The deadline is Friday, June 17, at 5 p.m.
TRENTON -- In what affordable housing advocates are calling a "huge opportunity" for lower-income New Jerseyans, the state is accepting applications for about 10,000 federally funded rental vouchers this week.
The applications must be submitted online no later than 5 p.m. Friday, according to the Department of Community Affairs website. A lottery will be held after applicants are screened to determine income eligibility.
People may submit multiple applications if they meet income guidelines for specific counties, the state website says. For example, a family of four earning no more than $51,900 would qualify to live in Middlesex, Hunterdon and Somerset counties.
People who live in the county for which they've applied will get preference, the website said.
"This is a huge opportunity for people," said Laura Ramos, co-founder of the nonprofit housing advocacy group, Everyone For Accessible Community Housing Rolls. "They often open the waiting list for a brief period of time and then it's closed for years."
Ramos said she learned of the voucher lottery because she received a notice as a resident of a special needs housing complex. She called the community affairs office to learn how people may get assistance if they can't apply online or need help doing so.
N.J.'s rents among most expensive in U.S.
"it's a mess. It's exceedingly difficult to get through," Ramos said. "There's been a huge response -- 100,000 have applied." Because people may apply in more than one county, the actual number of individuals seeking applications is probably much lower, she added.
Rental vouchers, which typically pay two-thirds of a recipient's rent, are hard to come by in an expensive state like New Jersey. People can wait for years before a new round of "section 8" or other rental assistance programs become available.
Last year, the Christie administration declined to renew two housing assistance programs, affecting 3,000 people. After a public outcry, the assistance was extended temporarily while county social service and nonprofit agencies were told to find them housing alternatives.
Gov. Chris Christie's proposed budget includes $5 million to fund 500 additional vouchers for the state's Rental Assistance Program. The vouchers would go to chronically homeless or people that rely on public assistance, although not to the 3,000 people whose assistance program expired last year.
Submitting an application "is the first step in the process to apply for the Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance program," according to the website. "The pre-application you submit will be entered into the Lottery. If you are selected through the lottery, you will be notified via email of your selection then you will be placed on the waiting list and continue through the application process."
Applicants can check www.waitlistcheck.com on June 24 to learn if they were selected through the computer-generated lottery, department spokeswoman Tammori Petty said.
"It is our expectation that many applicants will not have to wait long to get a voucher, and that we expect to turn over the entire list in no longer than three years," Petty said,
Details are available at the Department of Community Affairs website, at www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/dhcr/hc_vouchers.html
People with disabilities who need assistance with submitting applications may call at 609-292-4080 and select Option 1 or 8 from the menu, according to the website. if Seniors seeking assistance may contact one of the organizations listed on the Division of Aging County List.
Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.