SENATOR SINGLETON SEEKS ANSWERS RE: DCA RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

(TRENTON) – Senator Troy Singleton, who serves as Chairman of the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee, sent the below letter to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs seeking answers regarding the administration of their emergency rental assistance programs.

August 19, 2022

Lieutenant Governor Sheila Y. Oliver

New Jersey Department of Community Affairs

101 South Broad Street

PO Box 800

Trenton, NJ 08625-0800

Via email

RE: Rental Assistance Programs COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program (CVERAP 1 &2), Eviction Prevention Program (EPP), and State Rental Assistance Program (SRAP)

Dear Lieutenant Governor Oliver,

I am writing to you today regarding concerns with the State’s various rental assistance programs. As the State Senator of the 7^th Legislative District and Chairman of the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee, I appreciate your attention to this matter.

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (NJDCA) administers the CVERAP 1 & 2, the EPP, and the SRAP programs, which have received media coverage recently outlining implementation and administrative issues. Some of the problems highlighted include delays in mailing and wrong addresses, which unfortunately, have resulted in landlords starting the eviction process. This is not just anecdotal; my office has received many requests for help from both tenants and landlords alike in trying to obtain their rental assistance, many of whom have been waiting for months.

Both you and I have shown a deep commitment to helping the most vulnerable populations in New Jersey and I look forward to continuing that work when it comes to renters who desperately need assistance. The need for rental assistance became even more evident when, last month, DCA received over 86,000 applications for SRAP, and only 4,000 households were accepted.

Therefore, can you please answer the following questions:

CVERAP 1 & 2 and EEP

• Can you provide a breakdown of the funds New Jersey has received, and how much has been allocated? How much has been spent on rent relief and how many families has it has assisted?
• It is my understanding that Nan McKay and Associates Inc. was contracted by the DCA to distribute emergency rental assistance to families in need. Can you speak to how they were selected?
• Every six months the state is required to review each family’s income to check if the assistance is still needed. Has the DCA conducted these reviews? Are there any families who no longer qualify? What is the process for getting those funds to a family on the waiting list?
• According to the press, some checks were sent to incorrect addresses. Can you speak to the process of check disbursement and check tracking to ensure they get to the correct recipient? What has DCA done to remedy the situation?
• Can you provide the number of individuals currently on the waiting list for emergency rental assistance funds?
• Lastly, can you please provide the geographical breakdown by county of those receiving awards?

SRAP:

• For the SRAP, what is the cost of the 4,000 who have been accepted? What is the average award for the 4,000 approved applicants?
• Will the 4,000 accepted applicants exhaust all SRAP funding?
• Can you provide the reason for the short timeframe (fifteen days) that the application for assistance was open and why it only opens every three to four years?
• How did the DCA notify the public of the opening of the program? Aside from legislators, did the DCA notify local officials before the application window opened?
• Given that the demand exceeds the resources, what would DCA need to expand access to the SRAP?
• Does DCA require citizenship and eligible immigration status for all members of a household for which an application has been submitted? If one member cannot establish eligible status, does it disqualify the entire household?
• Does DCA disqualify any applicant for use of illegal drugs? Or are persons only disqualified if they commit violent drug-related offenses or drug trafficking?
• Lastly, can you please provide the geographical breakdown by county of those receiving awards?

Thank you for your time and attention to this letter. I look forward to your response.

Most Sincerely,

Honorable Troy Singleton

Senator, 7^th Legislative District