NJ Human Services Commissioner Reminds Residents & Providers About Assistance & Funding Opportunities

Encourages Residents to Seek Help from Programs & Help Lines; Urges Providers to Seek Child Care and Medicaid Funding

June 16, 2020

(TRENTON) –  Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson today reminded residents about available assistance programs and help lines, while also encouraging child care and Medicaid providers to pursue available funding opportunities.

“We are here to help,” Commissioner Johnson said. “Residents should never hesitate to check their eligibility for and to take advantage of our programs, whether it be food and cash assistance or health insurance, or a call to a help line for mental health care or addiction treatment. I also encourage child care and Medicaid providers to pursue available funding that can help their operations during this difficult period.”

Residents seeking:

• Food assistance, cash assistance and health insurance can visit www.njhelps.org;
• Mental health care assistance can reach NJMentalHealthCares by calling 866-202-HELP or texting NJHOPE to 51684 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily;
• Addiction treatment assistance can call 844-ReachNJ 24/7;
• Mental health care assistance through American Sign Language can call 973-870-0677 for videophone help;
• Suicide prevention assistance can call 855-654-6735 24/7 for the NJ Hopeline;
• Child care assistance can visit www.childcarenj.gov for information on child care and the state’s Child Care Subsidy Program;
• All residents can visit here to learn about immigrant eligibility for COVID-19 relief programs;
• Older residents can visit NJSave to learn how older adults and individuals with disabilities can save money on Medicare premiums, prescription costs, and other expenses;
• All residents can visit Register Ready to learn about New Jersey’s voluntary special needs registry for disasters, which allows residents with disabilities to provide information to emergency response agencies;
• Residents with disabilities can visit NJ ABLE, to learn about saving money while preserving their SSI and Medicaid benefits.

For Providers:

• Human Services has made available up to $20 million in grants to assist child care centers and youth camps in meeting health and safety guidelines in response to COVID-19. Child care centers can receive up to $5,000, while youth camps can receive up to $2,000.   The grants are available to licensed child care providers and youth camps that comply with updated state health and safety guidance. Providers should registered with the NJ Workforce Registry and can  apply through the New Jersey Child Care Information System (NJCCIS). Applications are subject to review and approval.

• Commissioner Johnson also urged health care providers who participate in New Jersey’s Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program to review and apply for $15 billion in funding made available by the federal government to help Medicaid providers impacted by COVID-19.  Information about eligibility and the application process is available here.