New Jersey Residents: Do you need help paying your bills?


New Jersey Aid and Assistance Programs.

Locate grants and state assistance in all New Jersey counties and cities, including Newark and Jersey City. In addition to the state run assistance programs you will find below, you can also locate organizations and charities in New Jersey that can provide you with help paying bills.

Assistance Programs

Kinship Navigator ProgramKinship care is defined as care that is provided by grandparents and other relatives who care for their family member's children. The Kinship Navigator Program is a referral and information assistance program that was established to help relatives navigate their way through the various governmental systems to find the local supports they may need, including cash assistance, support groups, child care resources, medical coverage, housing assistance, and respite services. In addition to the navigator service, monthly subsidies are also available to eligible kinship caregivers to help them pay their bills and debt. 1-877-816-3211
New Jersey Mortgage Help and Foreclosure Aid
New Jersey offers programs that assist families with paying their mortgages, and the state can also help those who may be in need avoid foreclosure.  More.

The state has also started a mediation program that will help lenders and homeowners agree to a solution to stop a foreclosure.

Find
 a listing of New Jersey HUD approved foreclosure counseling agencies and firms.
Hospital Care Payment Assistance ProgramThis program provides free or very low cost medical care for lower income patients who receive outpatient or inpatient services at an acute care hospital in NJ. 1-800-367-6543
NJ WorkAbilityProvides health insurance coverage to those who work, and whose income make them ineligible for Medicaid aid , and it will also help the disabled with medical bills and debt. 1-888-285-3036
Senior Gold Prescription Discount Program and Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD)
A prescription drug discount program for the disabled and seniors in need to help them pay for prescribed medication and drugs. 1800-792-9745
Stop Medical Debt Collectors and Get Access to Free Health Care
New Jersey laws provide consumers help with medical debt and also ensure people have access to free health care. More on programs to stop debt collectors.
Charity Care- Hospital Care Payment Assistance ProgramThis an an assistance program that will help pay for doctor and hospital bills. The program provides free or low cost health care to lower income patients who are admitted to hospitals throughout New Jersey. To be eligible for aid, those in need of help must have no or limited health insurance coverage.
New Jersey State Rental Assistance ProgramThis is a rental assistance program offered by New Jersey for low-income families, individuals or households. The program will help paying rent in the form of rental assistance grants. 609-292-4080. Find additional rent help.
New Jersey Family CareProvides free or very low-cost health insurance to lower income working families and also their children. Those eligible for aid from this program include parents with incomes up to 200% of the federal poverty level, and children that are in families earning up to 350% of the federal poverty level.  1-800-701-0710
Credit Counseling for Debts and Mortgage Assistance
Find details on non-profit organizations that offer New Jersey residents credit counseling services. A number of debt consolidation, housing, and programs to pay bills and loans are offered. More on New Jersey credit counseling.
Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD)A program that provides insurance and drug coverage for prescribed legend drugs, such as insulin and insulin supplies. There are many other prescription drug assistance programs.
The NJ Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)This aid is based on the federal EITC, and it provides a fully refundable credit to help boost the paychecks of low-income families.
Senior Freeze property tax reliefReceive property tax assistance from the Senior Freeze programs. Eligible seniors as well as disabled residents will receive reimbursement for the difference between their local property taxes that were paid the first year they enrolled in the tax assistance program and what their property taxes owed in tax year 2008 were. get additional help with paying property taxes.
Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund
This will provide eligible families with financial assistance to help those families cover medical expenses that were incurred because their child became injured or catastrophically ill. Covered expenses provided for children ages 0 to 21 include, but are not limited to, acute or specialized in- or out - patient hospital care, special ambulatory care, medical equipment, home health care, medically - related home and vehicle modifications, and medical transportation. 1-800-335-3863. More.
WorkFirst New Jersey(WFNJ)This is New Jersey public assistance grant program, and it was created to help families move to self-sufficiency by offering families and individuals a full array of supports, from health insurance, child care, and transportation, up to substance abuse treatment and emergency funds. Recipients who need the help will face a five-year lifetime limit on cash assistance, and they also must become employed or take part in work activities.
Legal AssistanceFind resources that provide free legal assistance and advice in New Jersey. Federal government grants fund the programs. Click here.
Medicaid An entitlement program that currently provides health insurance for more than 600,000 very low-income New Jersey parents, people who are aged, children, and the blind or disabled. The program pays for doctor, hospital, prescription drug bills, nursing home expenses and many other health care benefits.
Health Insurance for Families and Children Provided through the NJ FamilyCare program, this helps financially eligible families who need health insurance  obtain it to help cover the cost of routine physician visits, hospitalizations, prescriptions, lab tests, x-rays, eyeglasses, eye exams, and other medical bills for themselves and for their children and it will also pay for dental care for most children and for some adults.
New Jersey Food Banks and Distribution Centers
Individuals and families who need help across the state can turn to non-profit food banks and pantries. These centers and organizations can provide free food, groceries, and other resources to those who need help. More on New Jersey food banks.
Utility and Heating Bills
Find a comprehensive listing of the programs that are offered by utility companies in New Jersey that can help customers pay their bills. Read more.
Community Clinics and Free Health Care
There are dozens of community clinics in New Jersey that provide free or low cost medical care to the low income and people without health insurance. Click here to get more information.
Residents who need help to address a dental need also have options available to them. Read about free or reduced priced facilities and dental care clinics in New Jersey.
Housing, rent assistance, and homeless prevention - A state run organization offers emergency rental assistance, money for security deposits, shelter, and housing counseling. Find a listing of New Jersey housing programs.

Assistance With Paying Utility and Heating Bills

Programs for paying energy bills are available in your county at the agencies referenced above. Click here to find additional utility and heating bill assistance programs in New Jersey.
Home Energy Assistance ProgramThis will help very low-income residents with paying their heating and also cooling bills, and the program also makes provisions for emergency fuel assistance and emergency heating system services within the Home Energy Assistance Program.
Universal Service Fund (USF)Helps make utility and energy bills more affordable for lower income customers in New Jersey. If you are eligible for aid, USF can help you lower the amount you have to pay for electricity and natural gas.
New Jersey SHARESThis state program can help people pay for their heating, water and utility bills. The program provides home energy grants for up to $1,000 to people whose income is too high for other government programs. So this program is targeted at more moderate income families. Read more on NJ Shares.
Citizens Energy Oil Heat ProgramCitizens Energy works closely with countless fuel assistance agencies across New Jersey and they also cooperate with oil heat dealers in over 15 states to provide deliveries of free home heating oil to those who need assistance with heating bills. This year, this assistance helped tens of thousands of families with a one-time delivery of 100 gallons of home heating oil.
Weatherization AssistanceThis program will assist the elderly, low income, and handicapped persons in weatherizing their homes, which will improve their heating system efficiency and also help them conserve energy.
New Jersey Comfort Partners
This is a residential program that is for lower income families. The aid is offered by PSE&G, Jersey Central Power & Light, Rockland Electric Company, New Jersey Natural Gas, Atlantic City Electric (Conectiv), Elizabethtown Gas and also South Jersey Gas. Energy efficiency measures are provided to low income families, and they include  include: efficient lighting products and CFL bulbs, refrigerator replacement, hot water and heater conservation measures, air sealing and insulation, duct sealing and also repair, free programmable thermostats, insulation upgrades, and heating/cooling equipment maintenance, replacement, or repair. They will also provide energy counseling and education to help lower your bills, as well as arrearage forgiveness on outstanding heating or utility bills for participants who agree to payment plans are included.