Research and Substantive Publications

Research and Substantive Publications

We update this page often, so please check back soon to see what's available.

If you would like to be on our mailing list for information about our publications as they become available in print or on the Web, please email us at You can also write to us at Legal Services of New Jersey, P.O. Box 1357, Edison, New Jersey 08818-1357.

These publications are available here in Adobe PDF format. If you do not have the latest version of Adobe Reader on your computer, you can download it from Adobe's site.

Eye on the Budget 2009: How New Jersey State Expenditures Relate To Basic Human Needs
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View brief video release

The purpose of this report is to provide a resource guide for understanding the decisions and priorities represented by the State’s multiple, and sometimes confusing, budget documents. State decision-makers, advocates and the general public can use this report as a kind of lens — to evaluate in a focused way the extent to which New Jersey is using available resources to meet basic needs, particularly the needs of low-income and other vulnerable residents. As in prior years, the report discusses the extent and nature of the basic human needs of people in New Jersey, and connects that with information about State programs that respond to these needs. This year, the report then highlights selected key programs for a more in-depth analysis of funding trends and needed actions.

Eye on the Budget 2009 Summary: How New Jersey State Expenditures Relate To Basic Human Needs
Press Release and Video
View the summary (You will need the most recent version of Adobe Reader to view this file correctly.)

This report is the initial Summary report from the sixth edition of the annual Eye on the Budget series. The summary provides an overview of the current state budget crisis and makes specific recommendations for addressing the existing revenue shortfall, implementing smart government changes to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of urgently needed programs, and prioritizing urgent expenditure needs.

For earlier reports in the Eye on the Budget series, see the Eye on the Budget Archive.

Poverty Benchmarks 2009: Assessing New Jersey’s Advances, Declines, and Growing Challenges in Addressing Problems of Inadequate Income
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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.

Supporting New Jersey's Workers: The Importance and Adequacy of the State Minimum Wage
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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
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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
View the full report | printable report | data by family type for separate counties and for all counties (You will need the most recent version of Adobe Reader to view this file correctly.)

An updated report in the Real Cost of Living series produced by Dr. Diana Pearce, Ph.D. of the University of Washington. The report provides a detailed analysis of the cost of living in New Jersey for working families based on the true cost of basic household expenses including housing, child care, health care, and food. It also provides a comparison of the Real Cost of Living to other benchmarks of income including the federal poverty level, welfare income, and minimum wage income. Several policy implications flow from the report’s themes and the report includes information on key action the state could take to help New Jersey families meet their basic needs given the high cost of living.

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

Poverty Benchmarks 2008: Assessing New Jersey’s Progress in Addressing Problems of Inadequate Income
View the full report (You will need the most recent version of Adobe Reader to view these PDF files correctly.)

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 second in the annual series and updates key poverty trends and attendant policy implications. It also examines for the first time the state’s progress in addressing poverty by reviewing selected anti-poverty programs that address specific impacts of poverty.

For earlier reports in the Poverty Benchmarks series, see the Poverty Benchmarks Archive.

Meeting the Needs of Children and Parents: Child Welfare Practices that Preserve New Jersey's Low-Income Families
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This report presents analysis and recommendations to make New Jersey's child welfare system more supportive of families in crisis. The new administration in Trenton must address critical shortcomings still existing in state child welfare policies and practices. Numerous reports and studies have highlighted these failures amply. The required remedial steps, detailed in this report, are clear and urgent and are the same, regardless of what shifts may be made in the location of responsibility for child welfare services within state government. It bears emphasis that these steps must be taken on behalf of both birth and foster families, to reduce the chance of further tragedy.

People Without Lawyers: The Continuing Justice Gap in New Jersey
View 2006 Edition PDF file
View 2005 Edition PDF file (You will need the most recent version of Adobe Reader to view this file correctly.)

Housing New Jersey's Workforce: Instituting a New Jersey State Housing Policy
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Reorganizing New Jersey's Welfare and Work Force Readiness Systems
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This paper provides perspective on a proposed reorganization plan which would move a significant portion of Work First New Jersey (WFNJ) functions and programs from the New Jersey Departments of Human Services (DHS) and Education (DOE) to the Department of Labor (DOL).

Protecting and Preserving Families: A New Vision for
Child Welfare Services
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A Desperate and Widening Divide: The Concurrent Increase in Poverty, Income and Inequality in New Jersey
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“Despite the economic prosperity of the 1990’s, both poverty and income inequality increased during the last decade in New Jersey.” This, according to Kristin Mateo, senior researcher and policy analyst at Legal Services of New Jersey (LSNJ), is the central finding of a report released on January 28, 2003. A Desperate and Widening Divide: The Concurrent Increase in Poverty, Income, and Inequality in New Jersey is based on an analysis of data from the 1990 and 2000 Census. The report is one of a series of reports by The Poverty Research Institute on the extent and impact of poverty in New Jersey.

Legal Problems, Legal Needs: The Legal Assistance Gap Facing Lower Income People in New Jersey
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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.

Assessing Work First: Challenges Facing Long-Term Welfare Recipients in New Jersey
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The second report from the Assessing Work First series.

Assessing Work First: What Happens After Welfare?
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Report one from the Assessing Work First series.

How New Jersey's Public Assistance Dollars are Spent
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An initial report from Legal Services of New Jersey's Poverty Research Institute Budget and Poverty Analysis Project.

Work First Analysis
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Laws frequently change. You should always check to be sure that any laws or principles mentioned in these publications are current before relying on them. The publications give general information about the law. They do not provide specific advice about a particular legal problem that you may have, and they are not a substitute for seeing a lawyer at times when you may need one. If in doubt as to whether you need a lawyer, talk to one. If you need the advice of a lawyer and cannot afford one, you may be eligible for Legal Services. Contact the Legal Services program in your county. Each publication has a list of New Jersey programs.

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