[2] In her final years, Lawrence worked closely with attorney Peter O'Connor to start the non-profit organization Fair Share Housing Development Inc., which built over 200 units for moderate- to low-income tenants in Mount Laurel.
At her mother's urging, sixteen-year-old Lawrence, with other African American youth, demanded to be seated in the "whites only" section of a local movie theater.
As a result, Lawrence, along with Reverend Stuart Wood and other church members, formed a non-profit corporation, called The Springville Community Action Committee, to develop low- and moderate-income housing.
In 1969, the Township zoning board denied the 36-unit housing project proposed by the Action Committee, with Bill Haines, the Mayor at the time, saying, "If you people can't afford to live in our town, then you'll just have to leave.
At Camden Regional Legal Services, three young lawyers—Peter O'Connor, Carl Bisgaier, and Ken Meiser—took on their case, with Lawrence agreeing to be the lead plaintiff.
[7] However, in 1976, in response to the ruling, Mount Laurel Township changed its zoning law, allowing the low-income housing project to be built, but on unstable, swampy land.
[6] This decision only increased controversy among suburban communities, with many fair share numbers doubling the housing stock and increasing worry among wealthy residents who feared that their communities would be invaded by hordes of "poor people" bringing crime, higher taxes, and lower property values [5] As a result of many disputes, and under pressure from municipalities that objected to the Mount Laurel rulings, the New Jersey Legislature passed the Fair Housing Act of 1985.
[6] In 1986 attorney Peter O'Connor founded a non-profit organization called Fair Share Housing Development Inc.[8] Lawrence was named the charter president of the board of trustees of the company.
According to their website: "The mission of Fair Share Housing Development (FSHD) is to promote economically and racially diverse communities throughout the tri-county region surrounding the City of Camden, New Jersey through the development of affordable housing with supportive services in an effort to improve the lives of moderate-income, low-income and very low-income families, the elderly and disabled and to reverse decades of decline and segregation in the City of Camden by providing Camden City residents with the choice to reside in affordable housing in high-opportunity communities with access to decent jobs, good schools, and a safe environment."
A nearby development in Mount Laurel called Robinson Estates (named after Ethel’s mother Mary) features 24 single-family homes, a rarity in affordable housing, and was also built in 2018, as part of the redevelopment project that led to the construction of ERLH III.