Housing Services
MONMOUTH COUNTY PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCY (MCPHA)
The Monmouth County Public Housing Agency, as part of the Monmouth County Division of Social Services, was authorized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on July 5, 1977 to provide rent subsidies to Monmouth County Residents. MCDSS is proud to be one of the few county welfare agencies in the state to be designated as a public housing agency.
The MCPHA provides HUD-funded rent subsidies including:
- Family Self Sufficiency Program
- HOME (for graduates of transitional housing)
- Family Unification Program (with DYFS)
- Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) (formerly called Section 8 vouchers)
- Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA)
- Kershaw Commons (a partnership with the MS Society)
- Mainstream (for disabled),
- Shelter Plus Care (10 separate projects for homeless and disabled)
The agency provides case management services to the programs identified, and provides HCV tenants the opportunity to participate in the Family Self-Sufficiency Program (FSS). FSS is a seven-year mutual contract to enhance personal and marketable skills and to increase household income. Successful participants develop an escrow account. MCPHA is located within the Monmouth County Division of Social Services. Some other towns in Monmouth County maintain their own Public Housing Authorities.
Emergency Home Repair/Barrier Free Program
This program is designed to help low income homeowners, and some tenants, with home repair emergencies. The purpose is two-fold: 1) to remedy health/safety code violations and 2) to maintain the housing stock in Monmouth County. Additional services provided are:
- Barrier free bath modifications
- Boiler/furnace repair
- Carpentry
- Chimney Liners
- Electrical Upgrades
- Plumbing
- Ramps (including modular ramps)
- Roofs/gutter repair
- Stair Glide installations
- Water Heaters
- Water proofing
- Well/Septic installations
These services are for income eligible individuals/families in need of home or apartment modification, making it more accessible to their physical limitations.
HOMELESS SERVICES
Rents in Monmouth County are extremely high and the available rental units are few. The Emergency Assistance units of MCDSS provide the following services only to individuals who are TANF, GA or SSI eligible and their families:
- intake/screening, placement services, liaison services to transitional housing sites/shelters and rooming/boarding homes, housing search assistance
- Temporary Rental Assistance (TRA),
- extended services to the chronically ill/impaired through the Housing Assistance Program (HAP), and
- links to Substance Abuse Initiative (SAI), the Behavioral Health Initiative (BHI) and the Legal Service SSI Initiative.
24 Hour Homeless Emergency Phone Line
Monmouth County Division of Social Services provides an after-hours number for homeless housing-related emergencies. The number is 732-431-6000.
Housing website - www.njhousing.gov
The State of New Jersey updates this site regularly with rentals statewide and is for property owners and consumers. A special feature of the site is housing information for persons with disabilities.
Additional Housing/Homeless Services
- Shelter referrals are made for homeless adults, families and youth for temporary emergency placement
- Emergency Family Shelter Program – Provides homeless families who are SNAP recipients with temporary housing and/or security deposit for permanent housing.