Hudson County NJ Emergency Rental Assistance Program Guide

Last updated: June 26, 2026

About the Hudson County Emergency Rental Assistance 2 Program

The Hudson County ERA2 Program was a federally funded COVID-19 relief initiative designed to help households that had fallen behind on rent and utility payments. Administered by Hudson County, the program accepted applications through the SM Apply platform at hudsoncounty.smapply.io. Both tenants and landlords could initiate applications, and the platform allowed both parties to collaborate on a single submission.

One important geographic restriction applied: residents of Jersey City were excluded from this program and directed to apply separately through the City of Jersey City’s own assistance program. All other Hudson County municipalities were covered. For a broader picture of what the state of New Jersey offers renters, the New Jersey back rent assistance guide covers statewide and county-level options for catching up on arrears.

Eligibility Requirements for Hudson County ERA2

To qualify for Hudson County ERA2 assistance, all seven of the following conditions must be met:

• Hudson County residency (excluding Jersey City — those residents must apply through the City of Jersey City program).
• COVID-19 connection: The household must demonstrate a direct or indirect link between the need for rent or utility assistance and the pandemic.
• Rent was current as of March 12, 2020: Applicants must have been in good standing with rent before the pandemic began.
• Financial hardship: One or more household members qualified for unemployment, experienced a decrease in income, incurred significant costs, or encountered other financial difficulty due to the pandemic.
• Housing instability: Household must have received an eviction summons or notice to vacate, or be able to demonstrate a danger of homelessness or housing instability.
• Required documents: A copy of the lease or other proof of residency, proof of income, photo ID, and proof of past-due utilities, rent, or an eviction notice.
• Income limit: Annual household income at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). Priority was given to households earning below 50% of AMI.

If you do not meet all of these criteria, do not submit an application — review the alternative resources below instead. If you are unsure whether you qualify, contact the program by phone at 201-395-4799 before applying. The alternatives to eviction guide is also a useful resource for households that may not meet the income or COVID-connection requirements.

If You Do Not Qualify — Additional Resources

• If your income exceeds your monthly rent, contact a HUD-certified housing counselor — they can help negotiate a payment plan or other arrangement with your landlord.
• If your landlord is attempting to evict you for a reason other than nonpayment of rent, contact a legal services provider in Hudson County.
• If you own a property and face foreclosure, contact The Waterfront Project at 551-256-7578.
• If you are currently homeless or at imminent risk, contact Garden State Episcopal CDC at 201-604-2600.

How to Apply for Hudson County ERA2: Step-by-Step

Applications were submitted through the SM Apply platform at hudsoncounty.smapply.io. Creating an account is required — this enables you to save progress, resume at any time, and receive status communications from the county. The application takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes to complete. For questions at any point, call 201-395-4799.

1. Create your SM Apply account at hudsoncounty.smapply.io using a valid email address and password. You will use these credentials to log back in if you need to pause and return later.
2. Complete the Pre-Screening — click “Pre-Screening All” on the Pre-Screening page. This determines whether your household meets the basic eligibility criteria before you proceed to the full application.
3. Launch the Eviction Prevention Universal Application — if your pre-screen passes, click the “Hudson County Rental Assistance/Eviction Prevention Universal Application” link on the left-hand side of the screen.
4. Complete each section and mark as complete — click the green “MARK AS COMPLETE” button at the end of every section. The left-hand task list shows a green checkmark when a task is finished and a partial circle when it still needs attention.
5. Upload all required attachments — attachments appear as separate tasks on the left side. After uploading each file, click “Mark As Complete” to confirm the upload. You can also submit photos taken on your phone.
6. Submit the application — once all tasks show green checkmarks, the Submit button becomes active. Only the party who initiated the application can hit Submit.

Pro Tip

You can download a full preview of all application questions before submitting. After launching the Eviction Prevention Application, click the three dots (…) in the upper corner and select “Download.” This lets you prepare answers in advance. Note that some follow-up questions only appear after earlier questions are answered.

Guidance for Landlords and Tenants on the SM Apply Portal

For Landlords

Landlords can initiate an application on behalf of a qualifying tenant by indicating at the start that they are a landlord acting on behalf of a renter. After the landlord completes their portion, they invite the tenant as a “collaborator” by entering the tenant’s email address — the tenant receives a “Request to Collaborate” email with a link to their portion of the application. The application cannot be submitted until both sides are complete. Only the landlord can click Submit when the application was initiated by a landlord. If your tenant does not have an email address or needs help completing their section, have them call 201-395-4799.

For Tenants

Tenants can apply independently or complete the tenant portion of a landlord-initiated application. If you received a “Request to Collaborate” email, click the link inside it to access the application your landlord started. You must click “Mark As Complete” at the end of every section — and after every file upload — for your portion to register as done. When finished, notify your landlord so they can submit. If you do not have a current lease, an older lease for the same unit or another form of tenancy proof (such as a utility bill) may be accepted. If you are not the leaseholder but another household member is, that member must be the one to apply.

After submitting, monitor cares.hcnj.us and your email regularly for updates on review status and award notifications. If you need to update information after submission, log back into SM Apply, click the three dots (…), select “Edit,” make your changes, and resubmit. You can also send updates with your name and Applicant ID to Jacqueline Gomez at jgomez@hcdfs.us or Monica Yeng at myeng@hcdfs.us.

New Jersey renters in other counties can find similar dual-application structures in the Gloucester County ERAP and Union County ERAP, both of which operated under parallel federal ERA frameworks.