A $100 million aid package being considered in the Legislature could provide some much-needed relief to renters in New Jersey who have lost their jobs during the pandemic.

An unprecedented number of New Jerseyans have had to file for unemployment due to the crisis, leaving many to wonder how they would be able to pay rent.

Nadine Fenn says that her daughter pays $1,900 per month in rent.

“It’s a lot of money, especially when you don’ have any coming in,” she says.

Fenn’s daughter is a mother of four and one of the 500,000 New Jerseyans to file for unemployment after the school she worked at shut down.

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Fenn herself lives at the Brighton Arms Complex in Neptune City.

“Our landlord here is not that bad. They’re trying to work with us,” Fenn says. “Most of the rents are $1,400 and up. And I think any kind of government program or program to assist them and keep things balanced will be a great help.”

The aid will be slightly different from the federal stimulus package that has already been approved. Renters will need to apply with the state and if they are eligible, they won’t be getting the check in the mail. The money will instead be sent directly to the renter’s landlord.

 

“The idea here was to keep the rental economy flowing, to keep landlords paying their mortgages I turn and pay their bills,” says state Sen. Declan O’Scanlon.

O’Scanlon voted for the bill, which is now heading to the state Assembly. He says that he hopes $100 million will be enough.

“It could be much more than $100 million, we are not sure,” he says.

Under the plan, eligible renters must be able to show that their rent is 30 days past due, they can’t pay without aid and they have suffered a demonstrable loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state Assembly has not set a timetable for a vote on the bill. If it passes the Assembly, it will go to Gov. Phil Murphy for approval.

The governor has already signed an order preventing anyone form being evicted during the virus crisis.