Governor Murphy announced that a $100 million fund is being set up to temporarily help low- and moderate-income households who have financially suffered from the Covid-19 pandemic pay their housing bills.

The program will begin accepting applications in July, with financial rental assistance beginning in September. Qualifying households will be required to pay 30% of their income towards rent, and the program would pay for the remainder of their rent bill, up to a certain amount.

About 20% of the fund will be set aside for those with very low incomes and/or those who are at risk of becoming homeless. Other low- and moderate-income households who submit an application for the program will be entered into a pool and a lottery will be held to determine who the fund will direct assistance to.

To be eligible for the program, you must:

– Be a New Jersey resident
– Have a maximum income up to 80% of Area Median Income
– Be current in rental payments as of March 1st
– Be able to prove that the pandemic has negatively impacted your ability to pay rent such as having been laid off, work hours reduced, or need to quarantine due to virus exposure.

The Covid-19 Short-Term Rental Relief Assistance Program’s website will launch June 15th. More information can be found here