Omnibus Eviction & Homelessness Prevention Grants

Omnibus Eviction & Homelessness Prevention Grants is sponsored by New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA). Grants to nonprofits supporting households at risk of eviction or homelessness through legal assistance and financial support.

New Jersey Department of Community Affairs | DCA Awards Omnibus Eviction & Homelessness Prevention (OEHP) Grants to Support Households at Imminent Risk of Eviction or Homelessness New Jersey Department of Community Affairs DCA Awards Omnibus Eviction & Homelessness Prevention (OEHP) Grants to Support Households at Imminent Risk of Eviction or Homelessness TRENTON, NJ – The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), through the Office of Eviction Prevention (OEP) and the Office of Homelessness Prevention (OHP), today announced the award of more than $7 million in Omnibus Eviction & Homelessness Prevention (OEHP) grants to 12 nonprofits across New Jersey experienced in homelessness and eviction prevention.

The funding will support coordinated, statewide efforts to prevent eviction and reduce homelessness by providing legal assistance, case management, and financial support to households at risk of housing instability. “Every New Jerseyan deserves a safe, affordable place to call home.

That’s why I signed Executive Order 17 last month to launch a whole-of-government effort to accelerate affordable housing production," said Governor Sherrill. "While we work to bring down costs, we must also support families struggling to make ends meet right now.

Today, we’re investing $7 million in eviction prevention and homelessness grants, putting resources directly into the hands of nonprofits on the front lines protecting vulnerable residents, delivering critical assistance, and strengthening housing stability across New Jersey.

” OEHP consolidates two distinct but complementary funding streams—the Homelessness Prevention Program (HPP) and the Comprehensive Eviction Defense and Diversion (CEDD) program—into a single, omnibus model that provides comprehensive, one-stop assistance for households at imminent risk of eviction or eviction-like displacement.

Additionally, the program delivers financial assistance, legal services, navigation support, and comprehensive case management to households facing eviction. The program is administered by DCA’s OEP and OHP, which will jointly oversee program monitoring, training, and compliance reviews.

“As eviction remains the single greatest driver of homelessness in New Jersey, accounting for more than 58 percent of all homelessness admissions each year, DCA is committed to working alongside our partners to protect tenants, support landlords, and prevent eviction across our state,” said DCA Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez.

“Stable housing is one of the most effective ways we can keep New Jersey families and communities strong. Through the Omnibus Eviction and Homelessness Prevention program, we are ensuring that residents facing housing instability have a clear path to assistance.

” The Office of Eviction Prevention (OEP) oversees programs and services focused on eviction prevention and diversion, including rental assistance programs, social services support, and expanding access to legal counsel to low-income tenants facing or threatened with eviction.

Additionally, the Office of Homelessness Prevention (OHP) coordinates efforts among State, local agencies, and private organizations to provide services to persons who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

“At a time of surging evictions in New Jersey, DCA’s statewide network of coordinated prevention providers, advocates, and stakeholders serves as our most effective defense against housing instability,” said Office of Eviction Prevention Director Dean Dafis. The CEDD network of providers, now consolidated into OEHP, has successfully served over 20,000 households facing eviction since its implementation in 2023.

In fact, 86 percent of households served through CEDD prevented eviction or were permanently and safely relocated. CEDD has provided rental and financial assistance to the most vulnerable households, and expanded access to free, quality legal advice or representation, empowering tenants to know and assert their rights in court and defend themselves against displacement.

Additionally, an interactive guide was developed to support households facing eviction during New Jersey’s eviction process. The guide helps explain New Jersey’s landlord-tenant laws clearly and concisely, allowing tenants to better understand their rights and obligations as renters, maneuver the eviction process, and prepare for court. The guide can be accessed by visiting https://evictionguide.

nj. gov . OEHP extends beyond providing financial support; it is designed to create a coordinated, statewide prevention pipeline that stabilizes households before homelessness occurs.

Eligible applicants for OEHP included nonprofit organizations and municipal governments with at least three years of experience administering housing stability, homelessness prevention, eviction diversion, rapid rehousing, or similar housing programs.

Applicants were required to demonstrate the operational capacity and innovation to deliver rapid and accountable services that leverage partnerships, technology, and creative problem-solving to strengthen New Jersey’s eviction and homelessness prevention ecosystem.

Awardees under OEHP are expected to: Ensure that 85 percent of case management households remain stably housed or are permanently relocated within 12 months Launch services within 30 days of award notification and fully staff all positions within 60 days Participate in statewide data reporting, peer-to-peer learning sessions, and NJ Counts (Point-in-Time) efforts Maintain compliance with all state and federal regulations, including fiscal, data, and monitoring requirements The following is the list of awardees and amounts distributed.

Community Affairs and Resource Center Region 1 (Monmouth, Ocean, Burlington) Middlesex, Bergen, Hudson Catholic Family and Community Services Jewish Family Services of Atlantic and Cape May Counties Region 2 (Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Salem) Volunteer Lawyers for Justice Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton United Community Corporation Bridgeway Behavioral Health Services Region 3 (Morris, Sussex, Hunterdon, Somerset, Warren) and Hudson Community Health Law Project Atlantic, Cape May, Hunterdon, Somerset, Warren, Morris, Sussex, Bergen, Hudson, Union, Monmouth, Ocean, Mercer, Middlesex Volunteer UP Legal Clinic Camden, Burlington, Cumberland, Gloucester, Salem Center For Family Services, Inc. Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless Through OEHP, DCA streamlines funds and partners with qualified providers to support residents maintain a safe, permanent home, with the commitment to ensure that eviction and homelessness are rare, brief, and non-recurring in the State of New Jersey.

For more information on OEHP, visit: https://www. nj. gov/dca/dhcr/forms/docs/omnibusevictionguidelines.

pdf DCA offers a wide range of programs and services, including affordable housing production, building safety, community planning and development, local government management and finances, fire safety, disaster recovery and mitigation, historic preservation, and information privacy. Omnibus Eviction & Homelessness Prevention (OEHP)