Affordable Housing in New Jersey
Welcome to the New Jersey Money Follows the Person (MFP)/I Choose Home NJ Housing Resource page. New Jersey offers many resources to help you find affordable, accessible, safe housing.
Most housing experts agree that a person should pay no more than 30% of their income towards housing. In New Jersey, housing assistance comes in many different forms, including subsidized and affordable housing. Subsidized housing is housing that has subsidies from federal, state or local government for low and moderate income individuals. The rent is often based on a person's income.
Affordable housing is housing that has lower rents such as through programs like NJ Low Income Housing Tax Credit program (see HMFA below). Some of these programs include senior or disabled housing such as Section 202 or 811, housing with project vouchers, public housing, tax credit projects, rural housing, and multifamily housing including Section 236 and Section 8 housing.
NJ also has voucher programs that provide a subsidy to help an individual pay towards rent in any apartment that meets the program's qualifications of being safe and affordable. Common voucher programs include Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8), VASH (veterans), NED (non-elderly-disabled), NED-2 (non-elderly disabled transitioning from an institution) and SRAP (state rental assistance program).
In New Jersey, subsidized and affordable housing and voucher programs may have a wait list. Ask if the wait list has preferences (for age, disability, etc.) to see if you may be placed higher on the list. Get on the list! - the sooner you apply, the sooner you will move to the top.
How to Find Affordable Housing in NJ (Great Resources!)
To get started, please review our Housing Search Quick Reference Guide . This explains in detail what you will need to do to begin your housing search, including gathering required documents and identifying people who can help you. View the Guide .
Our ICHNJ Available Housing List is a list of available housing options by county, maintained by our ICHNJ Housing Specialist. We do our best to make sure it is up-to-date, but please know that housing opportunities constantly change.
New Jersey Housing Resource Center is a housing locator with a wealth of information about specific housing opportunities, including bedroom size and number, rent, accessible features, age restrictions, and budgeting assistance. They also have connections to housing programs in your area. Visit them online at www.njhrc.gov or call them at: 1-877-428-8844.
New Jersey 211 provides assistance 24 hours a day to help individuals locate available services in NJ. In addition to helping people address basic needs such as food, childcare, utilities, emergency preparedness, etc., they can also help identify housing and/or connect you with an agency that can help locate housing. Visit their page: www.nj211.org or call NJ2117 or 1-877-652-1148.
New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (State Housing Authority)
Guide to Affordable Housing by County:
HUD: US Department of Housing & Urban Development (Rent Information)
NJ Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) (for help with mortgages and housing resources):
1-800-NJ-HOUSE
609-278-7400
New Jersey's Aging & Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs)
Doorway to Information and assistance in all 21 counties for elderly people and people with disabilities:
1-877-222-3737
New Jersey Helps
Connects you to various forms of assistance, including housing, through the Department of Human Services and other NJ State partners:
Piazza & Associates
Manages affordable housing programs in some townships throughout NJ:
609-786-1100
www.affordablehousingonline.com
Home Renovations/Modifications
For information about making your home more accessible, cost, and possible financing, please see Adapting a Home for Disability Accessibility
Credit Information / Credit Repair For more information on credit & credit repair contact New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs at: www.NJConsumerAffairs.gov Or call toll free 1-888-656-6225
Free Legal Advice Contact Legal Services of New Jersey at: www.LSNJLawHotline.org Or call 1-888-LSNJ-LAW (1-888-576-5529)
Have questions or still don't know where to go?
Email us or call I Choose Home NJ at 1-855-466-3005 / 1-855-HOME-005
