New Jersey Disability Housing Assistance: Programs, Vouchers, and Rights

New Jersey disability housing assistance runs through several distinct programs: a state rental subsidy with a disability preference, a separate subsidy for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, federal Section 8 and Section 811 vouchers administered locally, project-based supportive housing tied to specific buildings, and emergency help for households facing eviction or homelessness. Which door you go through depends on your disability, your income, and whether you are leaving an institution or trying to stay in the home you already have.

State Rental Assistance Program

The State Rental Assistance Program (SRAP) is the main state-funded rental subsidy, administered by the Department of Community Affairs (DCA). Disability is a listed preference category, behind veterans and alongside homeless and elderly applicants. To claim the disabled preference, you provide either Social Security documentation showing SSDI or SSI benefits, or a physician-signed Certification of Disability Form.¹

Income limits are set by county. In 2024, the one-person limit ran from $25,250 in Cumberland County to $40,950 in Hunterdon, Middlesex, and Somerset Counties, with larger households allowed higher limits.¹

SRAP does not run a rolling application. Access to the waiting list is by lottery. The most recent pre-application window ran January 13 to January 31, 2025, and 6,000 households were selected.² That window is closed. Watch the DCA site for the next opening. For questions or to request reasonable accommodations while applying, call the DCA Applicant Service Unit at 609-292-4080, Option 9.

DDD Housing Subsidy for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

If you have an intellectual or developmental disability, the subsidy path runs through the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) rather than SRAP. The tenant pays 30% of gross income (SSI, Social Security Disability, and wages count) directly to the landlord, and the Supportive Housing Connection pays the rest up to published rent standards set by county or zip code. The subsidy typically covers a one-bedroom, and units must meet HUD Housing Quality Standards.³

To qualify you must meet DDD functional criteria, hold active Medicaid, have a current NJ Comprehensive Assessment Tool evaluation, and be assigned a Support Coordinator. Priority goes to people experiencing housing instability, Supports Program participants, Community Care Program (CCP) participants, and people reached on the CCP waiting list during the current fiscal year.³

You do not apply directly. Tell your Support Coordinator you are interested, and the Coordinator submits a Housing Subsidy Program Eligibility Determination Form to the DDD Housing Subsidy Unit. Approved individuals are referred to the Supportive Housing Connection, which handles unit referrals, inspections, leases, and payments to landlords.⁴ Reach the DDD Housing Subsidy Unit at DDD.HousingSubsidy@dhs.nj.gov or 732-968-4222.

Because DDD housing priority is tied closely to the Community Care Program, the CCP waiting list matters. As of fiscal year 2026, 3,665 individuals were on the CCP Priority Waiting List, up from 2,687 in FY2024, and the proposed FY2026 budget funds removal of 318 individuals from the list.⁵ Priority placement generally requires both birth or adoptive parents to be 55 or older.

Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers

The federal Housing Choice Voucher program (Section 8) caps a household’s rent contribution at 30% of adjusted income. In New Jersey, vouchers are handed out by municipal and county housing authorities, not by a single state office, so applications are made to each authority separately.⁶

Eligibility is limited to low and very low-income households, with limits varying by county and household size. Disability can act as a preference for waiting list selection, but each housing authority sets its own preference rules.⁷ Demand well exceeds supply, so applying to more than one authority is common.

Under the Fair Housing Act, voucher holders with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations from their housing agency, including policy adjustments and physical changes like ramps. Service animals and emotional support animals are protected and cannot trigger pet fees.⁷ For accommodations at the state level, DCA’s ADA/Section 504 coordinators are Jarrett Knight (Jarrett.knight@dca.nj.gov) and Nieisha Law (Nieisha.Law@dca.nj.gov).⁶

Section 811 Programs for People Leaving or Avoiding Institutions

Section 811 is a separate federal disability program with two pieces in New Jersey.

Mainstream Vouchers

Section 811 Mainstream Housing Choice Vouchers are for non-elderly people with disabilities who are transitioning out of institutional settings, at serious risk of institutionalization, or experiencing homelessness. In a January 2023 funding round, awards went to several New Jersey authorities, including the North Bergen Housing Authority (10 vouchers), Bayonne Housing Authority (10 vouchers), and Hunterdon County Division of Housing (10 vouchers).⁸ Local housing authorities coordinate with Centers for Independent Living, Medicaid agencies, and Continuums of Care on referrals.

Project Rental Assistance

Section 811 Project Rental Assistance (PRA) is different: the subsidy is attached to specific affordable housing developments rather than the tenant. In New Jersey it is administered by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA) for extremely low-income individuals with physical, psychiatric, or developmental disabilities who are leaving state psychiatric hospitals, developmental centers, or nursing homes, or who are at risk of institutionalization.⁹

Tenants pay no more than 30% of income. Supportive services are voluntary and cannot be required as a condition of tenancy. There is no direct public application. The Department of Human Services identifies eligible individuals and refers them when units open. Units sit inside Low Income Housing Tax Credit or bond-financed properties, and no more than 25% of units in any building are set aside for Section 811.⁹ NJHMFA was awarded 206 subsidies in April 2015.¹⁰ Contact NJHMFA at S811PRA@NJHMFA.GOV or 609-278-7400.

Help If You Are Facing Eviction or Homelessness

The DCA’s Office of Homelessness Prevention runs several programs open to anyone facing housing instability, including people with disabilities. The Homelessness Prevention Program provides up to three months of assistance for past-due rent to households facing eviction due to temporary financial hardship.¹¹

The Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP2) has two tracks. The prevention track offers financial help and case management to households with an eviction summons or warrant of removal. The rapid re-housing track helps people living on the streets or in emergency shelters move into permanent housing. Both require household income at or below 30% of Area Median Income.¹¹ A separate program, DASH, helps people already selected for Housing Choice Vouchers or Emergency Housing Vouchers overcome barriers to securing a unit.

If you need help right away, call or text 2-1-1. The Office of Homelessness Prevention can also be reached at 609-376-0811 or OHP@dca.nj.gov. Services are delivered through local partners including Family Promise, Catholic Charities, and Jewish Family Services.

Finding Accessible and Affordable Units

The New Jersey Housing Resource Center (NJHRC) at nj.gov/njhrc is a free statewide registry of affordable rental housing, for-sale properties, temporary housing, and units with accessibility features.¹² The listings are updated biweekly.¹³ Filter for the accessibility features category to focus the search. A toll-free call center at 1-877-428-8844 can help you use the site.

For a person walking through the search, the Supportive Housing Association of New Jersey (SHA) offers a Housing Navigator program. Navigators guide people with special needs and their families through the process, and the directory (funded by the NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities) covers North, Central, and South Jersey, including staff from the Arc of NJ, Brain Injury Alliance of NJ, and DAWN Center for Independent Living.¹⁴

Fair Housing Rights in New Jersey

New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination (LAD) bars housing discrimination based on disability and reaches further than the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. LAD covers physical, mental, sensory, developmental, and psychological disabilities, including HIV/AIDS and autism spectrum disorders, and does not require that the condition substantially limit a major life activity.¹⁵

Housing providers must grant reasonable accommodation requests, meaning changes to policies, services, or programs that allow equal enjoyment of housing, unless the provider can show undue burden. Common examples: exceptions to no-pet rules for service or emotional support animals, adjusted rent payment dates, and physical changes like grab bars or wheelchair ramps.¹⁶ Providers cannot charge extra fees for accommodations or ask about the nature of a disability as a condition of leasing.

For service animals, landlords cannot demand proof of training, medical records, or specific vests. For emotional support animals, providers may ask for documentation from a treating provider confirming the disability and that the animal helps with symptoms; internet-purchased certificates are not accepted.¹⁵

Physical modifications such as ramps, lowered thresholds, or grab bars are generally paid for by the tenant, who is also responsible for removal upon moving out. In subsidized buildings, the landlord may have to cover the cost.¹⁶

To file a housing discrimination complaint, contact the NJ Division on Civil Rights within 180 days of the alleged violation. File online at bias.njcivilrights.gov, by phone at 1-833-NJDCR4U (833-653-2748), or by email at NJDCR4U@njcivilrights.gov. You can also file in court within two years.¹⁶

Where to Start

If you are not sure which program fits, these entry points cover most situations:

NJ 2-1-1: call or text 2-1-1 for referrals to housing and social services statewide.
NJ Division of Disability Services Hotline: 888-285-3036 for information and referral on disability issues.¹⁷
NJ Housing Resource Center: nj.gov/njhrc or 1-877-428-8844 to search accessible and affordable listings.¹⁸
DCA Customer Service: 609-292-4080 for general housing program questions.¹⁹
DCAid Eligibility Screener: dcaid.dca.nj.gov to check eligibility for multiple DCA housing programs online.¹⁹
Disability Rights NJ: 800-922-7233 for legal help with housing discrimination or access issues.²⁰

1
NJ Department of Community Affairs. State Rental Assistance Program
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InsiderNJ. Murphy Administration Announces Opening of Wait List for State Rental Assistance Program
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NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities. Housing Assistance FAQs
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NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities. DDD Housing
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NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities. CCP Priority Waiting List Update
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NJ Department of Community Affairs. Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program
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HUD. Housing Choice Vouchers – Tenants
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InsiderNJ. HUD Awards Housing Vouchers for People With Disabilities in New Jersey
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NJHMFA. Section 811 PRA Program Overview
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NJHMFA. Supportive Housing
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NJ Department of Community Affairs. Office of Homelessness Prevention
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NJ Housing Resource Center. Find Housing
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NJ 211. Affordable Housing
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Supportive Housing Association of NJ. Housing Navigators
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NJ State Library. Know Your Rights Part 2 Housing Program Recap
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Legal Services of New Jersey. Discrimination in Housing
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NJ 211. Statewide Disability Services
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NJ Housing Resource Center. NJ Housing Resource Center
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NJ Department of Community Affairs. Division of Housing and Community Resources
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Disability Rights New Jersey. Priorities