New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund Provides $2.35 Million to Help Tenants Facing Eviction

The New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund, a nonprofit created to address the health and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus, is providing $2.35 million for free legal and counseling services to thousands facing eviction, according to an announcement. The Housing New Stability Project grant will provide the Housing & Community Development Network of New Jersey (HCDNNJ) with $1.89 million and Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) with $465,000, the announcement said. "The coronavirus pandemic has hit the most vulnerable the hardest, leaving many families worried about keeping a roof over their heads," said New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy, the founding chair of NJRPF, in a statement. "We hope this grant will help stave off a pending eviction crisis by helping at-risk tenants and landlords understand their rights and navigate a complex system during these incredibly trying times." New Jersey's unemployment rate has increased from 3.7% to 17% during the pandemic, and renters are more likely than homeowners to be employed by industries hit hardest by the economic fallout, the announcement said, citing data from the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at the University of California, Berkeley, and noting that an estimated 397,000 renters have lost income due to the shutdown, putting them at risk for eviction. Renters that are the most vulnerable are minorities, single female heads of households, domestic violence victims, the chronically ill (including those who have mental illness and