Rental relief is on the way for some Hudson County residents hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program in Jersey City will not just assist the renters, but landlords as well.

“Everybody has been struggling. Everybody, in their own way,” says Jersey City resident Sonia Hayward.

The COVID-19 rental relief program will provide up to $10,000 to low-income residents. This round will prioritize small owner-occupied buildings like the one Hayward has owed on Maple Street for almost 30 years.

“It will help a lot of people. People may be behind on their mortgage and it could keep them in their house,” she says.

Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop says that what makes this program unique is that it doesn’t just help residents pay rent, it also assists their landlords.

“We are really focused on owner-occupied, so the smaller buildings where you have somebody who relies on that rental income and maybe didn’t get it. And also maybe a renter who faces eviction,” the mayor says.

The landlord would get the money directly and would have to commit to not evicting the tenants.

“So we’re using the dollars to kind of get two bites out of the apple, benefiting two different residents,” Fulop says.

The $7 million federally funded program is open to Jersey City residents only. They must also owe rent since April 2020. Online applications are open through Aug. 31.