This bill allows New Jersey municipalities to establish dedicated "Municipal Homelessness Trust Funds" and adopt comprehensive "Homeless Housing Plans" to address homelessness. Municipalities would create these trust funds using a new fee (collected by the municipality) and other local funds, which must be spent within four years on housing homeless individuals, preventing homelessness, and related services like emergency shelter support. Each municipality must form a task force - including people experiencing homelessness, community organizations, and local officials - to guide fund usage, measure outcomes, and report annually. The funds cannot pay municipal debts, and unspent money after four years transfers to the state for community-based housing initiatives.
S 2722 requires New Jersey's Department of Banking and Insurance to assess how well banks, credit unions, and savings institutions serve low- and moderate-income consumers and communities. The bill mandates that the Department evaluate these institutions' lending, investments, and financial services - including affordable housing, small business loans, and accessible branch networks - as part of routine examinations. This assessment will rate institutions on their community reinvestment performance, focusing on underserved neighborhoods and areas with economic hardship. The goal is to ensure financial institutions meet community needs while operating safely, without requiring new funding or altering existing banking regulations.
S 1803 expands financing options for affordable housing projects in New Jersey by broadening the definition of "eligible loans" to cover a wider range of housing types, including multi-family units, boarding houses (with specific exclusions), continuing-care retirement communities, assisted living, and mobile homes. It explicitly allows loans to finance related services like parking, utilities, community facilities, and life safety improvements in boarding houses, certified by the Department of Community Affairs. This bill directly affects low and moderate-income housing sponsors (developers, nonprofits, or for-profit entities) seeking funding for projects that provide residential housing. The key change is streamlining access to financing for diverse affordable housing models through the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency. The bill is currently pending in the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee.
This bill (S 2726) would allow New Jersey's Governor to issue an executive order preventing evictions and foreclosures for two specific groups during a federal government shutdown: federal employees who are furloughed or unpaid, and recipients of SNAP food assistance. The order would pause enforcement of eviction/foreclosure judgments (like removals or warrants) but not stop the legal proceedings themselves. Exceptions permit enforcement only if a court deems it necessary for justice or if the eviction isn't based on nonpayment of rent. The order would remain in effect for up to one month after the shutdown ends.
This bill (S 2895) requires counties containing cities of the first class (Newark and Jersey City, each with populations over 150,000) to impose a $3-$10 surcharge on real property documents filed in county offices. The surcharge funds are deposited quarterly into those cities' municipal affordable housing trust funds. The money must be used exclusively for rehabilitating or purchasing existing housing to create affordable units, or constructing new affordable housing. This provides a new revenue stream specifically for addressing housing affordability in these two largest New Jersey cities.
This bill amends New Jersey's emergency assistance program to expand temporary rental assistance for individuals facing homelessness, domestic violence, or extreme hardship. It allows recipients to receive up to 24 cumulative months of emergency assistance (extending the previous 12-month limit) under specific conditions, such as for families with dependent children in extreme hardship, disabled individuals, seniors over 60, or those providing full-time care for disabled dependents. Key provisions include mandatory monthly case reviews for extended assistance, requiring case management services focused on housing stability, and creating a new tracking system to report assistance usage annually to the legislature. The bill directly affects low-income residents receiving emergency aid through Work First New Jersey or Supplemental Security Income who face urgent housing crises.
S 3040 creates a 23-member "New Jersey Eviction Crisis Task Force" to study eviction trends and impacts across the state. The task force, including government officials, legislators, legal experts, and tenant advocates, will examine causes of eviction, its effects on families and communities, and potential policy solutions. It must submit findings and recommendations to the Governor and Legislature within 18 months of forming. This bill does not change current laws but aims to inform future housing policies by analyzing eviction data and existing programs. The task force will expire once its report is issued.
S 424 establishes a pilot program in Union City, Trenton, and Camden to address energy inefficiency and fire risks from unsealed spaces between residential buildings (open cockloft spaces). The program provides free weatherization measures - including fire-resistant barriers, insulation, and ventilation - for low- and moderate-income homeowners, while other property owners can pay for improvements through a 10-year property tax assessment. It appropriates $30 million and requires participating cities to inventory affected buildings and share data for evaluation.
This bill provides temporary financial protections for New Jersey homeowners and tenants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It requires mortgage lenders to grant at least 90 days of payment forbearance (a temporary pause on mortgage payments) to qualifying homeowners who lost income due to the pandemic, with an option for a second 90-day period. It also prohibits "non-essential evictions" for tenants who lost income or faced pandemic-related hardships, and prevents negative credit reporting for pandemic-related payment delays. These protections apply during the emergency period (the Governor's declared emergency plus 60 days) and cover renters and homeowners meeting income and hardship criteria.
This bill (S 1600) requires New Jersey municipalities to give veterans with qualifying military service (including wartime or emergency duty) priority access to 50% of affordable housing units in new developments. It mandates that veterans applying within 90 days of initial marketing receive preference for these units, followed by a special waiting list for remaining vacancies. After the initial 120-day marketing period, veterans on the special list get priority when units become available, ensuring the 50% preference rate is maintained. The policy applies to both rental and ownership affordable housing units and does not affect municipalities' ability to claim credit for these units toward their housing obligations.
