NJ Human Services Will Launch Application for Excluded New Jerseyans Fund

Fund to Assist Individuals Impacted by COVID-19 but Not Eligible for Other Pandemic-Related Help

Program Applications to Be Processed in the Order Received and Until Funds Are Exhausted

Oct. 27, 2021

(TRENTON) – Human Services Acting Commissioner Sarah Adelman today announced the Department will begin taking applications for the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund (ENJF) cash assistance program. Eligible individuals will be able to apply for the financial benefit when the application opens later today.

The $40 million ENJF program will provide a one-time, direct cash benefit to eligible households that suffered an economic hardship due to COVID-19 and were excluded from federal stimulus checks and COVID-19 related unemployment assistance.

This includes undocumented individuals, residents returning from the justice system, and any other individuals otherwise excluded from pandemic-related financial help.

Households with annual incomes of up to $55,000 with a documented hardship or lost income due to COVID-19 can apply for this assistance. Eligible applicants will receive a benefit of up to $1,000 per eligible individual and a max of $2,000 per household.

Eligible individuals can go to ExcludedNJFund.nj.gov .

Applications will be processed in the order they are received and until funds are exhausted.

The ENJF program is run by the Department’s Office of New Americans (ONA).

“Eligible individuals will be able to apply for the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund and start the process to get this critical assistance,” Acting Commissioner Adelman said. “If you did not receive federal stimulus checks and pandemic unemployment assistance, you may be eligible. If you were impacted by COVID and struggled to pay for basic needs including housing, you may be eligible. Visit our website, find out if you are eligible and apply today.”

“We are glad we can extend this assistance to individuals who need it,” Deputy Commissioner Elisa Neira said. “Eligibility requirements are on the ExcludedNJFund.nj.gov website.  We continue to encourage potential applicants to check if they are eligible and apply.”

Applicants will have to submit supporting documents demonstrating:

• Exclusion from federal COVID-19 stimulus checks and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance;
• Annual household income;
• Identification and residency; and
• Financial hardship due to COVID-19 caused by lost income due to reduced hours/lay off, inability to work due to isolation/quarantine, or due to their child’s remote school learning schedule, illness and/or death due to COVID-19, or inability to pay bills due to loss of income.

Applicants will be able to submit their documents online through a document upload service where they can upload PDFs, screenshots, or images of the supporting documents. Applicants are encouraged to upload all or as many of the required documents as this will help their application move through the approval process faster.

While supporting documents such as proof of identity and eligibility will be requested as part of the application process, applicants will not be asked to submit data related to their place of birth, citizenship, or immigration status.

For a list of documents that may be used to prove eligibility, visit here.

Individuals will have to confirm their eligibility before they are able to start the application process. Eligibility requirements for the program may be found here.

Free application assistance is available through community organizations; details will be available on the website.

Applications will be reviewed in the order they are received. Eligible applicants can expect to receive their benefit within 2-3 weeks after being notified that they are eligible.

“This assistance will be available until funds run out so we urge individuals who meet the eligibility requirements for these benefits and who can provide the required documentation to apply once the application opens” said ONA Director Johanna Calle.