Housing and Utilities Assistance

• Feb 06, 2022

Comfort Partners: This program is designed to improve energy affordability for income eligible households through direct installation of free energy efficiency measures and education about steps to save energy. For more information or to apply, call 1-888-773-8326 or visit: www.njcleanenergy.com/residential/programs/comfort-partners/comfort-partners.

Community Action Agencies (CAA): Offer programs to assist low-income families and individuals, such as: rental assistance, housing rehabilitation, weatherization, relocation assistance, and family self-sufficiency. For more information or to apply, please contact the agency serving your County of residence. For a list of agencies by county, visit:
www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/dhcr/offices/caalist.html.

Emergency Assistance (EA): Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients and WorkFirstNJ clients (individuals or families receiving public assistance) facing immediate risks of homelessness and those who have experienced a substantial loss of housing, food, clothing, or household furnishings due to a disaster may receive emergency assistance (EA) for a limited period of time. EA benefits may include, but are not limited to: essential food, clothing, shelter, and household furnishings; temporary rental assistance or back rent or mortgage payments; utility payments (such as heat, water, and electric); transportation to search for housing; and moving expenses. Contact your County Board of Social Services to request EA.

Homelessness Prevention Programs: Limited financial assistance to low- and moderate-income tenants in imminent danger of eviction due to temporary financial problems. You must have an
eviction or foreclosure notice. For more information or to apply, please contact the agency serving your County of residence. For a list of agencies by county, visit: www.state.nj.us/dca/divisions/dhcr/offices/hpp.html

Life-Sustaining Equipment Program: If you or a member of your household rely on electricity to operate life-sustaining equipment, such as a respirator or dialysis machine, it is important that you notify your utility company. In such cases, companies work with you to prevent shutoffs
should you fall behind in paying your electric bills.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and Universal Service Fund (USF): utility assistance. LIHEAP covers heating. USF covers electric and natural gas. Call 1-800-510-3102 or visit: https://www.state.nj.us/dca/divisions/dhcr/offices/agencydirectorylist.html

New Jersey Housing Resource Center (NJHRC): The New Jersey Housing Resource Center has an online tool that will allow you to search thousands of affordable, subsidized and market rate units throughout New Jersey. You can customize your search based on your specific needs, budget, and desired location. The NJHRC is free, anonymous, and updated regularly. To access the NJHRC, visit: nj.gov/njhrc/ or call 1-877-428-8844.

NJ Lifeline Utility Assistance: NJ DHS. $225 per year for gas and electric for seniors and people with disabilities who meet the pharmaceutical assistance to the aged and disabled (PAAD) eligibility requirements or who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Call 1-800-792-9745 or https://njdoas-ua.force.com/njsave/quickstart

NJ SHARES (not-for-profit): assistance in energy, phone, and water bills. www.njshares.org/whereToApply/index.asp or phone at 1-866-657-4273.

New Jersey Weatherization Assistance Program (NJWAP): This program assists income eligible NJ residents in weatherizing their homes, improving their heating system efficiency and conserving energy. The NJ WAP contracts with a network of community-based organizations that deliver weatherization throughout the State. For more information call 609-984-1947.

Payment Assistance for Gas & Electric (PAGE): up to $1,500/year in benefits to pay utility bills. Must be facing a crisis situation that includes a documented notice of overdue payment for gas and/or electric service and have a past history of making regular payments towards their utility bills. call 1-855-465-8783 or visit: https://njpoweron.org/page/.

Section 8 Housing Voucher Program and the State Rental Assistance Program (SRAP): These programs help make safe and quality private housing affordable to low-income households by direct rent subsidy payments to landlords. There are waiting lists for these programs. To see if the waiting lists are accepting pre-applications, please visit the statewide open enrollment waiting list site at: www.nj.gov/dca/vouchers.html

Telephone Discounts: discount on monthly bill, based on your income or participation in other assistance programs. In general, if you participate in any of the following programs you also may qualify for telephone assistance: Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families/Work First New Jersey (TANF), General Assistance (GA), Lifeline Utility Credit/Tenants Lifeline Assistance, Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP/HEAP), Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, National School Lunch Program. The following providers participate in Lifeline Assistance and Link Up programs in New Jersey:

1. Verizon New Jersey: Call NJSHARES regarding Communications Lifeline at 1-888-337-3339.
2. CenturyLink/United Telephone Company of New Jersey: 1-800-201-4099, www.centurylink.com/Pages/Support/LifeLine;
3. Warwick Valley Telephone: 1-800-952-7642, www.momentumtelecom.com;
4. SafeLink Wireless: 1-800-977-3768, www.safelink.com;
5. Virgin Mobile: Call Assurance Wireless at: 1-888- 898-4888, www.assurancewireless.com

Winter Termination Program: Administered by the board of public utilities, the Winter Termination Program (WTP) protects specific categories of customers from having their gas or electric shut off between November 15th and March 15th. Those enrolled in specific programs (such as SSI, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, USF, and Lifeline) are protected by WTP, and an additional “catch-all” category is included for people unable to pay their utility bills because of circumstances beyond their control, such as unemployment or
illness. For more information, call 800-624-0241.