Plan Establishes Right-to-Counsel for Tenants Facing Eviction and Brings in Tens of Millions of Dollars to City’s Affordable Housing Trust—All Paid for by Developers
JERSEY CITY, NJ—Mayor Steven M. Fulop, along with Councilmembers James Solomon, Frank
Gilmore, and Yousef J. Saleh are set to introduce Right-to-Counsel (RTC) legislation in Jersey City.
The legislation is poised to be one of the strongest RTC policies in the United States. RTC would be
paid for entirely by collecting fees on new development, which would provide the city with tens of
millions of dollars for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund each year. The legislation will ensure
that any and all new development in Jersey City provides funding towards new affordable housing.
“We have made historic improvements to expand affordability and important protections for residents,
and this Right-to-Counsel proposal will put the necessary policies in place to further help our most
vulnerable families facing unfair evictions,” said Mayor Fulop. “Most people facing eviction can’t
afford an attorney to defend their basic human right to housing, and this RTC goes beyond funding their
legal needs. It will also add critical funding to expand affordable housing opportunities for low- and
middle-income residents for generations to come.”
“Everyone deserves the right to safe, affordable housing—and everyone deserves the right to keep that
housing,” said Councilmember James Solomon. “We all want to reduce the number of evictions in
our city, and to do that, we need to make sure that tenants are fairly represented in eviction court while
ensuring that the developers profiting from rising rents pay what they owe.”
“People facing eviction—disproportionately Black and brown communities—are currently not entitled
to representation when facing eviction,” said Councilmember Frank Gilmore. “These are often the
people who can’t afford private representation, while landlords and developers who make large profits
can and do. It’s time to tip the scales back towards the people and ensure everyone has the right to fair
representation.”
“Right now, people can’t afford to pay skyrocketing rents, leaving more families at risk of eviction—
while developers continue to get away with making record profits at our expense,” said
Councilmember Yousef J. Saleh. “We need to fight to keep Jersey City residents in their homes,
because higher costs and a lack of legal protections are driving them out.”
The proposed bill would establish a Right-to-Counsel office where tenants will be connected to legal
services and resources like rental assistance programs. It would also establish an implementation
oversight board led by tenants.
