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Utility Assistance
LIFELINE Credit/Tenants' LIFELINE Assistance Program
LIFELINE is a utility assistance program that offers a
yearly benefit of $225 to persons age 65 years and older,
and to certain disabled persons who are receiving Social
Security disability payments. You qualify if you meet all
of the following:
- You are a New Jersey resident at least 65 years of age,
OR at least 18 years of age and receiving Social Security
Disability benefits;
- You are single, and meet the annually established income requirements OR, you are married or a civil union couple, and your joint annual income meets the annually established income limits. The
income eligibility limits are increased by the amount
of the maximum Social Security benefit cost-of-living
increase for that year.
- You received utility bills in your name, spouse's or civil union partner's name,
OR you are a tenant and do not receive utility bills,
but the cost of your utilities is included in the rent.
You will automatically receive a LIFELINE application
if you are enrolled in: Pharmaceutical Assistance to the
Aged and Disabled (PAAD); Medical Assistance to the Aged
Continuation (MAAC); Medical Assistance Only (MAO); or any
of the Special Medicaid-Type Programs. In addition, if you
are receiving SSI benefits, your check issued by the Social
Security Administration automatically includes a monthly
amount which is equal to the annual LIFELINE benefit. This
amount will help to pay for the increased cost of utilities.
For more information, please contact LIFELINE, NJ Department
of Health & Senior Services, PO Box 715, Trenton, NJ 08625-0715,
telephone, toll-free, 1-800-792-9745 or your Area Agency
on Aging.
NEW JERSEY SHARES (New Jersey
Statewide Heating Assistance and Referral for Energy Services)
New Jersey Statewide Heating Assistance and Referral for Energy Services (New Jersey SHARES) provides temporary financial assistance
to residents of New Jersey who are in need of temporary
help in paying their energy bills. To be eligible you must
have exhausted all other available resources, and have made
good faith payments towards past energy bills.
For information about "NEW JERSEY SHARES" call 1-866-657-4273
or visit the website: www.njshares.org/.
The Universal Service Fund (USF)
Universal Service Fund is a program created by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to help make energy bills more affordable for low-income customers. You are eligible for USF if you meet income guidelines and you are paying at least 3 percent of your yearly income on electric bills or at least 3 percent of your yearly income on gas bills. If you have electric heat in your home, you must be paying more than 6 percent of your yearly income on electricity. If you are eligible, USF can lower the amount you have to pay for your gas and electric bill. Applications for USF are accepted throughout the year.
For more information about these programs, call toll-free, 1-866-240-1347. To find out where you can obtain and file an application, call 1-800-510-3102. Applications are available from the website at www.energyassistance.nj.gov.
Water and Sewer
Any municipal or county authority may establish within
its district rates or schedules which provide for a reduction
or total abatement of charges pertaining to water and sewer.
Persons residing in the district and who meet the following
guidelines are eligible, if the benefit is offered:
- Age 65 or older; OR less than 65 years of age and disabled
according to the federal Social Security Act; OR disabled
under any law administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs where the disability is rated as 60 percent or
higher;
- Annually eligible to receive assistance under the Pharmaceutical
Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD) program or
has a total income not in excess of $10,000 per year exclusive
of certain governmental retirement programs.
This is permissive legislation, not mandated.
For further information, please contact your municipal
or county utilities or sewerage authority.
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Senior Housing
Senior Housing Lists
The New Jersey Division of Aging and Community Services
maintains lists of the following types of senior housing
in New Jersey: adult
retirement communities, government subsidized housing, shared
housing, and house-matching programs. Information on housing
options and reverse mortgages is also available.
For copies of any of these lists, please contact the NJ Division of Aging and Community Services, PO Box 807, Trenton, NJ 08625-0807, telephone, toll-free, 1-800-792-8820 or 609-943-3437.
Adult Community Regulations
Information on regulations for Adult Retirement Communities
and Continuing Care Retirement Communities, also known as
Life Care Communities, is available from the Division of
Codes and Standards, NJ Department of Community Affairs, PO Box 805, Trenton, NJ 08625-0805. Telephone 609-984-7574
for Adult Retirement Communities; 609-633-3888 for Continuing
Care Retirement Communities.
Congregate Housing Services
Program
The New Jersey Division of Aging and Community Services contracts with
a number of subsidized housing projects around the state
to provide a supportive environment to certain low-income
frail elderly persons through its Congregate Housing Services
Program. The cost to participants is on a sliding scale,
based on income.
Under this program the following services are provided:
- One/two meals per day served in a congregate setting,
for an average of 30 meals per month;
- An average of four units a month of personal care services,
including assistance with dressing, bathing, hair washing;
assistance with shopping; escort service;
- An average of four units per month of light/heavy housekeeping
services, depending on the needs of the participant.
For further information on the Congregate Housing Services
Program, please contact the Division of Aging and Community
Services, NJ Department of Health and Senior Services, PO
Box 807, Trenton, NJ 08625-0807, telephone, toll-free, 1-800-792-8820
or 609-943-3437.
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Multiple Dwellings
Rent Grace - Any senior citizen
receiving Social Security Pension, Railroad Retirement Pension,
or any other governmental pension in lieu of Social Security
must be given a five-day grace period for payment when the
rent is due on the first of the month. For a copy of the
law, please write to the Office of Landlord-Tenant Information,
NJ Department of Community Affairs, PO Box 805,
Trenton, NJ 08625-0805 or call 1-800-792-8820 or 609-292-4174;
FAX 609-530-8858.
Condominium Conversion
Under the Senior Citizens & Disabled Protected Tenancy
Act, for those persons 62 and older and certain disabled
veterans, there is a possibility of obtaining protection
against eviction on the grounds that a building
is being converted to a condominium or cooperative provided
the following guidelines are met:
- The building in which they reside contains at least three
rental units;
- The dwelling unit in which they or their spouse or civil union partner reside has been the principal residence for at least one year immediately preceding the conversion recording;
- Their income is no higher than three times the county
per capita personal income (which changes annually), or
$50,000, whichever is greater.
Before the landlord can begin the conversion process,
an application package for protected tenancy must be sent
to the municipal administering agency. For copies of the
Law and Regulations concerning the Senior Citizens & Disabled
Protected Tenancy Act, please write to the Office of Landlord-Tenant
Information, NJ Department of Community Affairs,
PO Box 805, Trenton, NJ 08625-0805, FAX 609-530-5034; or
call 1-800-792-8820 or 609-292-4174; or contact your municipal
administrative agent.
Pet Ownership
In addition to the rights given to senior citizens in
federally assisted housing projects, effective November
1, 1990, New Jersey gives residents 62 years of age or older
of all senior citizen projects the right to have pets. This
law applies to buildings containing three apartments or
more, and owner-occupied buildings of four or more units.
Landlords have the right to issue reasonable written rules
and regulations in accordance with the provisions of the
law. In addition, nothing in the law limits the rights of
a municipality to prohibit, by ordinance, the owning, harboring
or keeping of certain species of animals in the municipality.
For a copy of the law, please write to the Office of Landlord-Tenant
Information, NJ Department of Community Affairs,
PO Box 805, Trenton, NJ 08625-0805, or telephone 1-800-792-8820
or 609-292-4174.
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Safe Housing and Transportation
Program
The purpose of the Safe Housing and Transportation Program
is to provide a safe environment for senior citizens through
the provision of home repair services, safety improvements,
and escorted transportation services.
The escorted transportation program is prioritized to
serve seniors living in high crime areas with special emphasis
being placed on frail elderly 75+ and elderly living alone.
Programs funded under Residential Maintenance focus on alleviating
existing conditions which are detrimental to the health
and safety of the elderly. The Safe Housing and Transportation
Program is administered through the 21 Area Agencies on
Aging.
For additional information, please contact your Area Agency
on Aging, toll-free at 1-877-222-3737 or please call the
NJ Division of Aging and Community Services,
toll-free, 1-800-792-8820 or 609-943-3437.
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Division of Aging and Community Services
