AffordableHousingOnline

Jersey City Housing Authority

400 U.S. 1, Jersey City, NJ

There are two waiting lists open now offered by Jersey City Housing Authority.

Jersey City Housing Authority Waiting Lists

Waiting ListStatus
Dwight Street Homes, Homeownership Public Housing Open Until Further Notice
Berry Gardens Senior Public Housing Open Until Further Notice
Jersey City, New Jersey Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Closed
Jersey City Housing Authority Section 8 Project-Based Voucher Closed
General Public Housing Closed
Lafayette Village Apartments, LIHTC/HOPE VI Closed
2-Bedroom, Low Income Housing Tax Credit, Mill Creek Gardens Closed

Jersey City Housing Authority offers the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing, Public Housing Homeownership and Family Self-Sufficiency programs in Jersey City.

Go to the New Jersey Section 8 Waiting Lists page or the New Jersey Public Housing Waiting Lists page for more nearby housing applications.

Open Until Further Notice: Dwight Street Homes, Homeownership Public Housing Waiting List

Please Note: Due to the decentralized nature of affordable housing information, the information about this waiting list may be out of date.

The Jersey City Housing Authority (JCHA) waiting list for Homeownership Public Housing apartments at Dwight Street Homes is currently open, since at least December, 2018, until further notice.

Please note: According to the JCHA, applicants are eligible if they:

  • "Are interested in buying a 2-family home
  • Have 3, 4 or 5 persons in your household
  • Have good credit or credit that can be repaired within 6 months
  • Have income between 60% - 80% of median income as follows:
    3 persons: $43,440- $57,920
    4 persons: $48,240- $64,320
    5 persons: $52,140- $69,520"

There are three ways to apply during the opening period:

  1. Open and print the application online here. Select the "Download" button under "Dwight Street Homeownership Program Application (pdf)."
  2. Pick up an application at the JCHA Central office, located at 400 U.S. Highway #1, Jersey City, NJ 07306 (Marion Gardens).
  3. Pick up an application at the Berry Gardens Management offices, located at 199 Ocean Avenue and 92 Danforth Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 07305.

Once the paper application has been completed, it must be returned to the Jersey City Housing Authority’s Applicant Selection Department, 400 U.S. Highway #1 Jersey City, NJ 07306.

For more information, visit the JCHA Applicants page, or the JCHA website.

Reasonable Accommodation

Applicants who need help completing the application due to disability can make a reasonable accommodation request to the housing authority via (201) 706-4600.

Next Steps

Learn more about what happens after the application is submitted.

Last Updated on 03/26/2020.

Open Until Further Notice: Berry Gardens Senior Public Housing Waiting List

Please Note: Due to the decentralized nature of affordable housing information, the information about this waiting list may be out of date.

The Jersey City Housing Authority (JCHA) waiting list for Senior Public Housing apartments at Berry Gardens is currently open, since at least December, 2018, until further notice.

There are three ways to apply during the opening period:

  1. Open and print the application online here. Select the "Download" button under "Berry Gardens Application (pdf)."
  2. Pick up an application at the JCHA Central office, located at 400 U.S. Highway #1, Jersey City, NJ 07306 (Marion Gardens).
  3. Pick up an application at the Berry Gardens Management offices, located at 199 Ocean Avenue and 92 Danforth Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 07305.

Once the paper application has been completed, it must be returned to the Jersey City Housing Authority’s Applicant Selection Department, 400 U.S. Highway #1, Jersey City, NJ 07306.

For more information, visit the JCHA Applicants page, or the JCHA website.

Reasonable Accommodation

Applicants who need help completing the application due to disability can make a reasonable accommodation request to the housing authority via (201) 706-4600.

Last Updated on 03/26/2020.

Closed: Jersey City, New Jersey Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List

The Jersey City Housing Authority (JCHA) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is currently closed. Applications were last accepted from May 15, 2017, until May 19, 2017. There is no notice of when this waiting list will reopen.

To apply during the opening period, applicants were required to complete the online application.

This waiting list had the following preferences: Live and/or work in Jersey City, victims of domestic violence, veteran.

Applicants were placed on the waiting list by random lottery, by order of preferences.

For more information, visit the JCHA Housing Choice Voucher Program page, or the JCHA website.

Last Updated on 09/10/2019.

Closed: Section 8 Project-Based Voucher Waiting List

The Jersey City Housing Authority (JCHA) waiting list for Section 8 Project-Based Voucher apartments is currently closed. Applications were last accepted May 15, 2017, until May 19, 2017. There is no notice of when this waiting list will reopen.

To apply during the opening period, applicants were required to complete the online application.

This waiting list had a preference for persons who live and/or work in Jersey City. There may be additional preferences. Affordable Housing Online has contacted the JCHA for confirmation, and will update this page when more information becomes available.

Applicants were placed on the waiting list by random lottery, by order of preferences.

For more information, visit the JCHA Housing Choice Voucher Program page, or the JCHA website.

Last Updated on 09/10/2019.

Closed: General Public Housing Waiting List

The Jersey City Housing Authority (JCHA) waiting list for General Public Housing apartments is currently closed. Applications were last accepted from August 6, 2018, until August 12, 2018. There is no notice of when this waiting list will reopen.

To apply during the opening period, applicants were required to complete the online application.

Preferences have not yet been confirmed.

Selected applicants were placed on the waiting list by random lottery.

For more information, visit the JCHA Community Information page, or the JCHA website.

Last Updated on 06/30/2020.

Closed: Lafayette Village Apartments, LIHTC/HOPE VI Waiting List

The Jersey City Housing Authority (JCHA) waiting list for LIHTC/HOPE VI apartments at Lafayette Village Apartments is currently closed. Applications were last accepted from August 29, 2018, until September 30, 2018. There is no notice of when this waiting list will reopen.

To apply during the opening period, applicants were required to pick up an application at the Lafayette Village Apartments.

Once the paper application has been completed, it must be dropped off at the Lafayette Village Apartments Office.

This waiting list had the following preferences: Victims of a Federally Declared Disaster, Jersey City Resident, Working Families, Victim of Domestic Violence, and Veterans.

It is not known how applicants were placed on the waiting list, by order of preferences.

For more information, visit the JCHA Community Information page, or the JCHA website.

Last Updated on 09/10/2019.

Closed: 2-Bedroom, Low Income Housing Tax Credit, Mill Creek Gardens Waiting List

The status of this waiting list is unknown. If you have information regarding this waiting list contact us.

Last Updated on 12/20/2019.

About Jersey City Housing Authority

Website: https://jerseycityha.org/.

Phone: (201) 706-4600.

Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program

For more information about the Housing Choice Voucher program visit the JCHA web page here.

Public Housing Program

For more information about the Public Housing program visit the JCHA web page here.

Family Self-Sufficiency Program

For more information about the Family Self Sufficiency Program visit the JCHA FSS web page here.

About the Jersey City Housing Authority Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program

As of the HUDs most recent Voucher Management System report, Jersey City Housing Authority manages 4,260 active Housing Choice Vouchers.

The following table summarizes types of vouchers managed and the monthly costs of each as of December 31st, 2021:

Standard Family Unification Tenant Protection Ported Out VASH Non-Elderly Disabled
Vouchers 2,875 159 229 200 76 287
Monthly Cost Per Voucher $986 $1,234 $1,045 $1,238 $920 $972
Monthly Cost $2,835,442 $196,259 $239,315 $247,514 $69,907 $278,908
Waiting List and Tenancy

According to the 2016 Q4 Picture of Subsidized Households database, the housing authority's voucher program has an annual turnover of 7% having issued approximately 562 vouchers in the past year. The average voucher holder has received housing benefits for 8 years and 4 months. According to the 2016 PSH database, persons who were issued a voucher in the preceding 12 months waited an average of 87 months on the waiting list1.

Income Characteristics

According to 2016 Q4 Picture of Subsidized Households data, the average voucher household contains 2.2 persons and has a household income of $16,330 per year. 91% of households were very low income (VLI) and 70% were extremely low income (ELI). 34% of households had wages as a major source of income, 5% of households had welfare (TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance) as their primary source of income, and 60% of households had other income (Social Security, Disability or Pension) as their major source of income.

Heads of Household Characteristics

1% of households were headed by a person 24 years old or less, 46% were headed by a person 25 to 49 years old, 23% were headed by a person 51 to 60 years old, and 29% were headed by a person 62 years old or older. In addition, 3% of households were headed by a person 85 years old or older.

39% of households included children, 3% of which had two adults in the household. 37% of households with children have a female head of household. 83% of all households were headed by a female.

88% of all voucher households were headed by minorities with 50% of all heads of households being Black and 1% being Hispanic.

Of all households participating in the Jersey City Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher program, 29% include at least one person with a disability. 36% of households with a head of household 61 years or less were headed by a person with a disability. 75% of households headed by someone 62 or older were headed by a person with a disability.

Bedroom Size and Overhousing

45% of voucher holders reside in a home with zero or 1 bedroom, 38% with 2 bedrooms and 17% with 3 or more bedrooms. 8% of voucher recipients are considered overhoused, meaning they occupy a rental unit larger than their family size requires.

Rent, Assistance, and Utility Allowances

The average monthly tenant contribution to rent by Jersey City Housing Authority voucher holders in 2016 was $384 and the average monthly HUD expenditure per voucher holder was $882. The average utility allowance across all voucher recipients is $117.

1. This Picture of Subsidized Households data field is the average wait time of those who received a voucher in the preceding 12 months. Due to special voucher programs like VASH, recent waiting list purges, or waiting list preferences the average wait time can vary significantly from one year to the next and it is entirely possible many current applicants on the waiting list have been waiting for assistance for far longer.