Organizations Have Until May 15th to Submit Proposals to Develop Affordable Rental Units to Benefit Extremely Low-Income Households with Special Needs
Trenton, NJ – The Murphy Administration today encouraged non-profit and for-profit affordable housing developers to submit proposals to create decent, safe rental housing for extremely low-income individuals and families with special needs. Funding for the housing units will come from $5,599,220 in National Housing Trust Fund dollars the State of New Jersey received from the federal government.
“Governor Murphy and I are committed to building a stronger and fairer New Jersey for everyone who calls this great state home. Central to this commitment is increasing the availability of quality housing that is affordable and safe for people of limited financial means,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA). “I urge all affordable housing developers to submit proposals and participate in this worthwhile program.”
The DCA receives, distributes, and administers the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) dollars for the State. The program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), provides zero-percent loans to eligible housing developers to create affordable rental units through either rehabilitation or redevelopment. Occupancy of the units developed under this program is restricted to households at or below 30 percent of Area Median Income as defined by HUD for a period of at least 30 years.
The program will provide up to $400,000 in subsidy per unit (based on need and bedroom size). The maximum per project award is $700,000. Funding can be used for the following activities: acquisition, new construction, renovation, reconstruction and demolition. Acquisition and/or demolition must be directly related to new construction or reconstruction. All units must be vacant at the time a proposal is submitted.
Developers have until 5 p.m. on May 15, 2018, to submit proposals. They must also participate in a mandatory webinar on January 31, 2018, or attend a mandatory in-person meeting on February 6, 2018. Additional information about the Request for Proposals, webinar and in-person meeting is available at http://www.nj.gov/dca/announcements/pdf/NHTF_RFP_publication.pdf on the DCA website.
Notably, DCA will chip in some of its own funding for this initiative by contributing project-based rental assistance vouchers to those projects selected to receive NHTF dollars.
This is the second time DCA has received NHTF dollars for affordable housing production. In 2017, DCA awarded NHTF funds to six developers for projects that will benefit approximately 25 households, including individuals with special needs, once the projects are complete.
The 2017 funding recipients and projects are listed below:
Recipient Name | Title | Project Title | Project Description | Award Amount |
Affordable Housing Alliance, Inc. | Monmouth | Millstone Place | For the acquisition and new construction of four rental units. | $700,000 |
Coming Home of Middlesex County, Inc. | Middlesex | Homes for the homeless re-entry population of Middlesex County | For the acquisition and moderate rehabilitation of three rental units. | $566,800 |
Homeless Solutions, Inc. | Morris | 88 Martin Luther King, LLC | For the acquisition and new construction of eight rental units. | $696,406 |
Nouvelle, LLC | Bergen | James Street Reentry | For the acquisition and substantial rehabilitation of two rental units. | $700,000 |
Reformed Church of Highland Park Affordable Housing Corporation | Middlesex | Highland Park | For the acquisition and moderate rehabilitation of four rental units. | $600,000 |
Urban League of Essex County | Essex | Fairmount Heights Project | For the acquisition and substantial rehabilitation of three rental units. | $235,744 |
6 Projects | $3,498,950 |
The DCA was established in 1967 to improve state services to local government; address the issues at the time of urban decline and suburban development; and secure federal funds to fight poverty. Today, the Department offers a wide range of programs and services that respond to issues of public concern including affordable housing production, fire safety and building safety, community planning and development, local government management and finance, and disaster recovery.
For more information regarding the DCA, please log on to http://www.nj.gov/dca/.
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