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.

PRI Publications

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Poverty Benchmarks Report - Poor in the Garden State: Beginning to Assess New Jersey's Progress in Addressing Poverty (1,448K PDF file) - The Poverty Benchmarks Project is a new 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 inaugural report in this project and offers the highlights of a multi-dimensional review of the data related to poverty in New Jersey. It looks at five primary areas including what is meant by the term poverty and how it is measured; the state’s growing income inequality; the characteristics of populations in poverty; places in the state with high rates of poverty; and the impacts of poverty including health care, housing, education, transportation and the need for a safety net.

The Real Cost of Living in 2005: The Self-Sufficiency Standard for New Jersey (539K PDF file)

Standards for Individual Counties (65K PDF files):
Atlantic Bergen Burlington Camden Cape May Cumberland Essex Gloucester Hudson Hunterdon	Mercer Middlesex Monmouth Morris Ocean Passaic Salem Somerset Sussex Union Warren

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.