Requests for voucher wait-list far surpass openings

141,000 seek 20,2000 spots in pursuit of housing help

By: Ashley Balcerzak
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... More than 141,000 households applied for the estimated 20,000 spots on a competitive statewide wait-list to secure a coveted Section 8 voucher to help them afford housing in New Jersey.
..... That's more than seven times the spots that were available for the federally funded program, also known as Housing choice Vouchers, that limits what low-income families need to spend on housing expenses to roughly a third of their paychecks, with the government subsidizing the rest owed to landlords.
..... The application was open for nearly three weeks. with certain New Jerseyans receiving priority placement on the wait-list, including veterans and their spouses, people experiencing homelessness, domestic violence survivors and people with disabilities.
..... People who secured spots will be notified via email. Applicants can also check their status Online after February 24 [2023] at WaitlistCheck.com/NJ559 .
..... On the day the application period opened, some people could not access the web-page because so many residents tried to log in at the same time.
..... The Department of Community Affairs, the statewide agency administering the program, worked with a software company to increase the bandwidth and said the website was functioning the next day.
..... In the 24 hours, families submitted more than 36,000 applications - almost double the number of wait-list spots available. Residents submitted a total of 141,413 applications while it was open.
..... Due to limited federal funding, only one in four families nationally who are eligible for rental assistance receive it. In contrast to programs such as food stamps that are available to all who qualify. After clearing the hurdle of getting on a wait-list, it can take years, depending on where a family lives, before a housing authority gives them the voucher.
..... Although it is illegal in New Jersey to deny someone housing because they have publicly subsidized assistance under the Law Against Discrimination, tenants who rely on aid often encounter landlords who don;t want to accept their applications and can deny them based on other factors, such as credit history.
..... New Jersey DCA Housing Choice Voucher program is the 13th-largest in the nation, serving more than 24,000 families each year with a $364 million annual budget. The statewide agency pays an average of $938 a month rent payment. New Jersey is also home to nearly 100 local housing authorities that offer additional vouchers for their regions.

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