NJ 211 is Connecting People to What They Need When They Need It

Miguel Hernandez still remembers the panic in the caller’s voice when she reached out to NJ 211's utility assistance line after receiving a shutoff notice. She was scared and skeptical that anyone could really help, and she had every reason to worry: her husband relied on a CPAP machine to breathe at night.

"How's he gonna sleep tonight?" she asked.

Hernandez, a Certified Community Resource Specialist supporting the Home Energy Assistance Program, knew the clock was ticking. So he stayed on the line, coaching her through the application, waiting while she walked down the hall to knock on a neighbor's door, helping her upload documents from a borrowed laptop.

"By the time you finish talking to them, they're relieved," Hernandez said.

This is the reality behind the numbers. Over the past several years, NJ 211 has heard the same urgent plea repeatedly: people need help keeping their lights on. To meet that need, the organization operates the state’s dedicated utility assistance line, a lifeline when shutoff notices arrive and options feel out of reach.

This program year alone (starting July 2025), the team has handled over 23,000 utility-related requests for help. Forty-three percent were new applicant screenings. Thirty-three percent were status checks, people anxiously waiting to see if help was coming. Ten percent needed re-certification assistance.  Thirty percent of those contacts came from seniors age 60 and above.

The work reveals not just individual struggles, but where systems break down. Jaclyn Nunziato, Director of Programs, explained that NJ 211 worked "closely with a major utility provider this year to work on transportation barriers." Sometimes the gratitude comes wrapped in exhaustion or even anger. Rae Duncan, Program Manager, recalled a caller who was frustrated and overwhelmed. But after the team pushed the application through, the caller's tone shifted completely: "OK, thank you so much. I really, really do appreciate it."

For the NJ 211  team, those moments are why they keep answering the phone. Because behind every call is a person wondering if they'll be sitting in the dark tonight, and whether anyone will care enough to help them turn the lights back on.