COVID-19 Update
May 29, 2020

Nutley Update on COVID-19

The Township of Nutley is providing an update to the community on several important matters, including:

• Total COVID-19 cases in Nutley
• Re-opening of child care, sports, summer camps, and more
• COVID-19 Short-Term Rental Assistance Program
• Census reminder
• Other updates

COVID-19 Total Cases
The Township of Nutley announced 1 additional known COVID-19 case and 1 additional death bringing the total to 492 cases and 34 deaths.

Re-Opening of Child Care, Sports, Summer Camps, and More
Governor Murphy announced today that the following can resume over the next several weeks if health and safety safeguards are followed:

• Child care centers can reopen June 15, 2020
• Non-contact organized sports activities can restart June 22, 2020
• Youth day camps, including municipal recreation programs, can begin July 6, 2020

The Governor also announced that he anticipates being able to raise the limits on indoor gatherings in a way that will allow for greater indoor religious services for the weekend of June 12, 2020.

In addition, horse racing will resume as early as next weekend. At this time, fans will not be allowed back into racetrack grandstands.

COVID-19 Short-Term Rental Assistance Program
Governor Murphy and Lieutenant Governor Oliver today announced the COVID-19 Short-Term Rental Assistance Program. The program will provide rental assistance to low- and moderate-income households that have had a substantial reduction in income as a result of the pandemic, including those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

The program will open for applications in July and begin paying rental assistance in September.  Qualifying households will be expected to pay 30 percent of their income toward rent, and the program would pay the remainder of their rent up to DCA’s fair market rent payment standard (see chart below). At the three-month mark, the household budget will be reviewed to determine if assistance is still needed. Assistance that is no longer required will be used to serve additional families.

The program will devote approximately 20 percent of funding to serve those who are very low income and homeless or at risk of homelessness with up to 12 months of rental assistance. These households will be selected by DCA through the Coordinated Entry process in each county’s Homeless Management Information System. To help families reach self-sufficiency, case management, financial planning, and other assistance will be provided by the program.

For the remainder of the funding, DCA will administer an online lottery. When the lottery is opened, households may submit applications and participants will be selected from the overall pool of applicants through a randomized process based on eligibility and the lottery criteria. Applicants selected through the lottery will be eligible to receive up to six months of short-term rental assistance. Should further funding become available, DCA will serve additional households.

Households may qualify for the lottery based on the below standards:

Eligibility Requirements

• Must be a New Jersey resident.
• Maximum income up to 80 percent of area median income (AMI).
• Must have been current in their rental payments as of March 1, 2020.
• Must be able to provide proof of impact of COVID-19 beginning on March 9, 2020 when Governor Murphy declared the state of emergency.
• Layoff;
• Reduced work hours;
• Unpaid leave to take care of children due to school and daycare closures; and/or
• Need to self-quarantine for 14 days resulted in a loss of income

The COVID-19 Short Term Rental Assistance Program website will launch on June 15 with additional information at https://www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/dhcr/offices/shorttermrap.html.

Census Reminder
Approximately 70% of Nutley residents have filled out the census. If you haven’t filled out your census, please do so by going to http://my2020census.gov. Completing the census will help ensure that Nutley receives its fair share of federal funding.

Governor Murphy’s Executive Orders
To view the executive orders, visit:

https://nj.gov/infobank/eo/056murphy/approved/eo_archive.html

Emotional Support Information
If you need emotional support or are feeling anxiety or worry due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you can call the NJ Mental Health Cares number at 1-866-202-HELP (4357). It is staffed with a live mental health specialist 7 days a week, 8 am-8 pm.

Locally, the Nutley Family Service Bureau is accepting referrals and can be reached by calling 973-667-1884.

Health Department Message
Please make every attempt to check in on elderly and/or disabled neighbors. If you are aware of anyone that needs food and/or supplies, please contact the Department of Public Affairs at 973-284-4976.

Additional Information
For additional information and previous updates, please visit www.nutleynj.org. In addition to receiving emergency alerts, visit www.covid19.nj.gov to stay informed.