MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County announced that federal rental assistance remains available to qualified families and can assist landlords, as Legal Services of New Jersey additionally warned renters not to ignore court notices related to the settlement of eviction actions.

The announcements come as New Jersey’s COVID-19 moratorium on residential evictions prepares to end in January.

The Morris County Department of Humans Services has received more than $14.6 million in rental assistance to disperse among qualified families. The aid can assist landlords as well as qualified families.

At the same time, Legal Services in New Jersey is warning renters not to ignore notices of mandatory settlement conferences if their landlords already have filed eviction notices. (read more below)

RENTAL ASSISTANCE

“Rental assistance funds are still available in Morris County and the State of New Jersey to people from low- and moderate-income households who had a substantial reduction in income, have qualified for unemployment benefits, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Kasey Errico, Director of Morris County Human Services.

As of last week, 1,541 applications were submitted, with 513 applications being approved to date and those households receiving more than $4 million in aid.

Morris County is urging renters to determine if they qualify and to apply.

Renters may inquire about the program by simply checking the criteria provided at the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) COVID-19 Information website. Some of the qualifications also are listed further below.

To apply click here.

The federal Emergency Rental Assistance funding is designed to help avert a housing crisis for tenants in critical need of such support. The funding also will bring needed relief to landlords, who have been challenged by the financial impacts of the pandemic as well, according to Errico.

Morris County partnered with the DCA, as have other counties, to utilize the state’s program vendor and eliminate confusion for those in need by using one online portal to access the assistance application.

KNOW OF EVICTION ACTIONS & YOUR RIGHTS

While Governor Phil Murphy’s pandemic moratorium on evictions does not expire until January 2022, it does not prevent landlords from initiating eviction court proceedings before then – and New Jersey courts may summon renters for “mandatory settlement conferences” well before the eviction moratorium deadline.

The conferences are only designed to determine whether an eviction case may be settled without going to trial and do not obligate any renter or landlord to enter into an agreement.

But appearances are mandatory.

“If you do not appear, a default judgment will enter against you, meaning you will lose the case,” Legal Services warned in a new flyer.

The agency also advised renters that they do not have to agree to settle the case, just appear for the conference.

“You do not have to agree to pay any money. You do not have to agree to move out. Landlords and tenants who do not make an agreement will have a trial scheduled when the court starts holding trials,” said Legal Services.

Legal Services in New Jersey has a hotline and website application for families facing eviction to determine if they are eligible for free legal advice:

Call (908) 231-0840 or apply online by clicking here.

MORE ON RENTAL ASSITANCE

The umbrella name for the federal rental assistance program is the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program Phase II or CVERAP PHASE II. The first phase was launched in July 2020, using $91.75 million in federal funds, which assisted about 15,000 New Jersey residents.  New Jersey has been provided $353 million for the second phase.

The program covers two areas:

Emergency Rental Assistance for Arrears: Applicants may be eligible for up to a maximum of twelve months of emergency rental assistance to help pay for rent arrears and future rent to the extent that funds are available. Families that have already received funding through Phase I of the program, that need additional rent support, and have not yet received the maximum twelve months of emergency rental assistance can apply for additional funding.

Emergency Rental Assistance for Current and Future Rents: Financial assistance is limited to three months based on the application submitted, except that the household may receive additional assistance for additional months subject to the availability of remaining funds and eligibility, not to exceed 12 months (plus an additional three months if necessary to ensure housing stability).

Persons applying must meet all applicable income and eligibility requirements. You must be eighteen (18) years of age or older to apply or be an emancipated minor. Only one (1) application per household will be accepted. Applications will be accepted until enough applications have been received to ensure the distribution of all available funds. A computerized selection (lottery) process will be used to select residents who have been impacted by COVID-19 for eligibility determination.

Eligibility Criteria: Selected households must meet the following eligibility criteria to qualify for assistance:

• Qualify for unemployment or have experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship due, directly or indirectly, to the COVID-19 pandemic;
• Demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability;
• Have a household income at or below 80 percent of the area median income (please see income limits below);
• Have a lack of assets and savings to pay rent arrears or current and future rent;
• Be a New Jersey resident; and
• Obligated to pay rent on a residential dwelling.

The program will only pay for rent arrears incurred after March 13, 2020.

Property managers or owners of a residential dwelling may apply for assistance on behalf of a tenant.

The landlord must:

• Obtain the signature of the tenant on the application, which may be documented electronically; and
• Must provide documentation of the application to the tenant to notify the tenant that the application has been submitted.

PARSIPPANY — Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) announced today that her office is hosting its third annual Congressional App Challenge (CAC) for students in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, and the registration portal is now open.

“Each year the participants in the Congressional App Challenge blow me away with their ingenuity, creativity, and advanced coding skills,” said Rep. Sherrill. “Throughout the pandemic, technology has played a pivotal role in keeping us connected and our country moving. We have seen the overwhelming potential for technology to do good, help others, and reimagine our world through thoughtful innovation in hard times. We’ve also seen the pathway for creative expression and community engagement that tech can provide for students, whether they continue on their journey in the tech field or choose another path. I am incredibly excited to launch this year’s competition and look forward to seeing what these future tech leaders are able to create.”

The competition is open to middle school and high school students who live or attend school in NJ-11. Students with all levels of coding experience are encouraged to participate. This is an excellent opportunity to develop the skills and innovative spirit needed to create your own apps. The CAC accepts computer programs (or apps) written in any programming language, for any platform (desktop/PC, web, mobile, raspberry Pi, etc.). The full set of eligibility rules for individual and team entries can be found by clicking here.

Winners will be selected by a panel of judges from New Jersey’s 11th District and honored by Congresswoman Sherrill. Their apps are eligible to be featured on display in the U.S. Capitol building, on www.house.gov, and on the Congressional App Challenge website.

To register for the competition, click here. 

Registration for the App Challenge is currently open and the deadline to submit your creation is November 1, 2021. Click here for more information.

Click here to learn about the 2020 NJ-11 Congressional App Challenge Winner Riya Dadheech of Parsippany and her Plate of Hope app.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Rep. Sherrill’s office at (973) 526-5668, or email the App Challenge coordinator at [email protected].

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County and Atlantic Health System delivered the last inoculation today at the Morris County Regional COVID-19 Vaccination Center, while the Morris County COVID-19 Testing facility operated with Vault Health at the County College of Morris also close operations on Friday, July 16.

The last vaccination was provided shortly after noon, prompting spontaneous applause among 200 state, county, medical personnel, and volunteers who worked the center until the last minute and gathered to say their final goodbyes afterward.

“Our job here was to put ourselves out of business as soon as possible,” said Scott DiGiralomo, Director of the Morris County Department of Law and Public Safety, who coordinated the center operations.

The percentage of residents vaccinated in Morris County has been leading the state. At some points over the past two months, the nation has issued as many as 4,600 inoculations per day along with thousands of other vaccinations provided daily by smaller clinics in the county.

Likewise, the testing facility at CCM once accommodated hundreds of people each day after it opened last fall. However, while the pandemic is not yet over, the emergent need for testing and vaccinations provided through public and private partnerships has subsided.

“Throughout the pandemic, Atlantic Health System has remained committed to always being ready to deliver the highest quality care for our patients and serving our communities,” said Kevin Lenahan, Executive Vice President, Chief Business and Strategy Officer, Atlantic Health System. “When given the opportunity to partner with Morris County and the State of New Jersey in operating the Morris County Regional Vaccination Center, our inspiring team of nurses, physicians, and caregivers jumped at the chance to take the fight to the virus and help deliver light at the end of the pandemic’s long tunnel. On behalf of our entire 18,000 team members, we want to thank the county and state for their partnership and professionalism as we worked together to keep hundreds of thousands of people healthy and safe.”

The vaccination center opened on January 8 at the Rockaway Townsquare Mall in an empty Sears department store. It involved a partnership between Morris County, Atlantic Health System, the State of New Jersey, the New Jersey Army National Guard, the Medical Reserve Corps, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, and other agencies.

“It really is truly a joyous moment. It is just phenomenal what took place here and this is the culmination of that tremendous work. It really did make a difference in people’s lives,” said Morris County Commissioner Director Stephen Shaw, who visited the center to congratulate the workers.

When the last vaccine was administered today, the Regional COVID-19 Vaccination Center had issued more than 340,000 shots. More than 21,000 COVID-19 tests had been administered at the Morris County COVID-19 Testing Center at CCM since it first opened in December.

“This is closure to an amazing effort during a historic pandemic, and Morris County rose to the challenge,” said Commissioner John Krickus, who also joined the center workers on their final day.

“I don’t think we really knew what we were getting into when we moved into an empty department store and took it and transformed it into what I would say was the best vaccination site in the state of New Jersey,” said Commissioner Douglas Cabana, the board liaison to health issues.

“Our people were living there for six months, spending their holidays there. Just the stories I’ve heard about our folks stepping up to the plate. People would fall out to say what a wonderful experience they had there compared to other vaccination. They did a great job there. It’s a shame, in a way, that it’s going to close,” he added.

Anyone who receives their first dose at the Morris County site after June 23, 2021, will have their second dose scheduled and provided at another Atlantic Health System facility.

MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Republican Committee has launched a website to recruit and support candidates for local Board of Election campaigns, according to MCRC Chair Laura Ali.

The site, titled: MorrisCountyFirst.com, was launched to counter the influence of extreme liberal “woke” activists who are attempting to radically alter school curriculums without the consent of parents.

“Too many times, we have seen activist Board of Education members with liberal-leaning political agendas use public education as a tool for political gain,” says the site.

Ali, the mother of three boys, and former President of the Chatham School District PTO said it is time for parents to take control of the school boards from the liberal elites whose national agenda is to provoke discord in classrooms and brainwash children.

Ali said the MCRC is looking for anyone who has an interest in providing a quality, meaningful education for children to run for school board seats. “The MCRC will provide the infrastructure people need to launch a run for their local school board,” she said.

The deadline to file to run in the November Board of Education Elections is July 26. Some districts still conduct their elections in April, giving candidates until February to file for election.

Ali says many parents and teachers are upset with activists on school boards and in the classroom who are pushing a far-left, divisive agenda on children as young as 6 and 7 years old.

She noted that national teacher organizations such as the National Education Association have adopted controversial Critical Race Theory curriculums. The chairwoman noted that the state teachers’ union, the NJEA, proudly proclaims on its website that they want to transform the public school system.

“It’s not their school system to transform. It belongs to us, the taxpayers,” said Ali.

“Parents send their children to school to be educated, not to be indoctrinated into ways of thinking that are divisive to our communities and our nation,” said Ali.

Ali said Republicans would be well advised to start paying attention to the school board races that are often ignored by voters but can be the springboard to political careers.

“The executive leaders of teachers’ unions have millions of dollars at their disposal, raised on the backs of taxpayers, to elect liberal Democrats who will push the anti-American “woke” agenda. We think it’s time to use our resources to fight back,” said Ali.

“The goal of education is to give our children the skills they will need in the job market. We want our children to be able to solve problems and think critically – not to be ashamed of America and ignore its many accomplishments,” said Ali.

“I think America is a great country and I want children to know that.  America is not perfect, but nowhere else in the world do people have as much freedom and as many opportunities to achieve great things as in America.  Just look at the American flags that the Cuban people are holding up as a symbol of freedom. Our flag is the greatest symbol of democracy and liberty in the world.” said Ali.

For more information visit www.morriscountyfirst.com or email the Morris County Republican Committee at [email protected]