AFFORDABLE HOUSING & STOPPING INVESTOR EXPLOITATION
Trenton is in the middle of a housing crisis—but not the kind you hear about in most cities. Our problem isn't a lack of housing. It's that investors from New York, California, and other states with no connection to Trenton are buying up properties, doing minimal repairs, and charging exorbitant rents that local families can't afford.
The result? Multiple families are forced to live together just to pool resources and pay rent. Home ownership—the foundation of building wealth and stable communities—has been replaced by exploitation. These investors contribute nothing to Trenton. They don't shop here, don't send their kids to our schools, don't invest in our community. They just extract wealth and leave.
This hits close to home for Rolando. His parents raised five children in Trenton. All five became professionals. But all five left the city to buy homes and raise their own families elsewhere. They took their income, their property taxes, and their community investment with them. Thousands of other Black and Latino families have made the same choice. That's "Black flight" and "Latino flight"—and it's devastating our city.
The Plan
Promote Home Ownership for Trentonians
• Create incentives and programs that help local residents buy homes, not just rent them
• Work with banks and community development organizations to increase access to mortgages
• Prioritize keeping wealth in the community through ownership
Stop Out-of-State Investor Exploitation
• Implement policies that discourage absentee landlords who contribute nothing to Trenton
• Enforce housing codes and hold landlords accountable for maintaining safe, quality housing
• Explore regulations that prioritize local ownership and investment
Address Concentrated Poverty Created by Mount Laurel
• In 1975, the NJ Supreme Court mandated that all municipalities provide affordable housing
• Wealthy suburbs were allowed to outsource their obligations to cities like Trenton
• This created concentrated poverty in urban areas while suburbs remained exclusive
• Rolando will demand that other municipalities fulfill their obligations and build their fair share
Demolish Dangerous Abandoned Properties
• Trenton received $9 million in demolition funds in 2017—most of it still hasn't been used
• The current mayor claims the process is "too cumbersome," but that's just an excuse
• Rolando will cut through red tape and get dangerous structures demolished
• Return properties to productive use and get them back on the tax rolls
Make Trenton an Affordable Alternative to NYC and Philadelphia
• Leverage our location between two major cities
• Attract young professionals and families priced out of those markets
• Create a housing boom that benefits Trentonians, not outside investors
Why This Matters
Rolando's own family story proves what's at stake. When educated, hard-working people can't afford to stay in Trenton—or choose not to because there's nothing here for them—the city loses the very people who could help turn it around. We need to create conditions where the next generation chooses to stay, buy homes, raise families, and invest in this community.
Let’s go from Trenton to Triumph!!!