New Jersey Secures $10.2 Million in Funds for Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing
TRENTON, NJ – August 7, 2009 – (RealEstateRama) — Governor Jon S. Corzine today announced that New Jersey has secured $10.2 million in funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to put its Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program into action. Funding is being made available through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. “Reports of increasing numbers of people tumbling into homelessness because of the economic recession are widespread across the nation. Through this federal funding, New Jersey can provide temporary financial assistance and services to prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless and help those who are already homeless to be quickly re-housed and stabilized,” said Governor Corzine. “We will work quickly to allocate the funding to experienced, capable organizations around New Jersey that are ready to help those in need.”
The funding will be directed to residents whose household’s income is equal to or less than 50 percent of the area median income and who have the highest likelihood of becoming homeless. The list includes victims of domestic violence, households with children, youth leaving foster care or the juvenile justice system, households on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), graduates of transitional housing programs, and households with children who are staying with friends and family or living in motels because they cannot afford housing. Money can be used for such things as rental assistance, utility payments, housing search and placement, credit repair, legal services, and moving cost assistance.
The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is currently accepting proposals from eligible non-profit groups and local and county governments. The Request for Proposals is available on the DCA website at https://njdcasage.state.nj.us/ and is open until August 14.
Final awards will be made by September 30 based on the identified housing needs and the experience and administrative capacity of the organizations that apply. The DCA will conduct periodic monitoring visits of the organizations that receive awards to make sure federal funds are being utilized effectively and timely. Also, the Governor has created the NJ Recovery Accountability Task Force to oversee the distribution of all of the federal Recovery Act funds.
For further information on the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program, please log on to http://www.state.nj.us/dca/divisions/dhcr/announcements/pdf/hprpamendmentfinaldraft.pdf.
For More Information:
Robert Corrales
Phone: 609-777-2600
