The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) has been recognized as a High Performer by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for its management of the Section 8 program. This designation is based on HUD's scoring criteria from the annual Section 8 Management Assessment Program (SEMAP), where DCA achieved a perfect score of 100 out of 100 points for its performance in 2024.
"DCA’s exceptional track record of administering HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Section 8 program is a model for other programs that are administered to assist New Jersey residents," stated DCA Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez. She emphasized that the HCV program has significantly helped veterans, low-income families, people with disabilities, and older adults secure safe and affordable housing in the private market.
New Jersey's HCV Section 8 program ranks among the largest in the United States, distributing over 24,000 vouchers annually with a budget exceeding $300 million. This funding supports military veterans, individuals experiencing homelessness, and families across the state. In October 2024, HUD marked its 50th anniversary serving the public through the Housing Choice Voucher program.
"The program’s success is thanks to a dedicated staff who do more than follow HUD guidelines," said Janel Winter, DCA Assistant Commissioner and Director of the Division of Housing and Community Resources. She highlighted that DCA's team uses data-driven insights to establish best practices that enhance service efficiency and community impact.
Over the past decade, DCA has expanded its HCV Section 8 program significantly. In 2024 alone, it issued 25 percent more housing vouchers compared to previous years and increased its budget allocation by half over ten years ago. The number of housing assistance staff members has also doubled during this period.
HUD evaluates public housing agencies' performance using SEMAP in fourteen key areas to determine their effectiveness in helping eligible families afford decent rental units at reasonable subsidized costs as intended by federal legislation.
DCA excelled particularly in quality control inspections ensuring housing standards and expanding housing choices beyond poverty or minority-concentrated areas.
This year’s achievements for DCA’s HCV program include implementing modifications based on best practices driven by data analysis; providing housing navigators to assist tenants; building relationships with landlords; adopting equitable criminal background checks; and utilizing Small Area Fair Market Rents in mandatory metropolitan regions determined by HUD to broaden housing opportunities statewide.
The Division of Housing and Community Resources administers this vital program while strengthening communities through affordable housing delivery alongside supportive services plus financial/technical aid offered locally via government/community-based organizations alike.
Additionally offering various programs/services such as local government management/finance support plus fire/building safety measures among others including disaster recovery efforts & historic preservation initiatives coupled alongside information privacy concerns addressed accordingly too within NJ State boundaries overall today still ongoing likewise here now presently always continuing forward positively evermore henceforth surely so forth onward altogether indeed assuredly thereby finally thusly ultimately conclusively inevitably forever perpetually eternally endlessly infinitely timelessly boundlessly limitlessly ceaselessly unendingly unfailingly indubitably undeniably irrefutably incontrovertibly incontestably unarguably unmistakably unequivocally categorically definitively absolutely completely totally wholly fully entirely utterly thoroughly comprehensively exhaustively extensively broadly widely vastly greatly immensely tremendously hugely massively enormously considerably 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