Monmouth County OKs nearly $1M contract to get COVID relief money to renters
FREEHOLD - Monmouth County will once again tap a Parsippany-based company to help it get more than $38.4 million in federal COVID-19 relief money into the hands residents who owe back rent because of the pandemic.
Monmouth County Commissioners approved a $984,000 contract with Solix Inc. to administer its Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which provides up to $30,000 for households to pay back rent and up to three months of future rent to prevent homelessness.
To be eligible, an applicant must have qualified for unemployment benefits or experienced a loss in income, incurred significant costs or faced other financial hardships because of COVID-19. They also have to be able to show they have a risk of homelessness or housing instability and have an income that is 80% or less of the area's median income.
That's $55,950 for a single person or $79,900 for a family of four in Monmouth County.
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The new contract means Solix will administer the program in 2022. The Parsippany-based company received a $871,000 contract to administer the ERAP program in 2021, a $940,000 contract to handle its COVID-19 grant program for small businesses and nonprofit agencies, and a $270,000 contract with the county health department for data entry of COVID-19 vaccination records.
Ocean County also offers help to its residents who owe back rent because of the pandemic. Eligibility for the program is the same as in Monmouth County, however Ocean County pays up to $26,610 in rental assistance.
The income eligibility is also slightly different for in Ocean County, where 80% of the area's median income is $61,280 for a single person or $87,520 for a family of four.
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Like Monmouth County, Ocean County also hired a vendor to help them design its rental assistance program and process applications. Washington, D.C.-based crisis management firm Witt O'Brien handles about 80% to 90% of the paperwork associated with the application, but Ocean County has the final sign-off on approving and disbursing the rental aid, County Administrator Carl Block said.
Ocean County approved a $1.6 million contract in February 2021 with Witt O'Brien to help administer its first tranche of federal COVID-19 rental assistance and a $1.2 million contract with the firm over the summer to handle applications for the second round of federal aid.
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Renters or landlords can apply for the emergency rental assistance.
To apply in Monmouth County, visit www.monmouthcountyerap.com or call 848-801-1297 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
To apply in Ocean County, visit www.co.ocean.nj.us/OC/frmRERAP.aspx or call 833-753-9671 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
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Susanne Cervenka covers Monmouth County government and property tax issues, winning several state and regional awards for her work. She's covered local government for 15 years, with stops in Ohio and Florida before arriving in New Jersey in 2013. Contact her at @scervenka; 732-643-4229; scervenka@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: COVID-19 back rent: Monmouth County inks deal to get help to renters
