Equal rights shouldn’t require a permanent address

In 2024 alone, more than 112,000 New Jersey households faced eviction. By the end of 2025, filings are projected to climb to 115,000 — affecting nearly one in ten renters.

Every night, thousands of those displaced residents end up in shelters or transitional housing, hoping it will be the first step toward stability. But too often, that address becomes a barrier instead of a gateway. The moment they list a shelter address on a job or housing application, opportunities vanish. Under New Jersey law, that kind of discrimination is perfectly legal.

New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD) is one of the strongest anti-discrimination laws in the nation. It protects against discrimination based on race, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation, age, lawful source of income,