TRENTON, NJ – The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) today announced it received $291.6 million in federal funding for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program for calendar year 2023. This marks the highest amount of annual renewal funding ever awarded to DCA by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the Section 8 HCV program, which helps low-income households pay their rent by providing direct rent subsidy payments to landlords. 

The record amount of Section 8 renewal funding will allow DCA to serve 2,500 military veterans who are on its Section 8 waiting list, as well as another 2,500 people on the waiting list who are experiencing homelessness. In total, the $291.6 million in funding will enable DCA to provide Section 8 housing vouchers to 24,260 households across the state.

This year’s Section 8 renewal funding is $28.9 million more than 2022 and approximately $73 million more than five years ago.

“We appreciate the record amount of Section 8 funding awarded to DCA and HUD’s confidence in DCA’s ability to effectively administer the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, who serves as DCA Commissioner. “More than 99 percent of DCA’s Section 8 housing vouchers are fully utilized all year. This puts DCA in the best possible position when HUD calculates how much Section 8 renewal funding the Department receives. We are proud to be able to more quickly serve military veterans and people experiencing homelessness who are on the Section 8 waiting list.”

DCA has received the Section 8 High Performer designation from HUD for five years in a row.

“This Section 8 funding will help DCA better address the affordable housing need in New Jersey by allowing us to serve people on the Section 8 waiting list quicker than ever before,” said DCA Assistant Commissioner and Division of Housing and Community Resources Director Janel Winter. “Instead of waiting for years for a Section 8 housing voucher, people are waiting a matter of months, which makes a huge difference, especially for people who don’t have a place to live because they can’t afford rent.”

The Department was also awarded $29.4 million in administrative funding from HUD that will help DCA more effectively run the Section 8 HCV program by encouraging greater landlord participation. For example, DCA can provide landlords with $1,000 for renting to a household in Section 8 and can reimburse landlords for repairs made to their rental unit when they lease to a household in Section 8.

To further improve the Section 8 HCV program, DCA plans to launch the Document Access and Support of Housing (DASH) program later this month to help people navigate the Section 8 process and ensure they utilize their Section 8 housing voucher. As part of the DASH program, DCA will partner with community-based organizations to assist households with a Section 8 housing voucher find housing units available to rent.

More information about the Section 8 HCV program can be found at https://nj.gov/dca/divisions/dhcr/offices/section8hcv.html on the DCA website.

The Division of Housing and Community Resources is committed to strengthening neighborhoods through the delivery of affordable housing and supportive services and to providing financial and technical assistance to municipalities, community action agencies, and other nonprofit organizations for community and economic development projects that improve the quality of life for residents, especially those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged.

DCA offers a wide range of programs and services, including local government management and finance, affordable housing production, fire safety, building safety, community planning and development, disaster recovery and mitigation, historic preservation, and information privacy.