Neighborhood Enhancement Program

The Neighborhood Enhancement Program was created to address the affordable housing shortage exacerbated by Superstorm Sandy. The program’s intent is to assist local governments and affordable housing developers in stabilizing neighborhoods at risk of blight through the rehabilitation or re-use of properties that are abandoned, foreclosed and vacant.

The program, which is funded through federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Disaster Recovery dollars, provides zero-interest loans to non-profit and for-profit developers to purchase and convert foreclosed, vacant or abandoned properties, including underutilized lots, into affordable housing units in the nine counties most impacted by Sandy as determined by the federal government (Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Union).

Developers of all Neighborhood Enhancement Program projects must affirmatively market the affordable housing units in Sandy-impacted communities to people who remain displaced by Sandy. Also, during the first three months of lease-up for all Neighborhood Enhancement Program projects, priority must be given to Sandy-impacted individuals who registered for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance or who rented an apartment or owned a primary residence that was no longer habitable because of Sandy damage.

Am I eligible for one of these affordable housing units?

Households whose income is at or below 80 percent of the area median income for their area as defined by the federal government are eligible to rent an affordable housing unit.

How do I apply?

Households are unable to directly apply to the State for an affordable housing unit under this program. However, as the housing units are available for occupancy, they will be subject to the income qualifications.

For more information on available affordable housing units, prospective renters or homeowners can directly contact the developers participating in the Neighborhood Enhancement Program. Please see the list below for contact information. People may also visit the New Jersey Housing Resource Center to review available housing units.