Storm recovery programs are now available for homeowners, renters, and landlords impacted by Hurricane Ida.

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is using more than $228 million in Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to fund the recovery programs. The following programs are now accepting applications.

• Tenant-Based Rental Assistance: This program provides supplemental rental assistance for households impacted by Hurricane Ida.
• Housing Counseling and Legal Services: This program provides supportive services, such as foreclosure prevention, relocation services, and debt management, and assists with application intake for CDBG-DR-funded programs to help impacted residents transition to more permanent housing.
• The Small Rental Repair Program (SRRP) provides zero-interest forgivable loans to owners of rental properties with one to seven units that require repair and/or elevation as a result of damages from Hurricane Ida. The program also allows for mitigation activities such as structural and utility retrofits, grading and slope stabilization, and drainage improvements that are designed to make the rental housing more resilient in future storm events. Assistance also may be provided to make housing accessible for individuals living with disabilities. Rental property owners can learn more about the program online. They can also call (609) 292-3750 or email DisasterRecoveryandMitigation@dca.nj.gov for more information. 

Additional programs are being developed and will launch in the coming months. For more information or to apply for storm recovery programs, visit www.nj.gov/idaprograms.

The New Jersey Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) is funded by the federal Department of Health and Human Services’ Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to assist households (billholders) who have fallen behind on their water and wastewater (sewer) payments as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The benefits are paid directly to water and wastewater companies on behalf of low-income residential customers. The LIHWAP program is actively accepting applications and people can apply through DCA’s one-stop online application portal at DCAid.

The assistance can be used, in order of priority, to:

• restore services where services have been terminated and pay reconnection fees and other charges accrued due to a disconnection; and

• avoid service disruption for those residential customers who are in danger of disconnection (i.e., received shut-off notices or have past due balances) and to help them afford bill payment going forward.

Priority will also be given to families with elderly or disabled household members and/or with children under the age of five, no matter which category they fall into.

To be eligible for LIHWAP assistance, applicants must be water/wastewater bill holders who are responsible for paying their water and sewer bills directly to the vendors. Also, applicants’ total gross household income must be at or below 60% of the state median Income ($6,662 a month for a family of four). The LIHWAP frequently asked questions webpage has additional information about maximum income limits and other items. Participants in the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) are automatically eligible for LIHWAP assistance as long as they are water/wastewater bill holders.

The LIHWAP program is actively accepting applications and people can apply through DCA’s one-stop online application portal at DCAid or waterassistance.nj.gov.

People who do not have access to computers or the internet can call 1-800-510-3102 to be directed to one of the community action agencies to assist them with starting, completing, and submitting an application online.

Visit: waterassistance.nj.gov

DANIEL'S LAW PORTAL IS OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS TO HAVE SPECIFIC PERSONAL INFORMATION REDACTED FROM CERTAIN GOVERNMENT RECORDS AND INTERNET POSTINGS

Daniel’s Law was enacted in response to the tragic death of Daniel Anderl, the son of Judge Esther Salas and Mark Anderl. The law prohibits disclosure of the residential addresses of certain persons covered by the law (“Covered Persons”) on websites controlled by state, county, and local government agencies. The community of Covered Persons includes active, formerly active, and retired judicial officers, prosecutors, and members of law enforcement and their immediate family members residing in the same household. The portal can be accessed at: www.danielslaw.nj.gov.

Both Covered Persons and Authorized Persons can submit a request through the portal. An Authorized Person is a person who is permitted to request this protection on behalf of a Covered Person, and includes parents or legal guardians of Covered Persons as well as other legally designated individuals.

For more information about the Office of Information Privacy, please visit the OIP website or email oip@dca.nj.gov.

MORE THAN $38 MILLION AWARDED THROUGH THE LEAD REMEDIATION AND ABATEMENT GRANT PROGRAM

Governor Murphy and Lieutenant Governor Oliver announced the award of more than $38 million in funding to nonprofits and local governments across the state through the Lead Remediation and Abatement Grant Program. This is part of an unprecedented investment of $180 million in American Rescue Plan State Fiscal Recovery Funds through the State Fiscal Year 2022 and 2023 budgets to address the ongoing threat of childhood lead poisoning. This investment helps achieve the Administration’s overall goal of identifying and addressing lead hazards at scale, as called for in the lead paint hazard inspection law enacted in 2021 (P.L.2021, c.182). As hazards are identified in inspections called for by the law, these funds and grantees will be available to help homeowners and landlords address those hazards. Read More

LEAD GRANT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM RECENTLY LAUNCHED FOR INSPECTION OF LEAD-BASED PAINT HAZARDS

The Department recently announced the launch of the $7 million Lead Grant Assistance Program to help municipalities across the state conduct inspections for lead-based paint hazards in residential tenant-occupied housing built prior to 1978. These inspections are required under P.L. 2021, c. 182, which Governor Murphy signed into law and which took effect in July 2022, and will proactively reduce the risk of lead exposure for children and other vulnerable groups. The $7 million in grant funding will assist New Jersey municipalities with the costs associated with these inspections. Read More

DCA ANNOUNCES RURAL AND SUBURBAN HOMELESSNESS OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT PILOT PROGRAM

DCA launched the Rural and Suburban Homelessness Outreach and Engagement Pilot Program earlier this year to help rural and suburban communities in the state strengthen their response to people experiencing homelessness and people at risk of homelessness.



As part of the pilot program, DCA recently awarded $2 million in grants after a competitive application process to nonprofit organizations serving Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Monmouth, Salem, Sussex, and Warren counties, which currently have little to no homelessness outreach services. The goal is to make it much easier for people in rural and suburban areas to quickly access homelessness prevention services in their county when they need it.



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GOVERNOR MURPHY SIGNS BILL TO SPEED UP CONSTRUCTION PERMITTING PROCESS

Governor Phil Murphy signed A573, which makes several changes to the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) Act designed to speed up the construction permitting process. The bill codifies a three-day construction inspection turnaround from the date of the requested inspection and allows for developers to contract with private on-site inspection agencies if local construction officials cannot complete the inspection within three days of the requested date. The bill brings New Jersey in line with several other states where private sector inspections supplement government inspections. The ultimate approval and sign-off on a certificate of occupancy will still come from local construction officials. 

The bill also provides local governments with several avenues to improve their ability to conduct inspections in a timely manner, including a more streamlined bidding process to contract with private inspection agencies to conduct inspections for them or enter into shared services agreements to consolidate work among multiple municipalities.

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FUNDING AWARDED TO BUILD MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN NEW JERSEY

More than $19 million was awarded to organizations across the state through the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF), National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF), and the HOME Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDO) Production Program.

All the awards were given to smaller rental and homeownership housing projects sized at 25 or fewer units, which often have difficulty obtaining financing. These projects will fill the gaps within the existing affordable housing framework, build on current assets and investments, and add value to neighborhoods. The projects are also being developed by community-based organizations that have a strong connection to the housing equity issues in their communities. 

A total of 17 developers were awarded these funds totaling a $19,082,545 investment towards 79 units. 

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$21.75 MILLION AWARDED TO NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS TO BENEFIT THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE

$21.75 million in funding was recently awarded to 27 community-based nonprofit organizations across the state through the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC) Program. This is the largest amount of NRTC funding ever awarded and also the most organizations to receive funding from the annual NRTC project application cycle. It marks the second year in a row in which DCA awarded a record amount of NRTC funding to a record number of nonprofit organizations, demonstrating the Department’s commitment to the program and its mission to rejuvenate neighborhoods in need of extra attention. 

The nonprofit organizations will use the NRTC funding to implement revitalization plans that address housing and economic development, as well as complementary activities such as social services, recreation programs, employment training, and open space improvements.

View Funding Awards

Photo: Feaster Community Garden, New Brunswick, NJ

DCA CONGRATULATES DOWNTOWN METUCHEN FOR WINNING THE 2023 GREAT AMERICAN MAIN STREET AWARD

DCA congratulates the Metuchen Downtown Alliance for being recognized as a 2023 Great American Main Street Award winner. Earlier this year, Main Street America® announced the prestigious award, which recognizes communities for excellence in preservation-based commercial district revitalization.

“This is an incredible accomplishment and the Metuchen Downtown Alliance should be proud of all it has done to receive this national recognition,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, who serves as DCA Commissioner. “DCA’s Main Street New Jersey program is happy to have provided Downtown Metuchen with training, professional consultation, financial assistance, and other resources to help make their business district successful. We look forward to our continued partnership with the Metuchen Downtown Alliance in the years to come.”

The Metuchen Downtown Alliance has led efforts to create unique shopping, dining, and programming experiences such as Juneteenth, Hispanic Heritage Day, and Kids Takeover that represent all of the borough’s residents. Aside from programming, the volunteer-powered group has provided essential support systems for its businesses through grants, innovative marketing, and place making.

The Main Street New Jersey (MSNJ) Program, which is administered by DCA’s Office of Local Planning Services, helps municipalities improve the economy, appearance, and image of their central business districts through the organization of local citizens and resources. Municipalities must apply and be selected to join the MSNJ Program, which was established in 1989. These designated communities receive technical support and training to assist in restoring their Main Streets as centers of economic and social activity.



In 2019, Main Street New Jersey awarded the Metuchen Downtown Alliance a $23,000 grant to assist with projects such as restoring storefronts and facades, creative and cultural placemaking, and developing strategies to take Downtown Metuchen to the next level. The Metuchen Downtown Alliance also received grant awards of $295,958 in 2020 and $359,670 in 2021 from the MSNJ Program to help fund parklets, streeteries, and website directories and to help businesses setup for e-commerce.

DIVISION OF FIRE SAFETY'S FIRE INVESTIGATION AND K-9 UNIT CELEBRATE 20 YEARS

The New Jersey Division of Fire Safety (NJDFS) in April celebrated its Fire Investigation/K-9 Unit for 20 years of public service. Created in February 2003, the Unit began taking more of an active role in performing fire investigations on state properties and in municipalities where NJDFS serves as the fire official. The following year, the Unit was expanded to include Ignitable Liquid Detection K-9s, an important resource to support fire investigators in their work across the state.  

The Unit is a primary member of many county fire investigation taskforces and has other notable partnerships with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service and the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In 2018, the Unit assumed most fire investigative duties for NJ State Police jurisdictions, including marine fires. 

Unit personnel investigate all types of fires and have provided depositions and expert courtroom testimony for dozens of cases across the state, which have led to many successful prosecutions for arson, murders, gang/drug activity, domestic terrorism, and other crimes. Additionally, the K-9 Teams have worked large-scale events such as The Miss America Pageant and Super Bowl 48.

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NOUVELLE, LLC - WANAQUE SUPPORTIVE HOUSING

Wanaque Supportive Housing will consist of the new construction of a 4-unit rental apartment building serving disabled veterans located at 511 Ringwood Avenue, Wanaque, NJ. The project is receiving $1 million from the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF).  

NJ DIVISION OF FIRE SAFETY CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF SAVING LIVES WITH ABC-7

Early this year, representatives

from the New Jersey Division of Fire

Safety traveled into New York City to

celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the

Operation-7 Save-a-Life program. In what

has become a yearly tradition, public

service and private industry came

together from around the Tri-State Area in the name of fire safety.

Spearheaded by WABC Channel 7 in New York, the Operation-7 Save-a-Life Campaign’s mission is to save lives by providing smoke alarms to our area’s most at-risk citizens.

This year, the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety will concentrate on getting smoke alarms to the two most vulnerable segments of the population – senior citizens and children. Throughout the program’s 25 years, over 200,000 smoke alarms have been distributed in the State of New Jersey alone. Thanks to the Operation-7 Save-a-Life sponsors – Kidde, Home Depot, and Toyota – the NJDFS has been able to support fire departments statewide with these life-saving devices.

Photo: NJ State Fire Marshal Rich Mikutsky Presents WABC News Anchor Bill Ritter with a NJ State Fire Marshal Helmet to Commemorate 25 Years of the Operation-7 Save-a-Life Program

DCA HAS UTILITY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS THAT CAN HELP

DCA has several programs that help New Jersey households in need with basic resources such as heating to promote long-term physical well-being. These programs include LIHEAP, which is a federal program that helps households at or below 60 percent of the state median income ($6,662 a month for a family of four) pay for energy costs (electric, gas, deliverable fuels and those included in rent), and the Universal Service Fund (USF) program, which provides a monthly credit on electric and gas bills for households at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty level ($111,000 a year for a family of four). To qualify for USF, the household must pay more than 2 percent of its annual income for electric or for natural gas. If a household has electric heat, it must spend more than 4% of its annual income on electricity to be eligible.

Visit DCAid to see if you are eligible.

DCA OFFERS EVICTION PREVENTION RESOURCES

Any tenant, whether approved for emergency rental assistance or not, who is in danger of eviction, can contact DCA to be connected with a Housing Resource Navigator to assist them in connecting with eviction prevention resources. The number to call is (609) 490-4550. The Resource Navigators have access to flexible funds from DCA that can pay down some rent arrears, as well as the ability to connect tenants with other resources that may help them. Tenants should be sure to attend case conferences and court dates where they can see the Resource Navigators. Navigators are also provided with a list of tenants with eviction filings so they can proactively contact them to offer assistance. 

Access Listing of Resource Navigators

EVICTION AND LEGAL SERVICES

Tenants threatened with eviction can contact the following legal services organizations for help and representation (in some instances for free). 

• Legal Services of New Jersey at (888) 576-5529
• Volunteer Lawyers for Justice at (973) 645-1955
• Community Health Law Project (for individuals with disabilities) at (973) 275-1175
• City of Newark’s Office of Tenant Legal Services (for Newark tenants) at (973) 877-9424

LEGAL RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR TENANTS AND LANDLORDS

An updated edition of the Truth in Renting guide is posted on the Department’s website as a resource for residential tenants and landlords to learn about their legal rights and responsibilities. 

The reference guide includes information about lease agreements; payment and collection of rent; habitability; evictions; senior citizens and protected tenants; foreclosures; security deposits; and other topics pertaining to residential tenancies in New Jersey. 

The Truth in Renting guide is periodically updated to include the most current information available. Because the Truth in Renting guide is a general resource document, it is not meant to reflect the special circumstances that New Jersey experienced during the declared COVID-19 State of Emergency, which ended March 7, 2022. Therefore, the guide does not include Executive Orders or COVID-19 pandemic response programs related to housing since they are temporary in nature. While the guide does not reference specific COVID-19 response programs, they remain in effect in accordance with the applicable program guidelines. 

View the Truth in Renting Guide in both English and Spanish.

ELIGIBILITY SCREENING TOOL FOR DCA PROGRAMS

DCAid is an eligibility screening tool designed to help New Jersey residents find available DCA housing-related and utility assistance programs for which they may qualify. The completely anonymous eligibility screening process is user friendly and takes only 1-2 minutes to complete.

FREE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IS AVAILABLE FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

Need assistance with planning services including master plans and redevelopment plans, land use planning and mapping, economic development plans or special municipal projects?

DCA's Office of Local Planning Services (LPS) has made an ongoing commitment to provide FREE technical assistance to local governments.

Interested municipalities can email lpsmail@dca.nj.gov.

EMERGENCY RESCUE MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE (ERMA)

The Emergency Rescue Mortgage Assistance program (ERMA) was developed by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA) to deploy federally allocated HAF funds to assist eligible NJ homeowners who have been financially affected by COVID-19. The program will help homeowners bring their mortgages and other housing related expenses current.

Access the online application by visiting www.njerma.com.

FIRST TIME HOMEBUYERS PROGRAM

New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA), an affiliate of DCA provides a variety of programs to assist prospective homebuyers.

NJHMFA offers step-by-step guidance and accessible tools to enable you to make the right home purchase decision. To get acquainted with the homebuying process, you can access The Road Home New Jersey: A Guide for the New Jersey Homebuyer, to help you navigate your way to affordable homeownership. The guide is also available in Spanish.

More Information

DCA, DEPARTMENTS OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION LAUNCH EXPANDED VERSION OF THE POTENTIAL LEAD EXPOSURE MAPPING TOOL

The Potential Lead Exposure Mapping or PLEM tool, provides new publicly available data that indicate potential sources of lead exposure.

The tool may be used by local health officers, community groups, and other members of the public to help identify the potential sources of lead exposure. The PLEM tool also will have multiple uses that will be phased in over time. Phase 1 will look specifically at lead paint in housing as a source of exposure while future phases will examine other indicators of childhood blood lead poisoning risk.

The tool provides maps and information on the homes most likely to contain lead. It also displays residential parcels categorized by construction year, based on New Jersey's statewide parcel dataset (MOD-IV) and a breakdown of housing age by municipality.

Over the past several decades, health experts have identified best practices for minimizing potential lead exposure. The mapping tool, for example, points users to the multiple programs in New Jersey aimed at reducing potential lead exposure, first identifying existing state initiatives, and then outlining suggested community-level and individual actions.

Read More

Access the Mapping Tool

DCA LAUNCHES USER-FRIENDLY DATABASE

DCA launched the User Friendly Budget Database, which is intended to make budget, staffing, personnel cost, debt, and financial information for New Jersey municipalities accessible to the public in a flexible, easy-to-use format.

The budget database allows any user to pull budget, staffing, financial and debt information going back to 2015 for municipalities into an interactive table format. There is also a graph feature that allows any metric to be visualized over time, a glossary tab that explains the meaning of the terms used for the non-municipal finance professionals, and an instructions tab that explains how to use the interactive table. Users can also access summary data for all municipalities, organized by year with each year in its own tab.

The budget database is based on a summary of data already entered in the User Friendly Budgets prepared by New Jersey municipalities for their adopted budgets since 2015.

The budget database can be found within the DCA Data Hub.

Read the full press release.

COMMUNITY ASSET MAP

The Community Asset Map is an interactive mapping tool that makes it possible to see the characteristics and amenities of each of New Jersey's 564 communities. Municipal leaders, businesses, and even homeowners can use the Community Asset Map to help make strategic development and investment decisions that will benefit their communities.

The mapping tool provides overlay options that allow users to view valuable economic, local planning, environmental, and workforce statistics as well as predominant land uses, property sales, and job density. These features allow potential investors and stakeholders to view where the State has targeted its investments through special designations, such as Urban Enterprise Zones, Transit Villages, Opportunity Zones, and the projects within them.  

Access the Mapping Tool

DCA DATA HUB

DCA has many resources offered on its website. Users can quickly navigate to DCA’s Data Hub for immediate access to valuable municipal data, the Community Asset Map, information about affordable housing developments, building permit data, fire statistics, and more. 

The Hub also offers external links to non-DCA state aid from the Department of Education, Department of Transportation, and State Library.

The public can access the DCA Data Hub here.