping/Goundskeeping Workers……………..$24,213
Motorboat Mechanics…………………………………$31,881
Maintenance and Repair Workers, Gen. ……………$30,548

There are an estimated 12,220 members of the workforce working in the jobs listed above in Cape May County. And this list is not exhaustive. It is estimated that over 23,170 members of the workforce are working in jobs that have average salaries that fail below the minimum needed to afford to a 2-bedroom apartment in Cape May County. That means there are well over 23,170 of your neighbors or people you regularly encounter (over 22 percent of the population as of the 2000 Census) for whom housing is out of reach in Cape May County.
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Courtesy of BRENDA L. RASCHER. Rascher is an attorney for South Jersey Legal Services. If you have a legal problem, contact a licensed attorney to discuss how the law affects your particular legal problem and facts. South Jersey Legal Services, Inc. offers free legal services to income eligible residents and senior citizens in the seven southern counties, including Cumberland. For assistance, call the Centralized Intake Unit at 1-800-496-4570.