Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Amount of Rental Relief Funds Increase for Eligible Somerset County Residents

The amount of aid has increased from the lesser of three months or $3,000 to the lesser of six months or $6,000.

Post Date: 04/26/2021 1:19 PM

SOMERVILLE, NJ – Recently, the income limits and the amount of funds have been increased for Somerset County families who are eligible to receive money from the Emergency Rental Relief Program (ERRP) to help keep them in their homes if they have lost their income due to the pandemic. The amount of aid has increased from the lesser of three months or $3,000 to the lesser of six months or $6,000. The new income limits were increased by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as the result of a general increase in the area’s median income.

“These funds are a lifeline for many who have been hardest hit by COVID,” said Somerset County Commissioner Paul Drake. “The rental relief funds not only assist those who have lost income due to the pandemic, but it helps combat COVID-related homelessness, and helps stabilize the economy by supporting our landlords.”

Somerset County is currently using federal CARES Act funding for the ERRP to help eligible families that have lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic with their monthly rent payments. The majority of the ERRP funds will be paid directly to landlords, and additional funds will be used to help eligible recipients receive representation for those who are currently in landlord/tenant court.

The program is funded by a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) allocation of $646,398 from the March 2020 Federal CARES Act for the majority of Somerset County, with separate CDBG funding allocated to Franklin Township. As a result, Franklin Township residents are not eligible for ERRP assistance.

Applicants who are eligible for funding to help offset their owed rent will have their aide amount be paid directly to landlords through a partnership with Somerset County Social Services.

To be eligible, an applicant must:

Be a resident of any Somerset County municipality (except Franklin Township) and have a current lease or rent agreement.
Have a household income that is less than the following income limits, based on household size including children:

1 Person - $69,000 2 People - $78,900

3 People - $88,700 4 People - $98,600

5 People - $106,500 6 People - $114,400

Be able to demonstrate that you are behind in rent payments.

Provide documentation of COVID-related loss of income.

Examples include:

Layoff or reduced work hours;
Unpaid leave to take care of children due to school and daycare closure;
Self-quarantine for 14 days resulting in a loss of income;
Another consequence of the virus led to a reduction of income.

To receive assistance, applicants must complete an application and submit the required documentation. For your convenience, there are three different ways to apply.

Click here to complete and submit the application and required documentation online.
Print an application from that link and submit the printed copy via email to commdevel@co.somerset.nj.us;
Request and submit a paper copy by calling the Community Development Office at 908-541-5756 or email commdevel@co.somerset.nj.us.
For residents without Internet access paper copies can be mailed to: Community Development Office, P.O. Box 3000, Somerville, NJ 08876.

Click here to learn more about Somerset County’s Community Development Office.

To stay up to date with Somerset County events and information, sign up for free email alerts at www.co.somerset.nj.us/subscribe or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

SOMERSET COUNTY BEGINS COVID VACCINATION FOR HOMEBOUND RESIDENTS

Teams Working Throughout County to Vaccinate Those Who Unable to Travel to a Provider Site

Post Date: 04/05/2021 4:06 PM 

SOMERVILLE, NJ – The Somerset County Department of Health (SCDoH) today sent vaccination teams to the homes of residents who for medical or other reasons are unable to travel to the county’s clinics or other providers to receive their COVID-19 vaccine. The nurse-led teams are initially vaccinating homebound residents in Somerville, Raritan and Manville this week and will then move to additional municipalities.

“We are thrilled to finally be receiving increased allocations of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine so we can continue our efforts to ensure Somerset County’s most vulnerable residents are protected against COVID,” said Commissioner Deputy Director Sara Sooy, who accompanied one of the teams to visit Maria Page of Manville.  “We’ve been preparing for this day for two months and are looking forward to continued expansion of our vaccination program as allotments increase in the coming weeks.”

Somerset County residents can now contact the County’s new COVID-19 call center with questions about COVID-19 testing & vaccinations.

908-231-7155

Monday - Friday 8:30am -8:00pm

Saturday 10:00am - 4:00pm

#somersetcountynj #covid19

"The phone line is operational now but it is in the process of being ramped up," said Somerset County Spokesman Nathan Rudy. "Our goal is to provide quick and easy answers regarding COVID-19 testing and vaccinations."

In particular, the call center will be able to help with registering for a vaccine (especially for senior citizens or residents who do not have access to the internet), finding out if you are eligible for a vaccine, or event finding a vaccination or testing site.

The Somerset County COVID-19 Hotline through the Somerset County Health Department does not have the ability to register residents for appointments through the State Registry. Instead, if residents do not have the ability to register via the website they should call the State’s Call Center:

New Jersey Call Center Vaccination Support Number:  855-568-0545
Hours of Operation:  8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
New Jersey COVID-19 Information Hub

Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination?

Appointments are strongly encouraged. As vaccine supply increases, more appointments will be forthcoming.

The new toll-free vaccination hotline went live today to assist you with general questions about vaccines, identifying whether or not you are currently eligible for a vaccination, and to help you identify vaccination locations.

COVID-19 VACCINATION HOTLINE 855-568-0545

To locate a vaccination site near you and to find an available appointment you can also visit https://bit.ly/2M6QBbU.

Check out the COVID-19 Information Hub covid19.nj.gov today!

New Jersey National Guard

New Jersey Department of Health

COVID Testing Information:

Where can I get tested for COVID-19?

- Somerset County in collaboration with Raritan Valley Community College will be holding a COVID-19 drive-thru TESTING clinic on Wednesday, January 27th from 10am – 1pm at Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC), 118 Lamington Road, Branchburg. Patients must schedule an appointment for testing. Appointments can be made online at https://somerset-hunterdon.adlabscovidtest.com.

Residents without computer access or wishing to schedule an appointment for children ages 5-18 may call the Somerset County Department of Health at 908-231-7155 and leave a message.

- Anyone holding a testing appointment at RVCC who needs to CANCEL is asked to email coronavirus@co.somerset.nj.us, AT LEAST 24 HOURS BEFORE YOUR APPOINTMENT TIME so we can accommodate as many residents as possible.

- In preparation for COVID-19 vaccinations, Somerset County will end testing at Raritan Valley Community College on January 27th.

- You can find a listing of other testing sites in the Somerset County area here:

https://www.co.somerset.nj.us/.../covid-19-testing...
Please contact the facilities directly for their requirements.

A breakdown of COVID 19 Cases in Manville and Somerset County as of 05/02/2021

Please note that the Total Cases are the number of positive cases that have been reported in Manville between 03/17/2020 and 05/02/2021. After 30 days positive cases are presumed to be recovered unless noted otherwise.

Age Range:

0-9 - 46
10-19 - 98
20-29- 164
30-39 - 202
40-49 - 154
50-59 - 150
60-69 - 115
70-79 - 55
80-89 - 18
90-99 - 10
No age given - 4

Manville Borough COVID 19 Cases:
New Case reported on 05/02 - 0
Total Cases 2021 Year to Date - 509
Total Cases - 1,016
Total Deceased - 22

County Info as 05/02/2021:
23,352 Cases in Somerset County.
New cases in Somerset County.
719 Deaths in Somerset County.

John Bentz
Director
Borough Of Manville
Office of Emergency Management

Manville Borough Weekly COVID 19 Tracker as of 02/21/2021  

Total # Of Manville COVID-19 Cases, as of 02/07/2021 - 730 Manville Borough COVID-19 Weekly Count: Week of 02/14/2021 27 Week of 02/07/2201 31 Week of 01/31/2021 24 Week of 01/24/2021 35 Week of 01/17/2021 31 Week of 01/10/2021 43 Week of 01/03/2021 44 Week of 12/27/2020 41 Week of 12/20/2020 43 Week of 12/13/2020 22 Week of 12/06/2020 36 Week of 11/29/2020 39 Week of 11/22/2020 24 Week of 11/15/2020 39 Week of 11/08/2020 36 Week of 11/01/2020 21 Week of 10/25/2020 6 Week of 10/08/2020 5 Week of 10/11/2020 2 Week of 10/04/2020 4 Week of 09/27/2020 6 Week of 09/20/2020 1 Week of 09/13/2020 2 Week of 09/06/2020 2 Week of 08/30/2020 2 Week of 08/23/2020 0 Week of 08/16/2020 1 Week of 08/09/2020 0 Week of 08/02/2020 3 Week of 07/26/2020 1 Week of 07/19/2020 1 Week of 07/12/2020 0 Week of 07/05/2020 5 Week of 06/28/2020 0 Week of 06/21/2020 3 Week of 06/14/2020 0 Week of 06/07/2020 1 Week of 05/31/2020 2 Week of 05/24/2020 2 Week of 05/17/2020 9 Week of 05/10/2020 10 Week of 05/03/2020 17 Week of 04/26/2020 18 Week of 04/19/2020 19 Week of 04/12/2020 15 Week of 04/05/2020 29 Week of 03/29/2020 19 Week of 03/22/2020 8 Week of 03/15/2020 1

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