New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has signed legislation that will provide comprehensive housing eviction prevention and utility assistance for renters who have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislation appropriates an additional $500 million for the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program (CVERAP) and $250 million for utility assistance.
 
The bill also mandates new eviction and foreclosure moratorium deadlines and special eviction protections for tenants who were directly impacted by the pandemic. This legislation will ensure that New Jersey’s eviction moratorium continues through August for all state residents with household incomes below 120% Area Medium Income (AMI) and through the end of the year for certain households with incomes below 80% AMI. The recent announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extending the nationwide moratorium on evictions for 60 days may provide additional protections for certain residents.

The eviction prevention bill will gradually phase out the state’s eviction moratorium based on individual renters’ situations while mandating special protections for those who were unable to pay their rent during the period of March 1, 2020 through August 31, 2021, or, for certain tenants, through December 31, 2021. Additionally, the CVERAP program, which was previously aimed at those who were making less than 80 percent of AMI, will expand its scope of eligible applicants by August 31, 2021, to include those making less than 120 percent of AMI. 
 
The new funds bring the total funds allocated to the CVERAP Program to more than $1.2 billion. More than $100 million in federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds have been delivered throughout the state with nearly $131 million in rental relief having been distributed to more than 15,000 households to date. This is in addition to the $91.75 million distributed to 15,000 households in the first phase of the CVERAP program last year. 

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