New Monmouth County ERAP Jumps to $30,000

The Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners announced significant changes to the emergency rental assistance program, AKA “Monmouth County ERAP.”

New Ceiling Goes to $30,000
The changes will demonstrably increase the total maximum amount of funds from the current benefits of $15,000 per eligible household to $30,000 per eligible household.

This action comes as a result of the surge in the number of ERAP applications received by the County to date requesting additional financial assistance. The new threshold for access to these benefits will also cover any prior application that exceeded the $15,000 limit, which will be automatically re-evaluated by the County to determine eligibility for additional funding under the new $30,000 threshold.

Those who qualify will be making less than 80% of area median income (AMI) in accordance with the federal program guidelines.

Huge Increase in Benefits
“The Monmouth County ERAP will now allow eligible households to receive up to $30,000 for rental costs incurred on or after March 13, 2020. The Monmouth County ERAP applications can include rental arrears, prospective rent up to three months to prevent homelessness or housing instability, and household-related expenses such as relocation fees, late fees associated with rental payments and security deposits,” said Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone.

These increases will cover not only raising the total maximum amount of funds that applicants are eligible to receive, but will also cover reimbursement for costs associated with temporary hotel or motel stays for families who are not income-eligible for traditional emergency housing programs.

“Funding is now available for reimbursement of costs associated with temporary hotel or motel stays for families who are not income-eligible for the traditional emergency housing programs but fall below the 80 percent AMI.”

The objective of the Monmouth County ERAP is to safeguard against evictions and homelessness by providing rental assistance for eligible households in Monmouth County.

“The County is working, in partnership, with 11 community-based agencies and organizations that are active members of Monmouth ACTS to help identify potential applicants for the Monmouth County ERAP and assist them with the application process,” said Commissioner Deputy Director Susan M. Kiley. “A list of Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) can be found on the Monmouth County ERAP web portal and we are thankful to them for their assistance with this program.”