TRENTON – The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and Department of Human Services (DHS) today announced the award of $10.7 million in grant funding to 43 nonprofit organizations across the state through the NJ FamilyCare Housing Supports Provider Readiness Program (HSPRP) for State Fiscal Year 2025.

"Stable housing is a critical social determinant of health," said DCA Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez. "This initiative represents an important step in New Jersey's comprehensive approach to addressing homelessness while improving health outcomes for our most vulnerable residents."

The grant program is part of a collaborative effort between DCA's Office of Homelessness Prevention (OHP) and the NJ Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (DMAHS) to help establish housing supports for NJ FamilyCare members experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness.

The NJ FamilyCare Housing Supports program is a Medicaid initiative designed to help eligible members find and maintain safe, healthy housing. Approved through New Jersey's Section 1115 Waiver Demonstration in April 2023, the program offers four key services:

1. Pre-tenancy Services: Case management to help members find housing, complete applications, and prepare for tenancy.
2. Tenancy Sustaining Services: Case management to help members maintain stable housing.
3. Move-in Supports: One-time financial assistance for moving expenses and security deposits.
4. Residential Modifications and Remediation Services: Funding to improve housing safety and accessibility.

To qualify, members must be enrolled with a Managed Care Organization (MCO) and meet both social-risk criteria (such as homelessness) and clinical-risk criteria (such as complex medical needs). The program aims to improve health outcomes by addressing housing as a social determinant of health, while also better connecting housing and healthcare systems.

Services are delivered through community-based organizations that contract with MCOs. These providers must enroll with NJ FamilyCare, obtain appropriate credentials, and follow specific authorization and billing procedures established by the program.

"People's basic needs are not siloed. Health and healthcare treatments are undermined when residents do not have stable housing,” said Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman. "This program will create opportunities for organizations to deliver supportive housing services, which when combined with our affordable housing efforts, focuses on treating the needs of the whole person to improve outcomes, create healthier residents and stronger communities."

"By supporting community-based programs that offer housing-related services, we hope to promote our members’ health and housing stability," said Gregory Woods, Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services. "Health and housing are fundamentally interconnected—when people have stable housing, they are more likely to thrive."

The HSPRP program will provide organizations with seed capital, program readiness support, and flexible funding to help them prepare to deliver housing support services under the NJ FamilyCare program. Grantees will receive up to $250,000 each to cover startup costs such as Medicaid enrollment, Managed Care Organization contracting, IT systems development, staff hiring, and training.

"These grants will help create a robust network of housing support providers ready to connect NJ FamilyCare members with stable housing solutions," said Michael Callahan, Director of OHP. "By embedding housing assistance within our healthcare system, we're addressing a fundamental need that directly impacts health outcomes."

The funding is distributed on a milestone-based performance scheme, with organizations receiving 30 percent upon grant selection and additional funding as they complete program objectives such as Medicaid provider enrollment, MCO contracting, and establishing proper billing systems.

The 43 organizations receiving grants include a diverse range of nonprofits with experience in homelessness prevention, supportive housing, case management, and home modification services:

• Affordable Housing Alliance Inc.
• AtlantiCare Foundation
• AVANZAR
• Bridges Outreach, Inc.
• Bridgeway Behavioral Health Services
• Care Plus NJ
• Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen
• Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton
• Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey, Inc.
• Coming Home of Middlesex County, Inc.
• Community Affairs and Resource Center
• Covenant House New Jersey
• Family Promise of Essex County
• Family Promise of Morris County
• Family Promise of Sussex County
• Family Promise, Inc.
• Garden State Home (GSH)
• Greater Bergen Community Action, Inc.
• HABcore, Inc.
• Heart of Hannah
• HomeFront, Inc.
• Homeless Solutions, Inc.
• Integrity, Inc.
• Jewish Family Services of Atlantic and Cape May Counties
• Jewish Renaissance Foundation, Inc.
• La Casa de Don Pedro, Inc.
• Maryville, Inc.
• Mental Health Association of Monmouth County
• Navicore Solutions
• NewBridge Services Inc.
• North Jersey AIDS Alliance Inc.
• Oaks Integrated Care, Inc.
• Ocean Mental Health Services, Inc.
• PennReach
• Raritan Bay Area YMCA
• Rescue Mission of Trenton
• Samaritan Inn, Inc.
• Senior Citizens United Community Services, Inc.
• Turning Point Community Services
• United Community Corporation
• Volunteers of America
• Women Aware
• York Street Project 

All grantees have committed to Housing First principles, which prioritize providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness without preconditions or barriers to entry. The program also requires grantees to incorporate feedback from persons with lived experience of homelessness in their program design and implementation.

For more information about the Housing Supports Provider Readiness Program, please contact the Office of Homelessness Prevention at OHP@dca.nj.gov.

The Office of Homelessness Prevention (OHP) within the NJ Department of Community Affairs leads statewide efforts to prevent and end homelessness through innovative programming, strategic partnerships, and evidence-based approaches that promote housing stability for all New Jersey residents.