More Coronavirus Aid Offered For NJ Home Renters: How To Apply

NEW JERSEY — The coronavirus pandemic has left many New Jersey home renters struggling to pay their bills, with advocates warning of a potential eviction crisis across the state once its eviction moratorium expires.

But thousands of Garden State residents may be eligible for an emergency aid program that can help keep a roof above their heads, officials say.

On Tuesday, state officials announced that the popular, federally funded COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program will return for a second round.

About $353 million will be made available to low and moderate-income households that have had a substantial reduction in income as a result of the pandemic. The application period begins Monday, March 22. Learn more about the program here.

Here’s how it works, according to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA):

“Applicants for the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program Phase II (CVERAP Phase II) may be eligible for up to 12 months of rental assistance to help pay for rent arrears incurred after March 13, 2020, and future rent to the extent that funds are available. Households that already received assistance in Phase I of the program but need additional rent support and have not yet received the maximum 12 months of emergency rental assistance (including CVERAP Phase I) can apply for additional funding. Every three months, the applicant’s household income and COVID-19 impact will be reviewed to determine if assistance is still needed and then recertified. If deemed eligible, applicants may only receive a maximum of three months of assistance at each recertification for future rent payments. Assistance that is no longer required will be used to serve additional families.”

Here's who qualifies:

• New Jersey resident 18 years of age or older
• Qualifies for unemployment or has experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship due, directly or indirectly, to the COVID-19 pandemic
• Demonstrates a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability
• Has a household income at or below 80 percent of the area median income. Maximum income limits can be found online at https://www.nj.gov/dca/cverap2.shtml

The program will also help provide households that are very low-income and homeless with six months of future rent. Additionally, it will assist in paying for security deposits and case management for homeless households to help them “bridge to more sustainable support” by the end of the six months of rental assistance, officials said.

CVERAP Phase II applications can be submitted online starting at 9 a.m. on March 22 at https://njdca.onlinepha.com. People with disabilities or limited English proficiency can contact DCA applicant services at (609) 490-4550 for assistance from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week during the open enrollment period.

Property managers or owners of a residential building can apply for assistance on behalf of a tenant. The landlord must:

• Obtain the signature of the tenant on the application, which may be documented electronically
• Provide documentation of the application to the tenant to notify the tenant that the application has been submitted

State officials added:

“Submission of a CVERAP Phase II application does not guarantee placement in the program. Only one CVERAP Phase II application per household will be accepted. Duplicate CVERAP Phase II applications will be rejected … Participants will be selected from the overall pool of applicants through a randomized process based on eligibility and lottery criteria.”

“This pandemic has created a crisis for so many of our fellow New Jerseyans who are struggling to pay their rent because they’ve lost jobs, or aren’t bringing home as much money as they once did,” Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver said.

“We’ve been in these difficult times for more than a year as a nation and state and we want to help as many people as possible pay their rent, including assisting with overdue rent, to promote housing stability and prevent homelessness,” Oliver said.

According to state officials, more than 15,000 New Jersey households benefitted from the first phase of the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program after it launched in July 2020 with a $91.75 million allocation.

But across the nation, people continue to struggle.

By the end of 2020, U.S. renters were estimated to owe anywhere from $30 billion to $70 billion in back rent, according to a statement from National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Renters aren’t the only ones feeling financial pain from the pandemic. An estimated 22.1 million rental properties in the U.S. are owned by “mom-and-pop” landlords, who depend on monthly rent payments for income or to pay their mortgages on properties.

• See related article: Mom-And-Pop Landlords 'Helpless,' Hurt Under Eviction Moratoriums

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