Two months after the public health emergency eventually lifts, evictions that have been on hold since last March will surge. Federal aid can help reduce it.
NJ hopes to head off nation s worst eviction crisis post-COVID nj1015.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nj1015.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The one-stop website includes a toll-free phone number, 888-691-3002, that New Jerseyans can call to be connected with Volunteer Lawyers for Justice for legal help dealing with eviction filings, or with members of community group partners that can act as mediators if a tenant needs help working out a deal with a landlord to pay back rent in arrears without going to court.
There s also a field where readers can submit housing-related questions that staff members will monitor and answer or forward to partnering organizations, depending on the need.
The effort was funded with $1.2 million from the state Affordable Housing Trust Fund and $1.9 million from the Pandemic Relief Fund, a nonprofit founded by first lady Tammy Murphy.
NJ launches website, hotline for people who need housing assistance njherald.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from njherald.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Credit: Bart Everson from Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
File photo: Evicted
Millions of federal dollars are pouring into New Jersey to help pay for a mountain of rent arrears that have accrued during more than a year of pandemic, but landlords say it won’t be enough to make them whole. And housing advocates predict the money will not stop a wave of evictions whenever Gov. Phil Murphy lifts his ban on ejection for nonpayment of rent.
The New Jersey Apartment Association, which represents mostly large landlords, estimates that its members and other landlords across the state have lost around $2 billion in rent since COVID-19 began to devastate the economy. What’s more, it predicts that several rounds of federal assistance will pay for only about half of the total.