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Newark council adopts $6 million bond to rehab Newark Housing Authority units amid resident skepticism
Summary
The Newark Municipal Council adopted an ordinance to appropriate $6,000,000 to rehabilitate housing units managed by the Newark Housing Authority. Supporters called it overdue; several residents and advocates said the scale is too small given reported housing need and asked how units will be selected.
The Newark Municipal Council on March 19 adopted ordinance 6 PSFA, authorizing $6,000,000 in bonds to finance rehabilitation of housing units managed by the Newark Housing Authority.
The measure, described in the ordinance as funding “rehabilitation of housing units managed by the Newark Housing Authority and other related expenses,” was the subject of extended public comment before the council’s recorded vote.
Supporters told the council the funds will address deteriorated public housing. “This is the type of legislation the city needs,” one supporter said during public comment, adding the funding could move up to 200 units out of unlivable conditions into transitional housing. Aleef Mohammed, identified in remarks as president and founder of Aleef Mohammed Nia School, urged the council to vote and praised Newark Housing Authority leadership he said would ensure the money was used as intended: “With Linda Spicer here, he’s gonna make sure this money go here,” Mohammed said during the hearing.
Other residents urged caution and asked for clearer criteria on who would get the renovated units. Cassandra Dock, speaking from the public, asked how the new units would be allocated and whether people who become homeless after eviction proceedings would qualify: “If a disabled tenant is being put out and landlord-tenant court, will they be eligible now to go back into a unit because they are now homeless? They fit the criteria,” Dock asked.
Several speakers warned the appropriation falls short of broader needs. A resident who identified herself as Monera Albomani said Newark’s housing shortfall far exceeds the appropriation: “Client report says we need 16,000… We gotta do something with a better plan here,” she said. Donna Jackson, another frequent public commenter, opposed the ordinance as insufficient and warned the units could be allocated politically.
Melvin Waldrop, chief of staff in the office of the business administrator, responded to questions about the funding source and implementation. He said the rehabilitation program is being coordinated with the housing authority and the city’s finance and engineering offices and that the appropriation follows procedures tied to issuance of bonds. He also said the city has provided reports on related capital work to the council.
The council adopted the ordinance on a recorded roll-call vote at the meeting; the members present recorded their approval.
Why it matters: Council members and residents framed the vote as a practical step to repair housing stock but not a solution to Newark’s larger housing shortage. The appropriation will fund renovation work in public housing, a short-term fix residents said must be paired with longer-term planning to address waiting lists and rising rents.
What’s next: The ordinance authorizes bond issuance and appropriation. The council and administration will move forward with implementing the rehabilitation plan through the Newark Housing Authority; commenters asked the city to publish selection criteria and a timeline for the 200 units referenced in hearings.
