Tag Archives: housing

Jim Crow for the 21st Century

Posted on by under activism

The Politics of Affordable Housing in New Jersey

As you read the feel-good love-fest linked to this post (whose warm fuzzies I don’t begrudge anyone, least of all myself), bear in mind that over the last few weeks, eighteen people have died of exposure in New York City, and twenty in New Jersey. Though it’s difficult to count, there are by some estimates 13,748 people experiencing homelessness in New Jersey right now, an increase of some 57% since 2022. The homeless have become a recognizable presence not just in larger cities, like New Brunswick, where they’re mostly taken for granted, but in affluent towns like Princeton, where many ride mass transit all day to keep out of the cold. 

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Light in Dark Times

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A Conversation about Homelessness

Hi Kayleigh,

For years now, I’ve been writing you these complaining emails about NJ Transit’s closing the shelters at both Princeton and Princeton Junction train stations, mostly to lock out the homeless. I happened to be in the Princeton shelter the other day, chatting with a homeless person who was taking shelter in it from the cold. We got to talking about the train shelters themselves, and it became evident through what she said that during operating hours at least, she relies on the shelters for shelter. I mentioned to her my passing impression that the shelters were more consistently open nowadays than they had been in the past, not just on a daily basis, but on an hourly one–meaning that they’re not just open every day, but open early and close late. She agreed, and pointed out with some satisfaction that the one at Princeton Junction is now heated.  Continue reading →