New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency

New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency

About NJHMFA

Mission Statement

The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA) advances the quality of life for residents of and communities throughout New Jersey by investing in, financing, and facilitating access to affordable rental housing and homeownership opportunities for low and moderate-income families, older adults, and individuals with specialized housing needs.

Statement of expertise

NJHMFA responds to the needs of New Jersey residents by implementing innovative programs and establishing alliances that:

  • Fund affordable home mortgages for first-time home buyers
    • Implement the Police & Fire Retirement System employee mortgage program
  • Generate the construction and rehabilitation of rental housing
    • Provide foreclosure prevention support and foreclosure hardship relief
  • Encourage diverse development types across markets
    • Facilitate the expansion of owner-occupied housing opportunities
  • Contribute to the growth and development of municipalities
  • Foster New Jersey’s economic development and the personal development of its residents
    • Provide oversight of rental housing managers and owners to promote the provision and maintenance of safe and affordable housing

Our Resources

NJHMFA raises program funds by:

  • Selling taxable and tax-exempt bonds and notes to private sector investors in national financial markets; and
  • Applying for and administering federal and state grants and housing assistance programs.

Executive Director

Melanie R. Walter 
Executive Director, New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA) NJHMFA Executive Director Melanie R. Walter

Melanie R. Walter brings broad-ranging experience in government and community-related matters in New Jersey state government to her role as Executive Director of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA). Before joining NJHMFA in January 2021, Walter previously served as Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Director of the Division of Local Government Services (DLGS) and formerly served as a Deputy Attorney General in New Jersey's Division of Law.

In the role of DCA Director of the Division of Local Government Services (DLGS) and Local Finance Board Chairwoman, Ms. Walter advocated for local government interests, revitalizing the Division’s supportive initiatives and developing grant programs while overseeing the financial and operational regulation of New Jersey local units to help ensure fiscal solvency. Through these functions, she championed transparency measures as well as expansive open data and local education programming and enhanced local procurement, municipal officer certification, and distressed municipality resources.   More recently, Ms. Walter has developed and implemented numerous COVID-19 response and recovery measures.

Prior to joining DCA in 2018, Walter served as Deputy Attorney General in the New Jersey Division of Law’s Personnel, Community Affairs, and Elections section. In that capacity, she counseled several departments, handling a broad array of complex counseling and litigation matters for the Department of Community Affairs, the Civil Service Commission, and other state agencies.

Ms. Walter, a New Jersey native, earned her Juris Doctor from the College of William and Mary School of Law, her master’s in public policy from the Thomas Jefferson Program in Public Policy at the College of William and Mary, and her bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Mary Washington. She is a member of the New Jersey and Virginia bars.

 

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About NJHMFA