Consolidation proposal aired by Princeton Housing Board

Recommendation provokes much discussion

By Nick Norlen Staff Writer
One member of the Princeton Township Housing Board called the recent report recommending consolidation of affordable housing resources “provocative” Tuesday — and it proved to be just that during the board’s initial discussion of it.
During their meeting, members of the board offered different views on the report, titled “Princeton Housing Opportunities: An Organizational Analysis,” which praised the organizations dealing with housing issues while advocating increased centralization among them. The report was compiled by housing and community development consultant Vito Gallo and funded by $20,000 from the Princeton Area Community Foundation and $5,000 from both Princeton Borough and Princeton Township.
Board co-chairman David Cornell said Tuesday that Township Administrator Jim Pascale is looking to the board to create a list of recommendations to be made to the Township Committee. After a discussion, the board decided to continue the conversation at their Oct. 9 meeting, but not before members offered their own takes on the report.
Mr. Cornell said he wasn’t sold on the idea of a “one-stop shop” for affordable housing needs — one of the report’s primary recommendations. ”The concept that someone from the outside would have one place to go to initiate is not necessarily a bad idea, but the infrastructure that the township has and the infrastructure that the borough has and so forth, are all established,” he said. “This document seems to indicate that we should somehow migrate away from that and come in to a new organization to do that. I don’t really see the benefit.”
However, board member Marilyn Rovira said the report didn’t necessarily advocate a new organization, but rather suggested adjusting “redundancies” in the current system. ”I don’t think it’s unreasonable — 30 years into this — to say, ‘Does this still make sense?’” she said. “I think what this is saying is there may be some places where there can be money saved, where they can make it easier for the people who are seeking affordable housing.”
But board co-chairwoman Dee Patberg said she believes the report doesn’t consider all the factors. ”I don’t think they have a total understanding,” she said. “I don’t think it was an excellent report, because what would have been excellent is if they had put Princeton in context with other townships in New Jersey.” Ms. Patberg said the Princetons should look for “best practices” that exist in similar municipal relationships. ”We can’t be the only town that has the same problem,” she said.
Still, board members seemed to agree that any changes should begin on the customer interface level. ”From a customer’s point of view, how could it be easier for them to try and find the portal in?” asked Ms. Rovira. “I thought (the report) was provocative. I think it’s something to think about.”
Board member Ruth Scott said a priority should be placed on creating a uniform application. ”They should not have to make an application to each individual agency to be able to find housing,” she said. “It is very difficult to figure out and to know how long the waiting list is. You kind of go into a black hole.” Customer needs should be addressed before any board or agencies are combined, she said.
But Ms. Patberg questioned whether consolidation would improve that aspect. ”Do we interfere with that process?” she said.
Affordable Housing Coordinator Christy Peacock also highlighted what she said are needed changes that were not addressed in the report, such as the need for a “more bilingual approach” and problems with responding to complaints. In that vein, Mr. Cornell directed members to “pinpoint” the positives and negatives of the report to create a “cross section of the board’s thoughts” for the township committee. ”There are a lot of different ways to look at what we’ve got in front of us here,” he said. “Just keep in focus the idea that you want to make the program better for the people — for the customer. I think that’s the most important thing.”