Bloomfield Offering Homelessness Prevention Funds

Are you or someone you know in danger of losing a home? Bloomfield may be able to help.

In an effort to serve Bloomfield’s residents who have fallen behind in their rent, mortgage or utilities due to circumstances beyond their control, the township’s office of Bloomfield Health & Human Services Department prepared and submitted a grant request to the County of Essex for Social Services Homelessness Prevention funding.

This is the second year that the Health & Human Services Department has received the grant. In 2012, they were able to provide assistance for 200 residents through an $80,000 grant. This year, the grant was increased to $100,000 and the office is aiming to help more people.

To qualify for the grant, residents must be able to prove sustainability going forward, which means they need to demonstrate they can pay their rent or mortgage following the one-time grant. For example, if a family was three months behind in rent after the head of the household lost a job, the family could receive assistance if they can show the mother or father received a new job.

Prescreening will be done Monday through Friday by appointment.  Funding is limited and will be based upon meeting eligibility criteria and on a first-come basis. 

Guidelines for Working Families

• Must have a child[ren] under the age of 18 (19 if child is enrolled in full-time secondary education program)
• Must be a working family
• Family must be ineligible for public assistance programs (this does not include food stamps)
• Family must be able to prove sustainability
• Must be a legal alien/resident
• Family income must be less than or equal to 250% of the Federal Poverty Index
• All supporting documentation of proof of residency, employment, identification (all family members in the household), etc., must be attainable
• Falling behind on their housing costs/utilities was due to a situation beyond their control and there must be foreclosure/eviction/shutoff or documentation that it about to happen

Guidelines for Single/Couples/Families without children

• Family must be ineligible for public assistance programs (this does not include food stamps)
• Family must be able to prove sustainability
• Must be a legal alien/resident
• There are no income limits for this fund
• All supporting documentation of proof of residency, employment, identification (all family members in the household), etc., must be attainable
• Falling behind on their housing costs/utilities was due to a situation beyond their control and there must be foreclosure/eviction/shutoff or documentation that it is about to happen

To see if you qualify for these services or other assistance programs, you can contact the Bloomfield Health & Human Services Department for benefit screening.  In addition, appointments can be scheduled for the mobile welfare van located at 1 Municipal Plaza on a monthly basis.

Please feel free to call 973-680-4017 to schedule an appointment or request additional information.