Parsippany Slated To Receive CARES Act Money

PARSIPPANY, NJ—Parsippany is one of 41 municipalities in New Jersey designated to share more than $75 million in federal CARES Act grants, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced last week.

The funds are part of a remaining $1.98 billion to be distributed throughout the country to help renters facing eviction with temporary financial relief.

"We've taken several actions since the beginning for this pandemic to keep Americans in their homes," said Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson in a statement announcing the distribution. "Today, we announce additional aid to the communities that need it most."

Parsippany is scheduled to receive $423,645 from the program. The funds can be used to provide financial assistance to renters in danger of being evicted for up to six months. The federal government has already halted some evictions until at least Dec. 31, 2020.

Measures have expired in at least 24 of the 43 states and Washington, D.C. that enacted eviction moratoriums in the wake of the pandemic's start, according to data compiled by Eviction Lab, a Princeton University research project. New Jersey's eviction rate is more than two times lower than the national average, Eviction Lab data shows.

Still, housing advocates fear a surge in evictions and homelessness throughout the United States. An estimated 19 to 23 million renters risk being evicted by Sept. 30, according to the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan research group.