A time for hope, a time for change

Times are tough. The cost of living is through the roof while affordable housing is vanishing. Homelessness, hunger, isolation and anxiety are growing across New Jersey. Families are struggling to keep up with soaring costs for fuel, food and basic necessities in one of the wealthiest states in the wealthiest country in the world. Gaps and disparities are widening based on race, ethnicity, place, gender, beliefs and preferences. Communities still bear the scars of the pandemic, while these widening disparities continue to divide us. Many people feel exhausted, disconnected and powerless over the forces shaping their lives. Although some of our neediest neighbors may be eligible for supports such as Medicaid, food stamps or the Earned Income Tax Credit, a growing number of families are discouraged from accessing those vital supports for fear of adverse action by the federal government.

Unless we confront our challenges now – together, with courage, openness, compassion and fortitude – hard times ahead will only grow worse. Vitriol leads us away from progress. We cannot put out fires with gasoline, even if we can afford six dollars a gallon.

But there is reason for hope.

The Community Recovery and Family Success Act, now moving through our state legislature, offers a practical and compassionate path forward. Developed through a grassroots movement involving nearly 150 organizations and informed by the voices of nearly 500 residents, the legislation recognizes a simple truth: strong families are the foundation of strong communities. Every family – regardless of race, religion, income, background or family structure – needs certain basic conditions to thrive: safe and loving relationships, financial stability, good health, lifelong learning opportunities, community connection and a meaningful voice in shaping the future. When these supports are absent, families struggle, and communities pay the price.

When families fall apart, we have historically reacted to the numerous symptoms of family distress by allocating vast resources and new interventions without addressing the root causes of distress. For too long, we have spent billions reacting to the symptoms of distress rather than investing in the conditions that help families succeed in the first place. The Community Recovery and Family Success Act takes a different approach.

It creates a State Council that brings together state, county and local officials, the business sector, advocates and non-profit providers – and most importantly – community leaders, residents and family members to coordinate action around family wellbeing.

The legislation also requires each county to build family-friendly networks of services and supports that help families thrive close to home.  This legislation does not include new funding. Rather, it challenges us to use existing resources more effectively – shifting from crisis response to prevention, from fragmentation to collaboration and from managing distress to building success.

Our refreshing new Governor is ready for change. As she stated in her inaugural address:

“You (NJ residents) don’t want a strongly worded letter, you don’t want a 10-year study and you don’t want empty words. In short, you are sick of the status quo. Well, guys, I am too.”

NJ is a rich, diverse and well-resourced state with deep talent, energy, culture, expertise, uniqueness and imagination. Let this legislation, and the bold legislators who introduced it, serve as catalysts to bring us all together and create the collective hope, will and hard work that will bend our future toward the common good. If all children need strong families, all families need strong communities.

There are opportunities everywhere for each one of us to contribute, at home and in neighborhoods, at school, work, worship and play. We can all be the messengers of hope. If we summon the courage to divest from distress and invest in success together, with good will, today and tomorrow, we can create a brighter future for all and leave these difficult days behind.

Tom Blatner is Co-founder & President of The Family Success Institute – a statewide 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization advancing a transformational shift in public policy and investment – from reacting to family distress to proactively strengthening families and communities. For more information, visit familysuccessinstitute.com.