---

Editor, Asbury Park Sun,

There has been a great deal of confusion lately about Boston Way and its lease-up process, which has been propagated both by articles concerning denials and advocates/activists within the community. 

In each case, the parties have admitted that they do not completely understand the differences between the process of leasing apartments in a Public Housing site and that of a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit site. Unfortunately, this lack of a complete understanding has served to misinform the community and has understandably created further confusion and frustration for those who have not qualified for an apartment at Boston Way.

It is impossible to completely explain the aforementioned differences by way of a letter. What we can illustrate, however, is the clear difference between the many rumors that have been circulating within the community and what the housing authority is attempting to accomplish.

The mission of the Asbury Park Housing Authority is to provide safe, decent, affordable housing regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual preference, ideology, disability, familial status or national origin to individuals who need just that in the community we serve. It is counter-intuitive to assume that we would be overly restrictive by choice with regard to whom we are moving into the development, as that would constitute an intentional act to offset our progress towards our end goal, which is to fully occupy Boston Way with individuals and families who qualify based on numerous mandated criteria.

To that end, we wish to remind everyone that the reason we exist is to serve the community, not to cause harm to those within it.

Prior to the completion of Boston Way’s construction, the housing authority held many discussions within the community highlighting the differences between this site and the other developments that we operate. We were clear about what steps prospective applicants would need to take in order to ensure that they qualify for an apartment. Some individuals have taken those steps, but many have not based on the majority of the applications we’ve received thus far. Beyond that, we have shared the “Tenant Selection Plan” for the development, a public document that has been vetted and approved by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency [the state authority responsible for ensuring that we lease up the development in accordance with both Fair Housing and Tax Credit regulations].

We will be holding a public meeting in the Asbury Park City Council Chambers at 6 pm Friday, November 15th to give the community an opportunity to ask specific questions regarding the process the housing authority is required to follow in its end goal of reaching 100 percent occupancy at Boston Way. It is our hope that by holding this meeting, we will be able to both clear the air regarding the various misnomers surrounding Boston Way and to be transparent about how the housing authority will complete the lease-up in a fair and equitable manner.

Thomas Sahlin

Executive Director 

Housing Authority of the City of Asbury Park

[This letter represents the opinion of its writer and is not representative of any opinion of the Asbury Park Sun staff. All readers are welcome to submit Letters to the Editor to news@asburyparksun.com for our consideration. For guidelines on letter-writing and submission, click here.]

—————————————————————————————–

Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.

---