FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, January 22, 2015

Christie Administration Reminds Edgewater Fire Survivors That Housing Help Is Available Through NJ Housing Resource Center

Bergen County Property Providers Urged to List Available Rental Units on Free, Statewide Service to Quickly Help Identify Housing for Fire Survivors



Trenton, NJNew Jerseyans who may be displaced from their homes due to damage from the recent fire at Avalon Apartments in Edgewater, New Jersey, are encouraged to use an online housing locator to help them quickly find affordable transitional or long-term housing. The New Jersey Housing Resource Center (HRC), located on the web at www.NJHRC.gov, is a free service to people in search of affordable housing and to landlords who are looking to provide housing. People without Internet access can call the bilingual toll-free number 1-877-428-8844 for help using this service.

Launched in 2005, the HRC website was created by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) to provide a central location for people to search for affordable housing in New Jersey. The HMFA, an affiliated agency of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, continues to fund and support the website. The Agency has also partnered with the non-profit organization Socialserve.com to provide web-based and call center-based housing location services for disaster recovery efforts.

"The faster residents can find stable housing, the faster we can recover and rebuild from this devastating fire," said New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Richard E. Constable, III, who is chair of the HMFA. "It is critical that as many housing options as possible be made available to people displaced by the fire. Therefore, we are encouraging property providers to do two things. First, we are asking them to consider adjusting lease terms to help quickly accommodate housing needs. Second, we are urging them to log on to the HRC website to take advantage of this free and easy way to promote their open units." 

The HRC website is being updated on a daily basis. The site consolidates rental resources identified and provided by the New Jersey Apartment Association, New Jersey Association of Realtors, landlords, and others to help individuals and families find available rental units in their area. Currently, there are more than 2,200 housing opportunities available on the HRC website throughout the State of New Jersey.

 "Updates and adding new listings will continue for the weeks to come," said HMFA Executive Director Anthony L. Marchetta. "Quickly stabilizing these impacted residents’ lives will help them return to a semblance of normal and give them the foundation they need to recover from being displaced from their homes."

To ensure that displaced residents can find stable housing quickly, the Christie Administration is urging all property providers to list available rental housing by going to www.NJHRC.gov and clicking on "Add Housing." The process of listing an available unit takes about 10 minutes, is completely free and can be done online or by calling 1-877-428-8844.

The HMFA is dedicated to increasing the availability and accessibility of affordable housing throughout New Jersey. Its financing programs support traditional affordable rental and for-sale housing developments, first-time and urban homebuyers, citizens in senior and assisted living facilities, and residents with special needs. HMFA also administers the New Jersey Housing Resource Center, an online searchable registry of affordable and accessible housing located throughout New Jersey.

For more information on the HMFA, please visit http://njhousing.gov/.