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Welcome to Community Matters, a newsletter connecting you to the Department of Community Affairs (DCA).
I'm pleased to offer you this quarter's edition of Community Matters.
It's a new year and DCA is ready for all 2022 has to offer. We are all recovering from the effects of the pandemic and trying to get back to a sense of normalcy. We know for some there are still some challenges. That is why DCA is here to help.
We have stood up a number of programs that are ready to assist those in need.
This newsletter highlights some of those efforts.
I hope you will share Community Matters with your colleagues.
See you in the next edition.
Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver
DCA Commissioner
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PREVENT YOURSELF FROM GETTING EVICTED!
Self-Certify Your Household Income To Avoid Eviction
Even though the COVID-19 eviction moratorium has ended, the State has introduced critical protections to renter households who experienced economic hardships during the pandemic.
If you live in a New Jersey household with income below 120% of your county's Area Median Income, you are permanently protected from eviction or removal at any time for nonpayment of rent, habitual late payment of rent, or failure to accept a rent increase that accrued from March 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021.
Depending on your household's income level and specific circumstances, you may also be eligible for protection from eviction or removal for nonpayment of rent through December 31, 2021, and other assistance and services.
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HOUSEHOLDS WITH OVERDUE UTILITY BILLS SHOULD APPLY FOR
UTILITY RELIEF TODAY
The Moratorium on Home Energy Terminations Has Ended and Shut Offs Can Proceed
DCA is alerting households with overdue electric and natural gas bills that the utility moratorium has ended. Households should immediately apply for utility assistance if they haven't already. Those that are having difficulty applying are encouraged to contact the nonprofit community organization in their county of residence that is working with DCA to provide application assistance.
Don’t get disconnected. As of March 15, 2022, utility companies are able to resume service shutoffs for nonpayment.
Call NJ 2-1-1 if you or someone you know needs assistance.
Households can visit the DCAid Service Portal to find out if they are eligible for DCA's assistance programs and/or to apply for assistance.
A list of the community organizations providing application assistance is available here.
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APPLICATION PERIOD OPEN FOR LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLD
The New Jersey Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) provides financial assistance to households (billholders) who have fallen behind on their water and wastewater (sewer) payments as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Don’t get shut off. Utility companies are now able to resume service shutoffs for nonpayment after March 15, 2022.
Households can visit the DCAid Service Portal to find out if they are eligible for DCA's assistance programs.
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NJHMFA LAUNCHES PROGRAM FOR STRUGGLING HOMEOWNERS
The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency recently announced the launch of the Emergency Rescue Mortgage Assistance Program (ERMA). The program provides up to $35,000 in assistance to cover mortgage arrearages, delinquent property taxes, and other housing cost delinquencies for eligible homeowners negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. New Jersey’s program utilizes $325.9 million of federal Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) money and is expected to help thousands of families get back on their feet, stabilizing New Jersey’s most at-risk communities. Foreclosures don’t just hurt the family experiencing them. They negatively impact the surrounding properties in their neighborhood and hurt their larger community. This assistance offers struggling families a lifeline and can make other loss mitigation options, such as refinancing, viable.
ERMA will also provide free housing counseling services to help New Jersey homeowners apply for this program, guide them through all available options, and even work with their loan servicers to achieve the best outcome available for their families. These counselors will also ensure that the process is accessible to those without access to the internet or those having difficulties navigating the process.
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DCA, DEP, AND BPU RELEASE BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES TO ENSURE TOWNS ARE EV READY
The Murphy Administration took another step toward electrifying New Jersey’s transportation sector in September, unveiling a statewide municipal ordinance that makes it easier for people to drive electric by streamlining the local approval process for installing convenient and cost-effective electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The model ordinance, which provides minimum requirements and consistent guidance for electrification, is the result of legislation signed by Governor Phil Murphy in July and is effective immediately in each of the State’s 564 municipalities.
The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) developed the statewide municipal ordinance to ensure that Electric Vehicle Supply/Service Equipment (EVSE) and Make-Ready parking spaces would be permitted uses in all areas of the state in order to enable EV adoption among residents who can’t charge at home. It also helps to alleviate “range anxiety” by increasing the proximity of charging infrastructure while giving residents the confidence to drive electric.
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APPLICATION PERIOD OPEN FOR $10 MILLION FOR PRESERVATION PLANNING, HERITAGE TOURISM, AND CAPITAL GRANT FUNDING
The New Jersey Historic Trust, an affiliate of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), announced that the applications for the Preserve New Jersey Historic Preservation Fund grants are now available.
This year, the Trust has committed to awarding $10 million in Preserve New Jersey Historic Preservation funds and will offer both planning and heritage tourism (Historic Site Management) grants and ‘bricks and mortar’ (Capital Preservation) grants. Eligible applicants are 501c non-profit organizations, as well as units of county, municipal or state government. Properties must be certified eligible for listing on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places by August 1, 2022 to be eligible to receive funds.
Applications must be submitted by April 14, 2022.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the Grant Guidelines to determine if the proposed project is eligible for funding. Staff is available to answer questions at 609-984-0473 or njht@dca.nj.gov.
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DCA LAUNCHES USER-FRIENDLY DATABASE
DCA launched the User Friendly Budget Database, which is intended to make budget, staffing, personnel cost, debt, and financial information for New Jersey municipalities accessible to the public in a flexible, easy-to-use format.
The budget database allows any user to pull budget, staffing, financial and debt information going back to 2015 for municipalities into an interactive table format. There is also a graph feature that allows any metric to be visualized over time, a glossary tab that explains the meaning of the terms used for the non-municipal finance professionals, and an instructions tab that explains how to use the interactive table. Users can also access summary data for all municipalities, organized by year with each year in its own tab.
The budget database is based on a summary of data already entered in the User Friendly Budgets prepared by New Jersey municipalities for their adopted budgets since 2015.
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NEW GIS MAPPING ENHANCEMENT FOR BROWNFIELD CLEANUP AND REDEVELOPMENT AVAILABLE TO IMPROVE ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL OUTCOMES FOR COMMUNITIES
It is now easier to identify once contaminated and blighted properties that present unique opportunities for economic development and environmental improvement. In collaboration with the Department of Community Affairs and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, the Department of Environmental Protection has enhanced its Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping application, creating a Brownfields Inventory mapping layer that makes valuable information about brownfields sites easily accessible, helping investors, developers, community leaders, Licensed Site Remediation Professionals (LSRPs), and the public identify brownfields with redevelopment potential.
Cleaning and redeveloping brownfields can help to revitalize neighborhoods, improve public safety, create jobs, enhance the tax base, establish open space, and catalyze regional growth. Every brownfield remediation is restoring injured natural resources and helping to preserve resources within greenfields and woodlands that are providing valuable services to the public and might otherwise be developed.
Based on information accessible through DEP records and available through the DEP Brownfields Program and the DCA New Jersey Community Asset Map, the Brownfields Inventory GIS layer provides details on potential target sites, including acreage, cleanup status, and property owner contact information.
Access the Brownfields Inventory here.
Additionally, NJEDA recently announced that it is accepting applications for the new Brownfields Impact Fund, which provides grant funding and low-interest loans to public sector and non-profit organizations, as well as low-interest loans to for-profit organizations, to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites throughout the state.
While applicants from any city can now apply, only applicants with projects located in the 12 CCI communities will be considered for the first 90 days the application is available. After April 20, applications from non-CCI communities will also be considered. The application and more information are available at https://www.njeda.com/brownfieldsimpactfund/
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MORE THAN $19.5 MILLION IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST FUND GRANTS AWARDED TO PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE STATE
More than $19.5 million in Affordable Housing Trust Fund grants was awarded to organizations for 102 affordable rental and homeownership units across the state. The fund is administered by DCA and provides financial assistance for the development of different types of affordable housing projects to create stronger, fairer communities in which people can afford to live.
The projects selected for awards demonstrated strong municipal support, participation in other state-funded community development initiatives, partnerships with private sector investors, sustainability and/or resilience components, walkability, connection to a mix of uses, accessibility, and thoughtfulness in addressing gentrification.
All the awards were given to smaller rental and homeownership housing projects sized at 25 or fewer units, which often have difficulty obtaining financing. These projects will fill the gaps within the existing affordable housing framework, build on current assets and investments, and add value to neighborhoods. The projects are also being developed by community-based organizations that have a strong connection to the housing equity issues in their communities.
Photo: Completed affordable housing projects in Highland Park, NJ.
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DCA AWARDS $10 MILLION IN LOCAL RECREATION IMPROVEMENT GRANTS TO 162 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ACROSS THE STATE
DCA awarded $10 million in Local Recreation Improvement Grants to counties, municipalities, and school districts across New Jersey to ensure public access to quality outdoor recreation and community resources. The grants were awarded to 162 local governments after a competitive application process.
Grant recipients will use the funding to help cover costs associated with updating community centers, playgrounds, pools, fields, walking or bicycle trails, rail trails, multi-sport courts, and recreational facilities. The grants can also be utilized for one-time personnel costs directly related to improvements; project development professional services costs; equipment costs including playground and recreation facilities equipment; environmental remediation costs required to prepare recreation sites for use; and staff training costs.
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GOVERNOR MURPHY SIGNS LEGISLATION AIMED AT INCENTIVIZING SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO EXPLORE MERGING WITH NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES TO HELP REDUCE PROPERTY TAXES |
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Governor Murphy recently signed bill S3488, which provides school districts with incentives to study regionalization and establishes a grant program within DCA’s Division of Local Government Services for cost reimbursement of school district regionalization feasibility studies. The studies will explore how districts could merge and if a potential merger would result in cost savings and other benefits for taxpayers.
The grant program will provide reimbursement of eligible costs associated with conducting feasibility studies that support the creation of meaningful and implementable plans to form or expand regional school districts, including forming county-wide and regional districts. The grant application period will be opening soon.
Under the bill, the school districts will be reimbursed for eligible costs of studies with 50 percent of the award to be distributed after the grant application is approved and the remaining 50 percent to be distributed following acceptance of the completed feasibility study. Once a study has been completed, the school districts may follow through with service sharing agreements but are not obligated to do so.
The legislation also includes significant incentives for school districts with shrinking enrollments. School districts facing Adjustment Aid cuts will see their aid reductions cut in half and stretched out from four years to eight years if they take part in studies and move forward on regionalization.
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NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION PROGRAM 2.0
Connecting Neighborhoods & Local Districts
After a successful 35-year history of neighborhood-oriented residential-based revitalization efforts followed by a seven-year hiatus, the Neighborhood Preservation Program (NPP) was reinstated in 2019. The goal of this new NPP 2.0 program is to take the broad goals of the NPP’s enabling legislation that focus on creating a stronger and fairer New Jersey in “Threatened but Viable” neighborhoods and create an expanded effort that makes the connection between commercial areas and adjacent residential neighborhoods – between quality of life and quality of the local economy.
Through NPP, DCA provides grants and its State NPP Team offers a robust array of technical assistance and training in support of locally-sourced and bottom-up efforts that create visible and tangible change, leverage other public and private resources, and address real needs and aspirations of each community.
In 2022, in addition to providing grants ($125,000/year), technical assistance and training support is offered to 40 designated communities’ districts. Building off a pilot program created in 2021, a statewide partnership with NJ SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) was launched that offers targeted small business mentoring at no cost to businesses in NPP Districts statewide. When a business completes the mentoring program and has mentor-approved actions to enhance their operations, local NPP programs can offer $1,000 Business Innovation Grants to pay for those changes, in addition to any storefront improvement or facade grants they may otherwise have as part of their NPP Implementation Plans.
It is the ongoing technical assistance and training that NPP provides and facilitates that really makes the program work as well as it does. Since the fall of 2019, the State NPP Team hosts a monthly statewide online workshop that brings in experts and showcases local NPP (or sometimes national and even international) best practices. NPP encourages local partners to push limits and try new ideas and approaches to continually reinvent ways to achieve local goals with State technical guidance, training, and financial support.
Above: “We Bloom” Mural made possible by NPP Downtown Pleasantville
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LT. GOVERNOR OLIVER ATTENDS RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY FOR TWO-FAMILY HOUSING UNIT IN NEWARK SERVING FAMILIES THAT ARE HOMELESS AND/OR SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver joined Lua Homes, LLC and affiliated company M&M Development Company, LLC. to celebrate the completion of two new homes in Newark for unhoused families who are survivors of domestic violence. The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) National Housing Trust Funds (NHTF) were used to acquire the property and for the new construction of the two-family building.
The new residences serve families who earn less than 30% of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) average median income and are unhoused due to domestic violence. DCA contributes project-based Section 8 Vouchers to NHTF units to provide rental assistance to extremely low-income families that will occupy the apartments. The RWJ Barnabas Health Safe House continues to provide services to these families after they relocate to apartments and for as long as services are required.
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Above: DCA Deputy Administrator Lorissa Luciani and Administrator James Lordi discuss affordable housing in New Jersey.
Left: Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver, DCA Commissioner, joins City of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Lua Homes President Maria Yglesias, M&M Principal Maria Del Mar Lopez Project Manager Chris Yglesias, City of Newark staff, and DCA Administrator James Lordi for a ribbon-cutting for two new affordable housing developments in Newark.
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DISCOVER THE HISTORY OF NEW JERSEY THROUGH THE JOURNEY THROUGH JERSEY WEBSITE
In 2017, the New Jersey Historic Trust launched Journey Through Jersey, the first website dedicated solely to promote heritage tourism in the state, and to support and improve quality visitor experiences at New Jersey's many and diverse historic sites. That same year, Journey Through Jersey received a New Jersey Historic Preservation Award for, “pioneering efforts in sustainability, historic preservation education, or interpretive programs” from the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office and Historic Sites Council, and the Sarah B. Fiske Legacy & Leadership Award from Preservation New Jersey. Since 2017, Journey Through Jersey has continued to thrive as the State’s go-to website for all things heritage tourism.
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DCA SHARES AWARD WITH ATLANTIC CITY STAKEHOLDERS FOR 'STEM' COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR
The Atlantic City Initiatives Project Office (ACIPO) within the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) was recognized by the New Jersey STEM Pathways Network as part of a group that won the ‘STEM Collaboration of the Year’ award. The distinction was for a project that ACIPO led to bring the Mark Cuban Foundation’s Artificial Intelligence Boot Camp to Atlantic City last fall for underserved high school students in the Atlantic City area. Additionally, the educational camp is leading to the creation of apprenticeship opportunities in the areas of cybersecurity and data analytics for Atlantic City young adults.
ACIPO shared the award with Atlantic Cape Community College, Atlantic City School District, Mindbytes, South Jersey Industries, and South Jersey STEM and Innovation Partnership (SJSIP).
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EVICTIONS AND LEGAL SERVICES
Tenants threatened with eviction can contact the following legal services organizations for help and representation (in some instances for free).
- Legal Services of New Jersey at (888) 576-5529
- Volunteer Lawyers for Justice at (973) 645-1955
- Community Health Law Project (for individuals with disabilities) at (973) 275-1175
- City of Newark’s Office of Tenant Legal Services (for Newark tenants) at (973) 877-9424
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FORECLOSURE, PRE-FORECLOSURE, AND RENTAL COUNSELING
At the direction of Governor Murphy, the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency’s (NJHMFA) housing counseling initiative has expanded to include renters, who may be concerned with eviction, and homeowners who may need counseling to help prevent possible foreclosure. These services are available at no cost .
NJHMFA is expanding its Foreclosure Mediation Assistance Program (FMAP) to include renter and pre-foreclosure counseling by utilizing a network of participating housing counselors in each county. The counseling is available now and can be provided remotely.
The pre-foreclosure counseling can provide upfront assistance to help homeowners avoid potential foreclosure. At the same time, the counseling made available to renters will guide them on how to approach discussions with their landlords on dealing with their rent situation.
Renters can learn more about their rights and the resources available to them during the
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LEGAL RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR TENANTS AND LANDLORDS
An updated edition of the Truth in Renting guide is posted on the Department’s website as a resource for residential tenants and landlords to learn about their legal rights and responsibilities.
The reference guide includes information about lease agreements; payment and collection of rent; habitability; evictions; senior citizens and protected tenants; foreclosures; security deposits; and other topics pertaining to residential tenancies in New Jersey.
The Truth in Renting guide is periodically updated to include the most current information available. Because the Truth in Renting guide is a general resource document, it is not meant to reflect the special circumstances that New Jersey experienced during the declared COVID-19 State of Emergency, which ended March 7, 2022. Therefore, the guide does not include Executive Orders or COVID-19 pandemic response programs related to housing since they are temporary in nature. While the guide does not reference specific COVID-19 response programs, they remain in effect in accordance with the applicable program guidelines.
To view the Truth in Renting Guide in both English and Spanish, visit:
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ELIGIBILITY SCREENING TOOL FOR DCA PROGRAMS
DCAid is an eligibility screening tool designed to help New Jersey residents find available DCA housing-related and utility assistance programs for which they may qualify. The completely anonymous eligibility screening process is user friendly and takes only 1-2 minutes to complete.
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FREE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IS AVAILABLE FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
Need assistance with planning services including master plans and redevelopment plans, land use planning and mapping, economic development plans or special municipal projects?
DCA's Office of Local Planning Services (LPS) has made an ongoing commitment to provide FREE technical assistance to local governments.
Interested municipalities can contact LPS Director Sean Thompson at 609-292-1716 or via email at lpsmail@dca.nj.gov.
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IS YOUR MUNICIPALITY INTERESTED IN SHARED SERVICES?
DCA's Division of Local Government Services' (DLGS) Local Assistance Bureau (LAB) offers technical assistance for each step of the shared services process from identification through implementation at no cost.
The goal of the Bureau is to cultivate best practices in local governments and to link local agencies that might be facing challenges to the State’s comprehensive network of resources. DCA is encouraging any local government agency that has a specific need or an idea that requires assistance to reach out to the Local Assistance Bureau (LAB) within DLGS to set up a consultation. The Bureau’s technical assistance advisors have years of expertise and a track record of producing efficiencies and achieving savings in municipalities.
The Bureau can provide shared services and consolidation assistance to help towns achieve property tax savings. DLGS also awards grants to local government entities to help them pursue shared services as an option for driving down costs.
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DCA LAUNCHES OPEN DATA PORTAL TO THE PUBLIC
The Division of Local Government Services recently made available Phase I of its Open Data Portal. This database is directly connected to the Financial Automation Submission & Tracking (FAST) system. It makes full documents and various data points available for public view. In addition to data collected through FAST, the Open Data Portal provides general information about each municipality and county, including form of government, population, and contact information.
Currently, users may access the Annual Debt Statement and Supplemental Debt Statement for municipalities and counties from 2017 to present. The Open Data Portal not only allows users to access these documents, but also contains an interactive “Debt” tile that allows for the comparison of Net Debt expressed as a percentage of Average Equalized Valuation across multiple municipalities and counties, which is displayed on a representative and searchable heat map.
The Division will continue to expand the availability of data across categories and metrics as its data pool increases. The portal will ultimately permit search and comparison of all statutorily required financial documents submitted through FAST, as well as a complementary suite of data exploration tools that empower users to easily compare a variety of metrics across local units based on similar demographics, geography, or location. Visit the Open Data Portal
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COMMUNITY ASSET MAP
The Community Asset Map is an interactive mapping tool that makes it possible to see the characteristics and amenities of each of New Jersey's 564 communities. Municipal leaders, businesses, and even homeowners can use the Community Asset Map to help make strategic development and investment decisions that will benefit their communities.
The mapping tool provides overlay options that allow users to view valuable economic, local planning, environmental, and workforce statistics as well as predominant land uses, property sales, and job density. These features allow potential investors and stakeholders to view where the State has targeted its investments through special designations, such as Urban Enterprise Zones, Transit Villages, Opportunity Zones, and the projects within them.
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NEW JERSEY REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OFFERS NEW TRAINING INSTITUTE COURSES
New Jersey Redevelopment Authority's (NJRA) Training Institute (TI) has announced its new courses beginning this spring. TI offers intensive intermediate-level training courses, which focus on development and redevelopment fundamentals. The TI is designed to provide nonprofit and for-profit developers, professional consultants, licensed practitioners, entrepreneurs, and city/state/county staff with a body of knowledge of the redevelopment and real estate development process.
The NJRA understands the importance of education and the need for affordable redevelopment and real estate education for New Jersey communities. Recognizing that many communities are still recovering from the pandemic, all course offerings have been lowered to $10. Register today.
March 31
How to Work around the Labor Shortage and Supply-Chain Issues
April 21 - 22
Project Finance: Beginners to Intermediate
May 26
What is a Good Deal & When to Walk Away
June 23
Zoning and Land Use Law In New Jersey
July 28
Virtual CRED: New Park Project: 200-238 S. Second St., Elizabeth, NJ. Developer: GonSosa Development
September 15
The Nexus between Cannabis & Real Estate Development in the State of New Jersey
October 20
Understanding and Incorporating Tax Credits in your Project Finance Strategy (LIHTC, NMTC & HTC)
December 8
2023 Economic Outlook along with Emerging Trends in Real Estate Development and Small Business
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