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The Ethel Lawrence Homes are named after an African American native of Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, who was angered when all the housing being built in her hometown was unaffordable for herself and her family. With the help of civil rights lawyer, Peter O'Connor, and others, Ethel Lawrence won a historic state supreme court decision that forced even the wealthiest communities in New Jersey to build their share of affordable housing.

However, a loophole in the law allowed some wealthy communities to pay poorer communities to take their affordable housing. Such agreements, called Regional Cooperation Agreements or RCA's, concentrated poverty in certain areas and kept poor people out of elite wealthy areas. The new law, A-500, bans such agreements and provides more money for affordable housing.

The victory is the product of a three year campaign by the statewide organization, The New Jersey Regional Coalition. At a bill signing ceremony, Governor Corzine and other elected officials praised the great moral victory that the coalition had won and begrudgingly acknowledged the "in your face" tactics that got them there.

The New Jersey Regional Coalition and the Pennsylvania First Suburbs Project are both affiliates of the Gamaliel Foundation. The Gamaliel Foundation is a network of regional organizations whose mission is is to assist local community leaders to create, maintain and expand independent, grassroots, and powerful faith-based community organizations so that ordinary people can impact the political, social, economic, and environmental decisions that affect their lives..." One well known former organizer from the network is Presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Across the street from the ceremony, a small number of lobbyists from wealthy communities that oppose integration held a small press conference.

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