Housing Advocacy Resources in Salem County, NJ
Find information about housing advocacy, emergency shelter support, rent and utility assistance, safety planning, and local resources for survivors and families in Salem County.
Clear Information for a Difficult Situation
Housing Support During a Crisis or Transition
Housing concerns can become urgent for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or abuse. A person may need to leave quickly, find a safe place to stay, avoid returning to an unsafe home, protect children, replace important documents, apply for benefits, or understand what local support may be available.

Salem County Women’s Services provides confidential support, advocacy, and referrals for people affected by domestic violence and sexual assault in Salem County. While every housing situation is different, advocates can help survivors talk through safety concerns, understand available resources, and connect with local and statewide support.
Understanding Teen Dating violence
What Is Housing Advocacy?
Housing advocacy helps survivors and families identify practical next steps when safety, shelter, rent, utilities, transportation, or basic needs are part of the crisis. It is not only about finding a place to stay. It can also include support with planning, documentation, referrals, safety concerns, and communication with other agencies.
Housing advocacy may help with:
- Emergency shelter referrals
- Safety planning before or after leaving an unsafe situation
- Understanding local housing and social service resources
- Connecting with rent, utility, food, or emergency assistance programs
- Preparing documents needed for applications
- Thinking through transportation, children’s needs, pets, medication, and school routines
- Coordinating referrals with community partners
- Planning for longer-term stability after a crisis
Emergency Shelter and Safe Housing Support
Leaving an unsafe situation can be complicated. Some survivors need immediate shelter. Others may need help thinking through whether it is safe to stay, where they could go in an emergency, how to leave without increasing risk, or what to bring if they need to leave quickly.
Salem County Women’s Services provides free and confidential domestic violence and sexual assault support in Salem County, including emergency shelter, counseling services, legal advocacy, hospital or police accompaniment, support groups, and resources.

Housing advocacy can help survivors consider questions such as:
- Where can I go if I need to leave today?
- What should I bring with me if I can do so safely?
- How can I protect my children, pets, medication, phone, or documents?
- What if the person harming me controls my money, transportation, or identification?
- How can I make a plan if I am not ready or able to leave yet?
- What local or statewide resources may be available?
Rent, Utility, and Emergency Assistance
Financial pressure can make it harder to leave an unsafe situation or maintain stable housing after a crisis. Rent, security deposits, shutoff notices, food needs, transportation, child care, and utility bills can all become urgent concerns.
The Salem County Board of Social Services provides emergency assistance information and states that a social worker may advocate for an individual or family with landlords, shelter operators, and utility companies to help obtain needed services. The agency lists 856-299-7200, option 7 for emergency assistance inquiries.
The Salem County Inter Agency Council housing directory also notes that, depending on eligibility, Salem County Board of Social Services may assist with temporary emergency shelter, food, utility assistance, rent, or security deposits.
NJ 211 and Statewide Housing Referrals
NJ 211 is New Jersey’s statewide information and referral resource for people looking for help with housing, food assistance, shelter, health care, disaster support, government programs, support groups, and other basic needs.
For survivors and families who are not sure where to begin, NJ 211 can be a helpful starting point for locating community programs by ZIP code or need. It can be used alongside local advocacy from Salem County Women’s Services and county-based support from Salem County Board of Social Services.
Utility Assistance Resources in New Jersey
Utility bills can become a serious barrier when someone is trying to stay safely housed. New Jersey offers several utility assistance programs, and eligibility may depend on income, household size, utility provider, and program availability.
The State of New Jersey lists utility assistance programs including the Payment Assistance for Gas and Electric, or PAGE, Program, as well as programs such as the Universal Service Fund and Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The state notes that PAGE may assist low- to moderate-income New Jersey families with up to $700 per year in benefits to help pay gas and electric bills, and that income-eligible applicants must apply for USF and LIHEAP before seeking PAGE assistance.
Safety Planning and Housing Decisions
Housing decisions can affect safety. Leaving, staying, filing paperwork, changing locks, applying for benefits, contacting a landlord, or changing phone and account access may create new risks depending on the situation.
A housing safety plan may include:
- Identifying safe places to go in an emergency
- Keeping important documents in a secure location
- Preparing medication, keys, phone chargers, clothing, and children’s essentials
- Thinking through transportation option
- Saving evidence or records if it is safe to do so
- Planning for school, work, pets, and child care
- Changing passwords from a safer device
- Limiting location sharing and reviewing digital privac
- Deciding who can safely know about your plan
If you are concerned that your phone, internet use, email, location, or accounts may be monitored, try to contact an advocate from a safer device or location.
For Survivors With Children, Pets, or Shared Housing
Housing decisions can be even more complicated when children, pets, leases, shared property, transportation, school schedules, custody issues, or financial control are involved. You may be worried about where your children will sleep, whether you can bring important belongings, what happens if your name is or is not on a lease, or how to leave without alerting the person harming you.

You do not need to have all the answers before reaching out. An advocate can help you think through safety, timing, documentation, and referrals based on your situation.
This may include support related to:
- Children’s immediate needs
- School and transportation concerns
- Pets and emotional support animals
- Medication, identification, and benefits cards
- Shared leases, housing records, or mail
- Court orders or legal advocacy referrals
- Financial abuse or lack of access to money
Local Housing & Basic Needs Resources
Local resources can help people find more practical next steps close to home. In Salem County, housing and basic-needs resources may include domestic violence advocacy, emergency shelter referrals, county social services, food support, utility help, rent or security deposit assistance, and statewide referral systems.
Helpful local and statewide resources may include:
Need Housing Advocacy in Salem County?
You do not have to wait until your housing situation becomes an emergency to ask for help. Salem County Women’s Services can help survivors, families, and concerned loved ones understand available options, connect with referrals, and plan for safety.

Support is available for people in Salem, Pennsville, Carneys Point, Penns Grove, Woodstown, and communities throughout Salem County.