NorthJersey.com
A New Jersey agency playing a key role in distributing COVID-19 homeowner relief money engaged in a series of fraudulent actions and lacked internal controls handling taxpayer dollars, according to a new lawsuit filed by a former employee.
The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency s former audit division director claimed he was terminated after telling supervisors the agency mishandled a small landlord grant program, that it did not report to proper authorities a large cancellation of debt for a developer and a loan made to an employee, and that the agency employed someone without an active law license as head of its legal department, according to the lawsuit, filed in state Superior Court in Monmouth County.
NJ COVID homeowner relief agency target of lawsuit burlingtoncountytimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from burlingtoncountytimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
N.J. put up $125M to help renters and landlords during pandemic. But too many have been left out, advocates say.
Updated Jan 02, 2021;
When Neal McGrath was suddenly forced to rely on unemployment benefits after losing his job due to the coronavirus pandemic, he cut every expense he could phone, car insurance, groceries to cover the rent for his Hopewell townhouse.
Once the state announced the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program in July, McGrath felt relieved to have the chance at badly needed money. But he ended up on a wait list.
On Dec. 11, he received an email at 11:16 p.m. informing him to submit personal information and documents by that Monday or he’d lose his chance at rental relief. He assumed it was a phishing attempt, since the email wasn’t from the state Department of Community Affairs, which runs the rental assistance program.
New Jersey renters, homeowners and landlords negatively affected by the COVID pandemic have some new options for relief because of recent action at both the federal and state levels.
The need is dire between 330,000 and 480,000 of New Jersey s nearly 1.4 million tenants are unable to pay their rent and are at risk for eviction, according to a September study by Stout, a global investment bank and advisory firm.
Black and brown families are being disproportionately affected by the economic fallout of the pandemic, reducing their ability to make housing payments.
More than 317,000 New Jersey households are in arrears on rent payments, according to a U.S. Census Bureau survey over a two-week period covering late November to early December. About 40% of those families are Hispanic, despite Hispanics making up 21% of the state population. Overall, 207,000 families of color are behind on rent, compared with 110,000 white families.