Opening March 22, 2021, the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program Phase II (CVERAP Phase II) will provide rental arrears and temporary rental assistance to low- and moderate-income households that have had a substantial reduction in income, have qualified for unemployment benefits, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship due, directly, or indirectly, to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nan McKay & Associates has been authorized by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs to assist in the administration of CVERAP Phase II and to communicate with applicants and landlords.
EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE FOR ARREARS
Applicants may be eligible for up to a maximum of twelve months of emergency rental assistance to help pay for rent arrears and future rent to the extent that funds are available. Families that have already received CVERAP funding through Phase I of the program, that need additional rent support, and have not yet received the maximum twelve months of emergency rental assistance can apply for additional funding.
EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE RENTS
Financial assistance is limited to three months based on application submitted, except that the household may receive additional assistance for additional months subject to the availability of remaining funds and eligibility, not to exceed 12 months (plus an additional three months if necessary to ensure housing stability).
Persons applying must meet all applicable CVERAP Phase II income and eligibility requirements. You must be eighteen (18) years of age or older to apply or be an emancipated minor. Only one (1) application per household will be accepted. Applications will be accepted until enough applications have been received to ensure distribution of all available CVERAP Phase II funds. A computerized selection (lottery) process will be used to select residents who have been impacted by COVID-19 for eligibility determination.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Selected households must meet the following eligibility criteria to qualify for assistance:
-Qualify for unemployment or have experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship due, directly or indirectly, to the COVID-19 pandemic;
-Demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability;
-Have a household income at or below 80 percent of the area median income (please see income limits below);
-Have a lack of assets and savings to pay rent arrears or current and future rent;
-Be a New Jersey resident; and
-Obligated to pay rent on a residential dwelling.
The program will only pay for rent arrears incurred after March 13, 2020.
Property managers or owners of a residential dwelling may 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; and
-Must provide documentation of the application to the tenant to notify the tenant that the application has been submitted.
EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM PHASE II MAXIMUM INCOME LIMITS
The chart below shows the maximum income limits currently in effect for households of up to eight members. If you have a larger household, please contact DCA at 609-490-4550 for assistance in determining the maximum income limits for your household.
| COVID-19 EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE MAXIMUM INCOME LIMIT | ||||||||
| COUNTY | 1 PERSON | 2 PERSON | 3 PERSON | 4 PERSON | 5 PERSON | 6 PERSON | 7 PERSON | 8 PERSON |
| Atlantic County | $46,450 | $53,100 | $59,750 | $66,350 | $71,700 | $77,000 | $82,300 | $87,600 |
| Bergen County | $54,950 | $62,800 | $70,650 | $78,500 | $84,800 | $91,100 | $9,7350 | 103,650 |
| Burlington County | $54,150 | $61,850 | $69,600 | $77,300 | $83,500 | $89,700 | $95,900 | $102,050 |
| Camden County | $54,150 | $61,850 | $69,600 | $77,300 | $83,500 | $89,700 | $95,900 | $102,050 |
| Cape May County | $48,100 | $54,950 | $61,800 | $68,650 | $74,150 | $79,650 | $85,150 | $90,650 |
| Cumberland County | $41,100 | $47,000 | $52,850 | $58,700 | $63,400 | $68,100 | $72,800 | $77,500 |
| Essex County | $54,950 | $62,800 | $70,650 | $78,500 | $84,800 | $91,100 | $97,350 | $103,650 |
| Gloucester County | $54,150 | $61,850 | $69,600 | $77,300 | $83,500 | $89,700 | $95,900 | $102,050 |
| Hudson County | $55,250 | $63,150 | $71,050 | $78,900 | $85,250 | $91,550 | $97,850 | $104,150 |
| Hunterdon County | $57,800 | $66,050 | $74,300 | $82,550 | $89,200 | $95,800 | 102,400 | 109,000 |
| Mercer County | $54,950 | $62,800 | $70,650 | $78,500 | $84,800 | $91,100 | $97,350 | 103,650 |
| Middlesex County | $57,800 | $66,050 | $74,300 | $82,550 | $89,200 | $95,800 | 102,400 | $109,000 |
| Monmouth County | $54,950 | $62,800 | $70,650 | $78,500 | $84,800 | $91,100 | $97,350 | $103,650 |
| Morris County | $54,950 | $62,800 | $70,650 | $78,500 | $84,800 | $91,100 | $97,350 | $103,650 |
| Ocean County | $54,950 | $62,800 | $70,650 | $78,500 | $84,800 | $91,100 | $97,350 | $103,650 |
| Passaic County | $54,950 | $62,800 | $70,650 | $78,500 | $84,800 | $91,100 | $97,350 | $103,650 |
| Salem County | $54,150 | $61,850 | $69,600 | $77,300 | $83,500 | $89,700 | $95,900 | $102,050 |
| Somerset County | $57,800 | $66,050 | $74,300 | $82,550 | $89,200 | $95,800 | 102,400 | $109,000 |
| Sussex County | $54,950 | $62,800 | $70,650 | $78,500 | $84,800 | $91,100 | $97,350 | $103,650 |
| Union County | $54,950 | $62,800 | $70,650 | $78,500 | $84,800 | $91,100 | $97,350 | $103,650 |
| Warren County | $54,950 | $62,800 | $70,650 | $78,500 | $84,800 | $91,100 | $97,350 | $103,650 |
WHEN
CVERAP Phase II applications will only be accepted ONLINE. The application period opens March 22nd, 2021 at 9:00 am Eastern Standard Time.
ENROLLMENT PROCESS
CVERAP Phase II applications can be submitted ONLINE starting on March 22nd at 9:00 a.m. with the use of a personal computer, laptop, smartphone, or tablet at https://njdca.onlinepha.com. The application at this link will not be accessible before March 22nd at 9:00 a.m.
Paper CVERAP Phase II applications will not be distributed or accepted. Only one CVERAP Phase II application per household will be accepted. Prospective rental assistance will be subject to three-month recertifications. Duplicate CVERAP Phase II applications will be rejected.
HOUSEHOLD INFORMATION REQUIRED
Names, birthdates, income information for all individuals living in the household, as well as:
-Landlord information;
-Current and previous housing assistance received, if any;
-Evidence of financial hardship due, directly or indirectly, to the COVID-19 pandemic;
-Evidence of being high risk for experiencing homelessness or housing instability;
-Lease agreement; and
-Proof of arrearages.
An email address is also required. If you do not have an e-mail address, the application process will allow you to create one. If you are not proficient in English, the CVERAP Phase II application is available in 90 languages. This information can be found starting on March 22nd, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. at https://njdca.onlinepha.com, at the top right of the application.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS
The Department of Community Affairs will extend reasonable accommodations to disabled individuals, and person who have limited English proficiency on a case-by-case basis and will take into consideration the disability and the need(s) of the individual(s) or those households without internet access. Please contact DCA’s Applicant Service at 609-490-4550, for assistance. 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.
LOTTERY PROCESS
A computerized selection (lottery) process will be used to determine the order in which applications will be selected for eligibility determination. Every application submitted during the open application period has the same chance of being selected during the lottery.
Please be advised that the submission of a CVERAP Phase II application does not guarantee placement in the program, nor does it guarantee CVERAP Phase II temporary rental assistance.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Status information will be available at: https://njdca.onlinepha.com by March 22nd, 2021. At this site, you can check the status of your application.
Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions at: www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/dhcr/offices/docs/FAQs_CVERAP.pdf if you have any further questions.
Continue to check DCA’s website to see when new waiting lists will be opened in the future.
OTHER LANGUAGE OPTIONS
More language options coming soon.
If you have questions, please contact: COVID.Rental.Assistance@dca.nj.gov or call: 609-490-4550
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