Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman and Community Affairs Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez today announced developers can apply for funding to provide affordable housing for NJ FamilyCare members.
This means that at least theoretically, homes can soon be built locally for lower-income residents whose cost will be subsidized by the state government – a potential gamechanger.
Under the Healthy Homes partnership, the $95 million available will be used to produce up to 200 low-rent housing units for NJ FamilyCare members who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or living in an institution. NJ FamilyCare is New Jersey’s Medicaid program.
• Human Services will fund and oversee the program, ensuring it meets member needs and abides by funding requirements.
• Community Affairs will support program oversight and disburse the Healthy Homes funding.
• Developers and landlords will construct the homes and ensure they are maintained.
Funding for the program comes from the American Rescue Plan Act and is supplemented with state funding from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. It can be used for:
• Construction of new units of renovation of existing units;
• Housing needs, such as refrigerators, stoves, and bedframes; and
• Ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the unit and common infrastructure.
In addition to supporting members through the construction of Healthy Homes housing units, NJ FamilyCare is also adding Housing Support Services to members’ benefits under the program. Delivered in coordination with managed care partners, these services will support members in need of pre-tenancy and tenancy sustaining services, as well as those in need of home modifications or housing transition support.
Authorized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) through New Jersey’s Comprehensive 1115 Demonstration Waiver, these services will be independent of the affordable units created by the Healthy Homes program, but may work together to support a member if they qualify for both programs.
These additions will help move NJ FamilyCare closer to the goal of whole-person care, allowing care managers to address the physical and behavioral health challenges a member may face along with their housing needs, coordinating care across the needs of the member and breaking down silos that can negatively impact health outcomes.
Healthy Homes is part of expansive plans by Human Services to focus on home- and community-based care through creative approaches designed to address priorities such as housing, integrating behavioral and physical health services, and new approaches to providing care.