Coalition asks city for committee on housing At the beginning of the meeting between the Concerned Citizens Coalition and the city of Long Branch on Dec. 13, both Jacob Jones, director of community and economic development, and Tyrone Garrett, executive director of the LBHA, gave presentations praising the city’s work in providing affordable housing. I have talked with these gentlemen and it is my understanding that they both use the terms “affordable housing” and “low-income housing” only to refer to subsidized housing; they do not use these terms to refer to market-rate housing even if the rent is low enough for low-income people to live there. Thus they describe a $600/month apartment which was torn down in the redevelopment as market-rate housing and they also describe a $1,500/month apartment in Pier Village as market-rate housing. I regard the $600/month apartment as housing which low-income people can afford to live in (unlike the $1,500/month apartment). This difference in the use of terminology may contribute to my believing that the supply of housing which low-income people can afford to live in is shrinking in Long Branch while representatives of the city claim that the amount of affordable housing is increasing. Some feel that the term low-income housing stigmatizes people, but I believe in the equal worth and dignity of all people and this has no relationship to income level. The Concerned Citizens Coalition is waiting for a response from Mayor Adam Schneider on our request to form a cooperative committee to address the issue of low-income housing. As chairman of the Housing Committee of the Concerned Citizens Coalition, I look forward to working with the city to address the housing needs of low-income residents, as well as those of all our citizens. We may not all agree on everything, but I think we all agree that it is our duty to provide housing opportunities that are truly affordable for our working families, seniors, people with disabilities and, in fact, everyone in our community. Bill Nordahl chairman Housing Committee Concerned Citizens Coalition Long Branch