The Affordable Housing Alliance is pleased to provide you this website in an effort to expand the public's knowledge of Affordable Housing issues. Whether it be funding available for contractors to build new homes, how to develop and manage affordable rental units, or what housing resources are available for your aging grandmother living on a fixed income, the Alliance and this website are here to "Help With Housing".

Affordable housing is a valuable resource for the whole community. The Affordable Housing Alliance is dedicated, through this website and our monthly Affordable Housing Guide, to breaking down the preconceived stereotypes associated with affordable housing by an objective presentation of the realities of this industry.

It is through a clearer understanding of the concept of affordable housing that we hope to encourage the promotion of such housing, and to clarify its importance in the process of community and economic development. It is the task of our editors, writers and contributors to define, illustrate and advertise affordable housing opportunities;

• to provide a common language, how-to approach to utilize many of the existing programs that are available for the purpose of increasing the supply of affordable housing;
• and, to highlight initiatives that complement and are complemented by the development and availability of quality affordable housing - whether it costs $60,000 or $188,000.

The term "affordable housing" includes a wide variety of housing types, occupants and prices, and many income groups are included within the definition of affordable housing. It applies to single individuals as well as families. It is, however, most often used to target those who earn up to 115% of median income in a particular geographic area. For example, Monmouth County has a median income of $74,100 for a family of four in 2003. Therefore, that family of four in Monmouth County would be income eligible for some affordable housing programs with an income of up to $85,215. Depending on family size, the eligible income limits increase or decrease. In "target cities" those limits are higher. Our affordable housing income guidelines page offers a good summary of income and mortgage limits for Monmouth County. We guarantee you will be surprised. As with all quality housing, affordable housing provides:

• financial security to its residents;
• contributes to family stability;
• improves access to and the quality of education achieved; and,

We encourage you to access and utilize our sponsors who recognize and support the role affordable housing plays in the quality of life for all Monmouth County residents.

We welcome all questions, comments and viewpoints concerning our postings, articles and information and encourage your participation . Please feel free to e-mail us with any questions or concerns you may have. You are also encouraged to go to our bulletin board to post your questions or concerns so that others might be able to respond directly to you. Some questions might even be answered for you if you take a look in our reading room where you'll find numerous articles that have appeared in our Step Up affordable housing magazine.

And remember:

We Help With Housing

Sincerely,

Donna M. Rose
CEO
Affordable Housing Alliance