New Jersey
What you need to know to apply for affordable housing in New Jersey
3-minute read
NJ affordable housing history: Video
Take a look at North Jersey’s history with affordable housing over the last 50 years.
More than 4,000 people recently applied for a Cherry Hill development with 28 affordable units.
In East Hanover in Morris County last year, there were about 9,500 applicants for 45 units.
A building that opened last year in Teaneck with 40 affordable units for people age 62 and older had more than 700 applicants.
“It is very competitive,” said Joshua Bauers, the director of exclusionary zoning litigation for the nonprofit Fair Share Housing Center. “It is just emblematic of the housing shortage we are all existing in.”
The search for affordable housing can be complicated and arduous, and the odds of getting awarded an apartment are long. But advocates say reforms to the system in recent years have made the process more accessible, and they hope other planned changes will make it easier for applicants.
To qualify for affordable housing in New Jersey, applicants must earn at or below 80% of the median family income for the county where the housing is, under the state’s Uniform Housing Affordability Controls.
Units are available to people at various income levels, for those earning 30%, 50% or 80% of the median income.
In Bergen, Hudson, Passaic and Sussex counties, a family of four would earn up to $96,329 to qualify for moderate-income housing, $60,206 to qualify for low-income housing and $36,124 to qualify for very low-income housing.
Story continues below photo gallery.
In December, because of the state’s new affordable housing law, the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, or HMFA, adopted interim amendments to the Uniform Housing Affordability Controls.
Under the law, all units are required to be “affirmatively marketed.”
But under the old rules, which hadn’t been updated in 20 years, the specified marketing still included television and radio with no mention of the internet or social media.
“That’s one of the big updates you’ll see,” Bauers said. “That was probably one of the most outdated aspects of the old rules.”
Other recent changes have also eased the process for potential applicants.
Soon after the start of the pandemic, the state changed the law to require a central location for all affordable housing to be advertised. Now all units are listed on the New Jersey Housing Resource Center’s website at nj.gov/njhrc, which previously was used to advertise only affordable housing units financed by the HMFA.
“Everything funnels to there — the idea is it should be really easy to figure out what housing is available,” Bauers said. “Before, you could go on five different websites operated by administrative agents to do the applications and figure out what’s available. Now it’s all in one place.”
That new requirement is included in the updated rules, he said.
Under the Fair Chance in Housing Act, which went into effect in 2022, a landlord cannot consider an applicant’s criminal history on an initial housing application, in an interview or in other ways before making an offer.
In the years since Mount Laurel, a cottage industry of businesses that act as administrative agents for affordable housing has sprung up. Those companies, including Piazza & Associates in Princeton, Community Grants, Planning and Housing and the nonprofit Housing Partnership of Morris County, all have slightly different procedures for applying.
People in need of affordable housing will fill out an application or pre-application, and then the administrative agent runs a lottery to establish the order of who gets the housing.
After the lottery, people start to get matched up with units. Sometimes landlords or property owners have their own application process tenants must go through.
The Fair Share Housing Center is hoping to make the application as uniform as possible, so people won’t have to fill out so many forms. It is also pushing for a window of eligibility in which people won’t have to repeatedly supply documents proving they are eligible for affordable housing or government benefits, like food stamps.
Currently, applicants must fill out separate applications for each unit, and repeatedly provide documentation that they meet the income requirements. Because each application carries a fee, the process of applying can become unaffordable for those seeking housing, Bauers said.
“The housing shortage is a tremendous part of the problem — one we are trying to solve through building more affordable housing,” he said. “But we are hopeful these updates will alleviate some of these access problems.”
Another change affordable housing advocates are pushing for is clear requirements for unit sizes, access to amenities and other features. They are seeking regulations requiring developers to build one-, two- and three-bedroom affordable units, with specific minimum unit and bedroom sizes, so housing is available and suitable for families.
“People looking for affordable units sometimes end up on yearslong wait lists before they finally get access to housing,” Bauers said. “We are really happy with what the HMFA is doing with the new rules. This will make it easier for people who need housing to access it.”
New Jersey
Though down from previous month, New Jersey online casinos post November revenue record in 2025
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While online casinos in New Jersey fell short of another revenue record, November was still the state’s second-best month ever with over $253 million.
They’ve been around for over 12 years, yet online casinos in New Jersey continue to find ways to set revenue records. After posting the industry’s largest single-month total in October, NJ online casinos last month combined for $253 million to set a November record and ranks as the second-biggest single-month total in Garden State history.
NJ online casinos set single-year record with one month left
Since launching in 2013, NJ online casinos have continually set high-water marks – even now, a dozen years later.
With $253 million in November revenue, as reported by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, casino apps in the Garden State now sit at just over $2.64 billion for the year, leading to $455 million in state tax revenue. With one month left in 2025, the industry has already set a single-year record, which previously stood at around $2.4 billion.
To further put into perspective the growth of online gambling in New Jersey, the industry is over 22% ahead of the 11-month pace it set in 2024. Consider the first 14 months of online casinos in NJ, during which time operators combined for a mere $131.2 million in revenue.
While it’s unlikely that NJ online casinos will reach the $3 billion mark by the end of the year, iGaming has proven it can continue to grow after more than 10 years of existence.
FanDuel Casino, DraftKings Casino continue to set pace
While the monthly total is one for the books, the standard brands set themselves apart from the rest of the market.
For example, FanDuel Casino – which new users can sign up with and claim the FanDuel casino bonus – reported $60.2 million. That was well ahead of the second-place DraftKings Casino bonus, which helped drive $49.6 million in November.
Along with the BetMGM Casino app ($30.6 million), Borgata Casino ($20.6 million) and Caesars Palace Online Casino ($19.3 million), the top five revenue-earners in November accounted for more than 71% of the total online casino total in November.
New Jersey
Ice, freezing rain alerts expand to 10 N.J. counties. Wind advisory issued for 50 mph gusts Monday.
Winter weather advisories have been expanded to 10 New Jersey counties with freezing rain that could cause a dangerous layer of ice tonight.
The National Weather Service has also issued a wind advisory for 16 counties Monday with up to 50 mph gusts possible.
The more immediate concern is freezing rain already hitting the state Sunday evening.
Winter weather advisories for Bergen, Essex, Hudson Passaic and Union counties expire between 10 p.m. and midnight.
Winter weather advisories for Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Sussex and Warren counties take effect at 6 p.m. and run through 2 a.m.
As temperatures remain near or below freezing across northern New Jersey this evening, precipitation will fall as freezing rain, particularly in Warren and Morris counties where a glaze to one-tenth of an inch of ice accumulation is possible.
The National Weather Service warns that even areas outside the advisory that remain near freezing at the onset of precipitation could experience localized icing, especially on shaded surfaces that have remained below freezing for more than 36 hours.
Temperatures will rise above freezing areawide during the pre-dawn hours Monday as a warm front lifts through the region, changing any remaining freezing rain to plain rain.
A brief break in the rain is likely prior to daybreak Monday.
The warm front will be quickly followed by a strong cold front Monday afternoon, bringing another period of rain that may be moderate in intensity at times.
High temperatures Monday will reach the upper 40s along the coast before the cold front passes, bringing high winds to the area.
The wind advisory for 16 counties runs from 10 a.m. Monday to 1 p.m. Tuesday. Just Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties are not under wind advisories.
“Strong westerly winds develop Monday with wind gusts up to 50 mph and a wind advisory has been issued,” the weather service said Sunday evening. “Some tree damage and power outages possible.”
Tuesday will be markedly colder with high temperatures struggling to rise above freezing even at the Jersey Shore.
Wind chills in the teens and low 20s are expected during the day.
Skies will be partly cloudy with continued gusty winds of 20 to 30 mph.
Wednesday brings slightly milder conditions with highs in the mid 30s to near 40 degrees, though it remains well below normal for late December.
The extended forecast shows below-normal temperatures continuing through the end of the week and into the New Year.
Thursday may bring a chance of snow showers as a weak cold front passes through, though accumulations are expected to be light.
Friday looks dry with highs in the low to mid 30s.
Another weather system may impact the area late next weekend, potentially bringing a mix of rain and snow, though forecast confidence remains low for that timeframe.
Current weather radar
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One person was killed and another critically injured when two helicopters collided and crash-landed in Hammonton, New Jersey, on Sunday morning, authorities said.
The Hammonton Police Department told Fox News Digital that it received calls of an aviation crash at approximately 11:25 a.m. involving two helicopters in the area of the 100 block of Basin Road.
Police, fire and EMS responded, extinguishing one helicopter that was engulfed in flames.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have been notified and will investigate the crash, police said.
MIDAIR PLANE CRASH KILLS ONE PERSON NEAR COLORADO AIRPORT AS BOTH PLANES CATCH FIRE
Two helicopters collided Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Hammonton, N.J. (WTXF)
New Jersey Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way wrote on X that she has been updated on the midair collision.
The site of a deadly helicopter collision in Hammonton, N.J., on Dec. 28, 2025. (WTXF)
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“The Atlantic County Office of Emergency Management, Hammonton Police Department, and @NJSP personnel are on the scene,” she said.
This is a breaking news story; check back for updates.
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