Essex County Offers Rent Aid To Prevent Homelessness Amid COVID – Montclair, NJ Patch

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Essex County is launching an emergency rent assistance program to help prevent homelessness during the coronavirus pandemic, officials announced Friday.

Officials are setting aside $5.5 million to fund the Essex County Coronavirus Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Eligible county residents who are facing eviction can get a grant for up to six months of rental assistance.

Applications can be made online here. There is a limited time to apply; the website will be open from Friday, Oct. 2 to Friday, Oct. 23.

Here’s how it works, according to county officials:

“Residents can apply for up to six months of rental assistance. When they visit https://portal.neighborlysoftware.com/essexcountynj/participant, residents will be asked to complete a short questionnaire and will be required to demonstrate why they are unable to pay their rent or provide proof of an impending eviction. Residents also must provide documentation of household income to confirm they meet certain income eligibility guidelines established by the federal government. The willing participation of the landlord is necessary for the application and the landlord must verify he or she will accept payment from Essex County. Residents and landlords also must affirm that funding assistance has not been received from other sources that would create a duplication of benefits. When an application is approved, the payment will be made directly to the landlord.”

The county will fund the initiative with grants from the Community Development Block Grant and Emergency Solutions Grant programs.

Brendan Gill, president of the Essex County Board of Commissioners, said the program will give struggling families some much-needed financial relief during an unprecedented crisis.

“The economic impact of the coronavirus has made it difficult for some households to maintain their housing during the pandemic,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said.

“Our Emergency Rental Assistance Program will help eligible residents pay up to six months of their rent and help them quickly exit homelessness during these uncertain times and benefits landlords who will receive rental payments so they can pay for property taxes and other expenses,” DiVincenzo said.

Essex County residents who own their homes and are facing foreclosure may be able to get help via a separate county-run program, which offers aid to homeowners who are struggling to meet their mortgage obligations. For more information about that program, contact the East Orange Community Development Corporation at 973-266-5315 or the Montclair Salvation Army at 973-744-3312.

Advocates across New Jersey have been warning for months that the pandemic may cause a wave of evictions and foreclosures as people struggle with unemployment.

With a whopping 2,214 people counted on Jan. 28, Essex County has about 23 percent of the state’s entire homeless population, according to the 2020 NJ Counts survey.