The buzzword “affordability” has played out in campaigns and elections for years in New Jersey. But the people for whom the state is least affordable, particularly those with very low incomes, have seen their needs routinely ignored or passed over in policymaking and state budgeting.
For years, NJPP’s response to affordability messaging has been to ask, “Affordable for whom?” Whose needs are actually being prioritized by the state: multi-billion dollar corporations or families struggling to rise out of the cycle of poverty?
Join NJPP and partners for Budget & Brews 2026, a gathering of policy experts and advocates to explore the challenges facing New Jersey’s budget and discuss solutions that advance economic and racial justice. This year marks the 30th anniversary of a major policy shift that reshaped cash assistance, making this the right moment to focus on who the affordability crisis is actually hitting the hardest and what solutions are needed to build a New Jersey that everyone can call home.
Budget & Brews
Thursday, May 7 | 4:00 PM
Cooper’s Riverview | Trenton, NJ
Registration is required.
The panel will be moderated by NJPP Policy Analyst Tonanziht Aguas and will feature:
- Christian Estevez, Executive Director of the Mercer County Workforce Development Board and NJPP Trustee
- Damon King, Senior Counsel with the Economic Justice Program at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice
- Melissa Lapinski, Team Lead in Suburban Outreach, Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey (CSPNJ)
Thanks to the generosity of event sponsors, Budget & Brews is free and open to all. To learn more about supporting NJPP’s events, visit njpp.org/sponsorships or contact Shelby Siwczak, Individual Giving Manager, at shelby@njpp.org.
Progress 2026 is made possible through support from Adriana Abizadeh-Barbour, ACLU of New Jersey, BlueWaveNJ, Sara Cullinane, Fair Share Housing Center, Janice Fine, Make the Road New Jersey, New Jersey Citizen Action, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, Regional Plan Association, Riverview Studios, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Michael Shannon, Jon Shure and Janice Conklin, Tara Dowdell Group, Turrell Fund, and Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center.