Thread: NJ: Illegals whine re: high cost of housing/overcrowding

In Bridgeton, it takes village to afford rents
Parking, trash laws used to curb stuffed duplexes
Parking, trash laws used to curb stuffed duplexes
(Published: Monday, September 01, 200

BRIDGETON - When Estela Fernandez made the annual trek to New Jersey this year with her husband and three children, she walked this city's streets for two days looking for a place to live.

They knocked on doors all over town, looking for a place they can stay while Fernandez's husband works harvesting blueberries at a farm in nearby Atlantic County. They eventually found one on Cedar Street, where the monthly rent was $640.

It doesn't sound like a bad deal, but factor in that Fernandez's family is sharing the duplex apartment with about 10 other adults, each of whom is paying $160 per month.

At least in the summer months, when demand for housing in this city is at its highest due to the large influx of seasonal workers coming to work in the region's farms, those prices indicate that the person managing the home where 36-year-old Fernandez lives is collecting $2,200 per month.

It's a profitability that, according to officials and community leaders, has caused the average rental price in Bridgeton to eclipse the average price of rent in neighboring communities. That profitability also has caused rent to far exceed what one would pay for a mortgage if they actually owned one of the historic Victorian-era duplexes that line this city's streets.

According to data compiled by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2008 fair-market rent prices for Cumberland County averaged $1,162 for a three-bedroom unit and $1,224 for a four-bedroom unit.

Those same units would go for $1,310 and $1,469, respectively, in Atlantic County and $1,172 and $1,207 in Cape May County.

If one were to buy one of the three- or four-bedroom duplexes on the market in Bridgeton for about $70,000 with a $5,000 down payment, an interest rate of 6.805 percent would put a monthly 30-year mortgage payment at $454.

To Jessica Culley, an organizer with the Farmworkers' Support Committee based in Glassboro, Gloucester County, the fair-market prices published by HUD seem to be hovering at the very low end of what the market in Bridgeton currently bears.

The going rental price for a duplex in Bridgeton, she said, is about $1,500, almost 25 percent more than what government statistics indicate as average.

"There are families who want to be able to get a place on their own and are having trouble finding a place they can afford," Culley said. "The underlying factor has to do with the cost of housing. A family with two people working can't pay for a $1,500 house."

To city officials, the high cost of renting in Bridgeton is one of the strongest factors contributing to the city's overcrowding problem. It's a problem almost everyone talks about and a subject mentioned often at City Council meetings.

In the past two years, officials have implemented a variety of policies that, whether explicitly or not, were created to mitigate the problems caused by overcrowding.

To stem the tide of trash clogging city streets on collection days, garbage in Bridgeton must be placed in blue city-issued containers. To stop people from destroying lawns, cars must be parked on pavement, concrete or stone. A parking-permit program started earlier this year on the densely packed Oak Street - which many have praised as a success in eliminating the number of parked cars with out-of-state license plates - is about to expand to yet another city neighborhood.

Housing Department Supervisor Melanie Walters acknowledged last week that the city's overcrowding problem is an area of concern her staff is working to address. In regulating the rental housing market, she added, the city does not require landlords to disclose the rent prices they charge.

Hispanic community advocates say landlords often are not the ones charging migrant workers such as Fernandez per-person prices for temporary board. But coupled with the short supply of housing in Bridgeton, the high demand for it often puts working families at the mercy of those able and willing to offer shelter.

In Fernandez's case, the cost of housing takes up more than 90 percent of her husband's income, which Fernandez said averages about $160 per week.

"We looked all over Bridgeton, and we couldn't find anything else," Fernandez said. "We have to pay the price they gave us."

In a survey taken in 2006, Culley's organization found that undocumented Hispanic immigrants, working about 10 months of the year, had an average monthly income between $1,155 and $1,329.

The organization also found that monthly housing costs per person were, on average, between $194 and $222.

Cases such as Fernandez's, Culley said, are woefully common.

"I think it's an example of how people in the same community often try to take advantage of each other," she said. "If they charge them per person, they can end up making a little something. It's a natural thing thathappens. For the most part, they're not charging significantly abovewhat they're paying anyway."

Mayor Jim Begley said he didn't think rent control would be an effective strategy to rein in the price of rent in his city.

"I don't know if it would stem that," he said. "Landlords charge whatever they can get away with. They take advantage of the Hispanic community because the Hispanic community doesn't argue or put up any resistance."

Begley said he felt the problem would correct itself as more Hispanic families purchased the homes they previously rented. He also encouraged Hispanic community members to report those landlords and property managers who are taking advantage of workers by charging per-person rates and packing many adults into one dwelling.

"That's something where the ordinances are on the books and we enforcethem," he said. "But it's a constant cat-and-mouse thing that you have to beconstantly looking in on."

E-mail John Martins:

JMartins@pressofac.com

If one were to buy one of the three- or four-bedroom duplexes on the market in Bridgeton for about $70,000 with a $5,000 down payment, an interest rate of 6.805 percent would put a monthly 30-year mortgage payment at $454.

Now add in Insurance, Taxes which keep going up every year. So what is the true profit? Add in for repairs and paint. This is America if you can not afford the rent then you move elsewhere.

The mayor encourages---the purchase of American real estate by potential illegal aliens. Isn't that a crime???

"Landlords charge whatever they can get away with. They take advantage of the Hispanic community because the Hispanic community doesn't argue or put up any resistance."

Can the HISPANIC bull do-do. SLUM LORDS have ALWAYS taken advantage of people no matter what color they are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know who the Gods are that assign what rents or houses are worth but it's not geared at HISPANICS!

My house is paid for and it costs me as much in taxes and insurance as it did when I was renting......except I now I have to fix things when they fall apart. I can say with no doubts what-so-ever this home isn't worth what they claim it is and surely isn't worth what the growing rent would be for it if I rented it out. But they want their tax money. But I refuse to leave and rent it out because I could never afford the endless damage done by tennants or afford lost money if they didn't pay rent. The people across the street rented.....1 disgruntled tennant left them with 40,000 damage.

And no, you can't even afford campground fees and a tent with what they want to pay us. But it doesn't have diddly squat to with just HISPANICS.

"There are families who want to be able to get a place on their own and are having trouble finding a place they can afford," Culley said. "The underlying factor has to do with the cost of housing. A family with two people working can't pay for a $1,500 house."

So go home! You are illegaly here.

In a survey taken in 2006, Culley's organization found that undocumented Hispanic immigrants, working about 10 months of the year, had an average monthly income between $1,155 and $1,329.

Like I said above, you are an illegal, NOT undocumented, ILLEGAL!!

"Landlords charge whatever they can get away with. They take advantage of the Hispanic community because the Hispanic community doesn't argue or put up any resistance."

Because they are ILLEGALS!!

Now add in Insurance, Taxes which keep going up every year. So what is the true profit? Add in for repairs and paint. This is America if you can not afford the rent then you move elsewhere.

Illegals don't get insurance, illegals don't do repairs or paint!
How can you do that with 40 people in about 1500 square feet???

Doesn't Bridgeton have any code enforcement officers? Stuffing that many people into a dwelling is illegal, and these landlords and their rental agents should face a few problems by allowing that. I am sure the fire marshals would also be interested to know.

Price is driven by demand if there was no demand coming from illegal aliens prices would go down.

They take advantage of the Hispanic community because the Hispanic community doesn't argue or put up any resistance."

All the HISPANIC community does is argue and complain!!!!! They want champaigne dreams on a beer budget and expect everyone to GIVE it to them because they are poor and a minority and HISPANIC and have a ton of kids and another family in Mexico to support.

I agree housing is out of hand. I don't care if it's buying or renting. With all the building they've done around here, there is no housing for anyone that isn't on pretty much the top pay scale. There's the rich areas and the poor areas. Good jobs leaving and nothing but minimum wage jobs comming in. It just wasn't heard of to rent for more than it would cost for a mortgage payment. I rented a 2 story house, 4 bedroom, 2 bath house when I went to college for 200 bucks a month. That exact same house would rent for well over a thousand today without 1 oz of improvement. Utilities were like 50 bucks a month for everything and we were students working part time jobs as waitresses and lived better than I do now. Maybe it's because many rented what they already owned and didn't expect the renter to pay for that house and the landlords as well.....I don't know. Utilities never equaled rent....but it does in many cases now! My once car insurance was 45 dollars a year.....now it's 1,300 and expected to go up again.....not from anything I did.....but just because.

I mean there's making a profit and then there's a downright rip-off. Greed took hold and too many things have gotten out of control. I used to be able to rent some pretty nice places for nothing.......now they go for a fortune and just aren't worth it. When I lived in upstate New York, one place I lived in was this 1 bedroom apt in an old mansion. Fireplace...the works. Furnished, with beautiful antiques and stained glass picture window on the second floor. Utilities included for 200 bucks. Moved to Florida and for 200 bucks you could have an old, roach ridden, tilted travel trailer...I mean the kind you tote behind your car to camp in.....not a small grounded trailer home. Utilities NOT included and lot rent on top of it. I got a tiny effiency apt on top of a garage, no windows, no utilities, for 400. Hey.....I could stand upright...... There are some things worth the money. LOL Had to buy my own air conditioner and couldn't have it and the fridge running at the same time or it blew fuses. Hispanics weren't in plenty then! In fact their motel cabins weren't any worse than my place and they got theirs for free for working in the ferneries and had laundry. Granted it was outside but it was there. LOL And worked.

Just angers me to no end to think this is just a hispanic issue, geared at hispanics just to rip just the hispanics off. Hey....welcome to America....the streets aren't paved in gold.

I heard that there are cheap apartments and housing available in Mexico with a view of the border! smile