LSNJ's Poverty Research Institute

girl/graph/building In 1996 Legal Services of New Jersey inaugurated its Poverty Research Institute (PRI), the first and only entity in New Jersey exclusively focused on developing and updating information on the extent and effects of poverty in the state. Through original research, compilation of data from publicly available sources, and special projects like the Work, Poverty, and Welfare Evaluation Project, the Cost of Living Study, and the Budget Analysis Project, the PRI seeks to generate useful information. Additionally, it will endeavor to bring exposure to critical questions such as the real definition of poverty, the impacts of poverty on people's lives, and the effects of various public and private policies and practices on the extent and effects of poverty, all to the end of helping reduce the legal problems they face and the overall effect of poverty on their lives, and ultimately be a factor in helping them escape poverty. You can contact the PRI by e-mailing pri@lsnj.org.

PRI Publications

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Poverty Benchmarks 2009: Assessing New Jersey’s Advances, Declines, and Growing Challenges in Addressing Problems of Inadequate Income (1549K PDF file) - The Poverty Benchmarks Project is an on-going data collection effort that aims to increase understanding of poverty in New Jersey as a foundation for more effective public response to the reality of poverty and its consequences. This report is the third in the annual series and updates key poverty trends and attendant policy implications. It also examines the effectiveness of existing state programs addressing poverty and considers additional alternatives for state action.

For earlier reports in the Poverty Benchmarks series, see the Poverty Benchmarks Archive.
Supporting New Jersey's Workers: The Importance and Adequacy of the State Minimum Wage (1259K PDF file) - This report evaluates the adequacy minimum wage in New Jersey and discusses a number of factors that must be considered in assessing its adequacy. This includes an analysis of cost of living in New Jersey, changes in the components of cost of living, comparison of New Jersey to other states with respect to the above, analysis of purchasing power of minimum wage over time and comparison of minimum wage to other benchmarks of income like the Federal Poverty Threshold and Lower Living Standard Income Level. The report recommends an immediate increase in minimum wage in New Jersey, instituting automatic annual increases based on New Jersey regional Consumer Price Index and continued oversight of the New Jersey’s Minimum Wage Advisory Commission.
Not Enough To Live On: Characteristics of Households Below the Real Cost of Living in New Jersey (3002K PDF file) - This report discusses the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of New Jersey residents with inadequate incomes according to research on the Real Cost of Living (RCL) in New Jersey. The report builds on the RCL report series that was inaugurated in 1999 and most recently updated in 2008, and uses the alternative measure of income sufficiency calculated in these reports to analyze the characteristics of three different groups — those with incomes below the federal poverty level, those with incomes above the federal poverty levels but below the RCL and those with incomes above the RCL. This analysis provides a more accurate estimate of households whose incomes fall short of self-sufficiency and how they compare to other, more economically-stable groups. Factors such as employment, demographic characteristics, educational attainment and geographic distribution of income inadequacy across the state are examined to provide insight into patterns income insufficiency in the state and policy choices that will help improve the economic situation of households that lack essential financial resources. The report’s unit of analysis is households rather than individuals, and the Study Population is restricted to households with working-age adults that have no work-inhibiting disability.

The Real Cost of Living in 2008: The Self-Sufficiency Standard for New Jersey (1558K PDF file)

Printable file (2992K PDF file)

Standards for Individual Counties (31K PDF files):
Atlantic Bergen Burlington Camden Cape May Cumberland Essex Gloucester Hudson Hunterdon Mercer	Middlesex Monmouth Morris Ocean Passaic Salem Somerset Sussex Union Warren All Counties (439K)

For earlier reports in The Real Cost of Living series, see The Real Cost of Living Archive.

Poverty in the City of Camden (774K PDF file) - This second report of the Poverty Benchmarks Project highlights poverty in the City of Camden, New Jersey. The report presents both an overview the city’s poverty and an examination of specific poverty-related challenges in order to understand the positive and transformative impact that state-wide policy changes such as an expansion of the state EITC and an increase in TANF grant levels could have on one of the state’s most distressed cities. The report profiles the city; analyzes the health data, work and employment issues, housing situation, welfare reliance, food and nutrition information, and education statistics; as well as providing concrete policy recommendations. As the Fiscal 2008 State budget is drawn up this report is an attempt to bring attention to its potential impact on the city of Camden.

People Without Lawyers: The Continuing Justice Gap in New Jersey (96K PDF file) - Brief report analyzing administrative and program data to determine the extent to which low-income New Jerseyans cannot get lawyers for their civil legal problems. The report finds some reduction in levels of unmet need compared with a similar analysis in 2005, but a large civil justice gap remains.
Legal Problems, Legal Needs: The Legal Assistance Gap Facing Lower Income People in New Jersey (1,360K PDF file) - Lower income people must deal with a broad array of laws and legal processes that directly impact their daily lives, and for more than those with greater means, often determine their very ability to survive. The Legal Problems, Legal Needs study asks whether lower income New Jersey adults are obtaining the legal assistance they need while facing civil legal problems. Results from the study’s survey of 1,013 lower income adults finds that they are not. The study documents the legal assistance gap facing lower income people in New Jersey, outlines principal policy implications and points to areas where further exploration is needed.