Bill Text: NJ S2345 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Consolidates certain affordable housing and assistance applications.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-29 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee [S2345 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S2345-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator TROY SINGLETON
District 7 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
Consolidates certain affordable housing and assistance applications.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the consolidation of affordable housing pre-applications and subsidies and supplementing P.L.1983, c.530 (C.55:14K-1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency shall establish, and make available on the Internet website of the New Jersey Housing Resource Center or its successor, a single online application for individuals to pre-apply to multiple affordable and senior housing units and housing developments at one time. The application shall serve only as a pre-application to determine initial eligibility and standing on waitlists for the available housing and shall not serve as a final determination of eligibility. The application shall provide an individual the ability to select specific municipalities, counties, and general regions of the State for housing they wish to pre-apply. The application shall be applicable to all housing listed on the center's website, which shall include, but is not limited to: rental housing, for-sale housing, temporary housing, and priority housing.
b. The agency, in collaboration with the Division of Housing and Community Resources in the Department of Community Affairs, shall consolidate all applications for housing and housing related subsidies provided under any State or federal subsidy program into one application which shall be incorporated into the single online application established pursuant to subsection a. of this section. The application consolidating housing and housing related subsidy applications shall have the capability to serve as a final determination of eligibility. The consolidated application shall include, but shall not be limited to:
(1) the Section 8: Housing Choice Voucher Program;
(2) the State Rental Assistance Program;
(3) Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS;
(4) Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing;
(5) the Homeless Prevention Program;
(6) the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program;
(7) the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program;
(8) the Universal Service Fund;
(9) the Weatherization Assistance Program; and
(10) the Lead-Safe Home Remediation Program.
c. The agency shall, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt rules or regulations as are necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.
2. This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill directs the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency to establish, and make available on the Internet website of the New Jersey Housing Resource Center (center) or its successor, a single online application for individuals to pre-apply to multiple affordable and senior housing units and housing developments at one time. The bill also consolidates applications for housing and housing related subsidies into one application and incorporates this application into the online application to pre-apply for affordable housing.
Under the bill, the online application serves only as a pre-application to determine initial eligibility and standing on waitlists for the available housing and is not to serve as a final determination of eligibility. The application is to provide an individual with the ability to select specific municipalities, counties, and general regions of the State for housing they wish to pre-apply. The application is to be applicable to all housing listed on the center's website, which is to include, but is not to be limited to: rental housing, for-sale housing, temporary housing, and priority housing.
The bill also requires the consolidation of all applications for housing and housing related subsidies provided under any State or federal subsidy program into one application, which is to be incorporated into the single online application. The application consolidating housing and housing related subsidy applications is to have the capability to serve as a final determination of eligibility. The consolidated application is to include, but would not be limited to, several subsidy programs enumerated in the bill.
