Law Appropriates Two Million Dollars; Assists Low & Moderate Income Households

(TRENTON) – Helping to address the ongoing eviction crisis, spurred on by the Covid-19 pandemic, Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin (D-Middlesex) and Assembly Democrats Nicholas Chiaravalloti (D-Hudson), Vincent Mazzeo (D-Atlantic) and Britnee N. Timberlake (D-Essex, Passaic) sponsored legislation (A-5758) to create experiential housing advocacy programs through Seton Hall and Rutgers law schools. The programs would provide an avenue for tenants with low and moderate incomes to receive free legal assistance including counsel, representation in litigation, and assistance applying for housing benefits.

Following the Governor’s signing of the bill into law on Thursday, the sponsors issued the following joint statement:

“Before the eviction moratorium was instituted, housing insecurity was one of the hugely consequential vulnerabilities thousands more families and individuals were at risk of facing as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, as we navigate through our recovery, ensuring our commitment to help keep the roof over families’ heads and reduce eviction risk continues. Empowering renters with legal support and resources at no cost to them, as this law does, helps us to overcome disparities and boost housing security in a way that safeguards people’s dignity and the fairness of any legal proceedings.”