N.J. Admin. Code § 10:90-6.6

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 17, September 3, 2024

Section 10:90-6.6 - Recipient/agency responsibilities

(a) The county/municipal agency shares responsibility with the individual/family in receipt of emergency assistance to resolve the emergency situation and to assist the individual/family to secure a suitable permanent housing arrangement. Receipt of emergency assistance is contingent upon the recipient's taking reasonable steps toward resolving the emergent situation. Reasonable steps shall include the recipient's signature on a written notice of recipient responsibilities while receiving temporary housing/shelter; participation in formulating, complying with and carrying out a plan for service; fulfilling the number of housing searches mutually agreed upon; and following agency recommendations related to resolving the emergent situation. The service plan shall consist of mandatory and non-mandatory activities as determined by the agency. The agency shall review each activity listed on the service plan with the recipient. Failure to comply with the mandatory activities of the service plan without good cause shall result in termination of EA benefits for a period of six months. In no case shall the EA granted exceed the limits set forth in 10:90-6.4 concerning time limits and extensions in situations of extreme hardship.

1. The service plan shall be developed between the county or municipal agency and the recipient of emergency assistance within 10 days of the EA authorization date in order to provide a plan of action aimed at working toward securing permanent shelter and also, where directly related to securing such shelter, at resolving the circumstances that contributed to the emergency situation. When appropriate, development of the service plan shall be coordinated with the development of the individual responsibility plan (IRP) discussed in 10:90-4.8. For individuals requesting EA for reason of family violence or the risk of family violence, the EA service plan must be coordinated with any services offered through the designated victim service provider agency and included in the family violence safety and service plan in accordance with 10:90-20.1(b)1 ii. Every effort shall be made to avoid situations in which the development and execution of one plan infringes upon the development and execution of the other, thereby placing the recipient in danger of being either sanctioned due to non-cooperation or terminated from receipt of EA. The service plan shall include, as appropriate, but is not limited to:

i. Selection of a housing arrangement which takes into consideration the recipient's circumstances, such as mental or physical problems.

(1) Every effort will be made to locate suitable housing in the community of prior permanent residence. If, however, shelter/housing is not available at the most reasonable rate, taking into consideration individual circumstances and services provided, within the municipality of customary residence, the recipient, as a condition of eligibility, shall be obliged to accept shelter/housing outside the municipality of customary residence;

ii. Provision of the following specified services:

(1) Information;

(2) Referral;

(3) Assistance in securing shelter, including transportation;

(4) Assistance in arranging for child care; and

(5) Referral for legal services; and

iii. Other service plan activities may include the following:

(1) Actively looking for safe and affordable permanent housing and providing documentation of such efforts;

(2) Seeking and maintaining employment or following through with other programs that may lead to self-sufficiency;

(3) Attending all scheduled meetings with the agency worker;

(4) With agency assistance, planning the short-term or long-term goals associated with maintaining permanent housing;

(5) Providing proof of applications for public and subsidized housing;

(6) Cooperating in providing needed documentation for public or subsidized housing;

(7) Participating in programs designed to address barriers that may prohibit the assistance unit from maintaining permanent housing, which includes, but may not be limited to, the Substance Abuse Initiative, the Behavioral Health Initiative and TIP; or

(8) Following through with other agency referrals for services, including the Social Security Administration, Legal Services, child care services, and housing assistance.

2. The EA service plan shall be monitored monthly, at a minimum, for recipients residing in a shelter, motel or hotel. For recipients in receipt of a TRA, the EA service plan shall be monitored, as appropriate by the agency, but not less than every six months.

3. The county or municipal agency shall reevaluate and/or revise the service plan as warranted by changes in the recipient's shelter needs and/or other pertinent circumstances.

i. When emergency assistance has been extended beyond the 12-month maximum found at 10:90-6.4(a) above for either an initial period of six months or a second period of six months (applicable to WFNJ/TANF recipients only), the service plan must be revised in order to address the special circumstances which have contributed to the hardship which caused the extension.

N.J. Admin. Code § 10:90-6.6

Amended by R.1998 d.42, effective 1/20/1998.
See: 29 N.J.R. 3971(b) , 30 N.J.R. 389(a) .
Deleted (a)1iv.
Amended by R.2003 d.226, effective 6/16/2003.
See: 34 N.J.R. 2713(a) , 35 N.J.R. 2670(a) .
In (a)1, added the third sentence in the introductory paragraph.
Amended by R.2004 d.292, effective 8/2/2004.
See: 36 N.J.R. 1695(a) , 36 N.J.R. 3545(a) .
In (a)1, inserted ", as appropriate" before ", but is not limited to:" in the fifth sentence.
Amended by R.2010 d.239, effective 11/1/2010.
See: 41 N.J.R. 3887(a) , 42 N.J.R. 2621(a) .
In the introductory paragraph of (a), rewrote the fourth sentence and added the fifth sentence; in the introductory paragraph of (a)1, substituted "non-cooperation" for "noncooperation"; in (a)1i(1), substituted a semicolon for a colon at the end; in (a)1ii(5), inserted "and" at the end; and rewrote (a)1iii and (a)2.
Modified by Executive Order No. 103(2020), effective 4/2/2020.
See: 52 N.J.R. 979(a) .