NJ Nonprofit Will End Fair Housing Program Due To Trump Cuts

NEWARK, NJ — Predatory landlords have scored a win in New Jersey thanks to the Trump Administration’s controversial funding cuts, a Newark-based nonprofit says.

On Tuesday, New Jersey Citizen Action – a statewide coalition that supports “social, racial and economic justice” – announced that it will be terminating its Fair Housing Program due to cuts from the administration of President Donald Trump and the Elon Musk-headed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund’s (NJCAEF) program supports people who have faced housing discrimination, helping renters to understand their rights as tenants.

According to the nonprofit, it has coordinated and participated in nearly 2,000 fair housing education and outreach workshops and events, reaching nearly 100,000 people statewide.

In addition, the nonprofit is a HUD-designated fair housing investigation agency, which trains “testers” to probe alleged violations involving landlords. For example, testing is used to determine if a landlord is telling families with young children that no apartments are available – while telling a family with no children that apartments are available.

• See Related: Newark Landlord Denied Housing To Section 8 Holders, NJAG Says

Two groups in New Jersey, including the NJCAEF, were providing these enforcement services. The programs of both organizations have been terminated, the nonprofit said Tuesday.

“This marks a significant setback for fair housing advocacy in the state as it puts the power back into the hands of predatory and unethical landlords and leaves our marginalized communities, especially people of color and our LGBTQIA+ residents, vulnerable to discrimination,” spokespeople said.

“As we are all quickly learning, shock and awe is the point,” NJCA Executive Director Dena Mottola Jaborska said.

“What is happening is unprecedented and no one really knows what to expect with the Trump Administration,” Jaborska added.

Trump has made trimming “woke” ideology from the federal budget one of his priorities since his inauguration.

The White House has announced plans to put a blanket pause on federal grants and loans, including those that have already been approved. Officials said the freeze is needed to ensure that funding complies with Trump’s recent executive orders, including declarations involving transgender rights, environmental justice, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

“The use of federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve,” Matthew Vaeth, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, wrote in a memo.

A deadline for the funding freeze was set to take place on Jan. 28, but the order has sparked multiple legal challenges, including a lawsuit from a coalition of state attorneys general.

Two federal judges recently extended a temporary blocks on the freeze. However, many nonprofits report that their funding has remained frozen, forcing them to lay off staff and cut back on services.

Another local nonprofit, The Boys & Girls Club of Newark, also said it has taken a “devastating” financial hit from the Trump Administration, with impacted programs potentially including meal service at after-school programs, food distribution to families, mentorship for at-risk youth and “critical funding related to safety.”

• See Related: Trump Funding Freeze Would Hurt At-Risk Kids In Newark, Nonprofit Says
• See Related: NJ Lawmakers Rally Against Trump Funding Freeze In Essex County

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