• Households with a total income of 120% or less of Area Median Income (AMI) .
• Households that currently live in or were residing at the time of Hurricane Ida in the following counties: Bergen, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Union, and Warren.
• Households that are still displaced from Hurricane Ida and are currently unhoused, at risk of becoming unhoused; or are residing in housing that is not safe, stable, sanitary, or affordable.
• Households not receiving another form of rent subsidy.
• Households with at least one adult member who is a legal resident of the United States.
• First priority will be given to households at or below 30% of AMI.
• Second priority will be given to households between 30% and 80% of AMI.

DCA has updated program payment standards to equal the Fair Market Rent (FMR) standards set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. TBRA assistance can be used for any of the following:

• Rental payments on housing units that do not exceed 100% of FMR for the county where the unit is located. If a tenant's current unit rent is greater than this amount, it may still qualify for the program. Any extra cost above the FMR will be the tenant's responsibility and must not exceed 40% of the tenant's adjusted gross monthly income.
• Rental payments paid directly to the tenant’s landlord to pay a portion of the rent. The rental payment cannot exceed 40% of the tenant’s adjusted gross monthly income.
• Utility allowance for housing units that do not include utilities in the rent.
• Rental application fees (limited to households at or below 80% AMI).
• One-time security deposit of up to 1.5 months of rent.

Assistance must be used for rental housing units located in the 12 counties that received the most impact from Hurricane Ida: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Somerset, Passaic, Union, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Morris, and Warren.

The TBRA program will refer all participants to a DCA-designated housing counseling agency.

The housing counseling agencies can assist tenants in securing housing that meets program requirements and guide program participants through the income verification process.

Participants are required to verify their income once a year while receiving TBRA assistance. If a tenant is claiming zero income, they will need to verify their income every 90 days.

Tenants are responsible for notifying the program of any income changes within 30 days.

The housing counseling agencies will contact participants at least once every six months and also 60 days prior to the tenant’s lease end date to plan for possible transition to other housing or to find alternate rental assistance after TBRA assistance ends.

As part of their contract with DCA, housing counseling agencies are responsible for helping program participants locate permanent affordable housing units prior to the termination of their TBRA assistance.

Legal services are also available to program participants who need assistance to overcome barriers to secure permanent housing.