New Jersey has several programs in place to help tenants.
Tenants in New Jersey paid an average of $1,154 monthly in rent statewide in the third quarter of 2010, according to NJ.com. Prices peak in the northern and central areas of the state, including the New York suburbs and particularly in Hudson County, where the average was $2,466. With unemployment hovering at about 9 percent, tenants can find themselves unable to keep up with such rent payments. Both the state and the federal government offer assistance, but in most cases it is reserved for very low-income families.
Section 8 Tenant-Based Assistance Program
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development funds New Jersey's Section 8 assistance through two programs. If you earn 50 percent or less of your county's median income, you can potentially qualify for either the Rental Certificate Program or the Rental Voucher Program. With the Certificate Program, you must dedicate a small percentage of your monthly income to rent, ranging from 10 to 30 percent or $25, whichever is greater. You're limited to certain rental units. With the Voucher Program, you have the choice of selecting your own rental unit and paying more toward your rent. HUD requires that 75 percent of the funds dedicated to New Jersey must go to families who earn 30 percent or less of their area's median income. If Section 8 approves you for assistance, you have 60 days to find and select a rental that meets the federal housing quality standards.
State Rental Assistance Program
The State Rental Assistance Program is similar to Section 8, but New Jersey funds it rather than the federal government. The income requirements are stricter. You cannot earn more than 40 percent of your area's median income. Like the HUD program, 75 percent of the S-RAP funds are reserved for families earning less than 30 percent of the median income. S-RAP limits assistance to no more than five years, and it terminates if you receive Section 8 help instead.
Homelessness Prevention Program
New Jersey's Homelessness Prevention Program may step in if you get so far behind in your rent that you're facing eviction. You'll need proof that you fell behind because of some isolated circumstance, such as the loss of your job, and that you'll be able to pay your rent going forward. Your landlord must also agree to accept the HPP payment for the rent that's past due. HPP will bring your rent current once your landlord has filed an eviction proceeding against you, but it has limited funding and not everyone qualifies. Your court hearing for eviction may come up before HPP can move through the red tape to qualify you.
Tips
Other programs are available in New Jersey for a more narrow slice of the population. If you're already receiving help from Work First New Jersey or if you're receiving Supplemental Security Income, New Jersey's Emergency Assistance program may give you up to three months past-due rent to bring you current. Additionally, each New Jersey county has a Comprehensive Emergency Assistance Program, and the state offers relocation assistance if you lose your home through no fault of your own, like if your landlord has violated a law and is no longer legally permitted to rent your unit to you.
Tags: Assistance Program, median income, your rent, area median, area median income, Certificate Program