The Lakewood Tenants Organization, (LTO), formed in 1972, is now celebrating its 45th Anniversary. At the same time, its flagship program, the Lakewood Township Residential Assistance Program (LTRAP), first launched in 1977, is celebrating its 40th Anniversary. To commemorate these historic events, a landmark joint anniversary celebration will be held on Thursday evening, October 19, at the Lakewood Municipal Auditorium, 231 Third Street. Featured speakers include Senator Robert Singer and Lakewood Mayor Ray Coles. The event will start with a hot buffet reception at 7:45, and the Program will commence at 8:30. An informative Q&A Session will be held during the meeting. The current status of HUD programs, nationally and locally, will be reviewed at the meeting. The event is open to the public.

There are 2,400 HUD Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher programs such as LTRAP in the nation. LTRAP is Ocean County’s largest HUD rental assistance program. Since its inception in 1977, LTRAP received over 14,000 applications, and has extended Section 8 housing assistance benefits to approximately 3,500 households.

All of LTRAP’s operations are 100% federally-funded, and do not burden local taxes. In fact, since its inception LTRAP has pumped over three hundred million federal dollars into the Lakewood economy, by faithfully fulfilling its mission of helping lower-income Lakewood residents to obtain better housing. In the process, LTRAP has also become a catalyst for the renaissance of Lakewood older core neighborhoods, while expanding housing choices throughout Lakewood.

LTRAP’s exemplary record of performance is the result of a highly effective Public-Private Partnership: HUD funds the program, the Township of Lakewood sponsors the program, and the Lakewood Tenants Organization (LTO) administers the program as the Township’s contractor.

Always at the forefront of expanding affordable housing opportunities, LTRAP also operates New Jersey’s largest Section 8 Homeownership program – in proportion to its program size – and the second largest Section 8 Family Self Sufficiency Program (FSSP).

LTO currently employs a staff of 17 highly-trained professionals, including a core team of five housing experts with combined HUD experience of over 120 years. Federal Section 8 funding is very limited; only a small portion of eligible applicants can be assisted. Slow-moving, long waiting lists are common throughout the country. LTRAP gives preference to Lakewood residents. There are currently approximately 3,000 names on LTRAP’s Waiting List. LTRAP’s turnover rate is about 35-50 people per year, 3-4 a month.

Lakewood’s pride in LTRAP’s accomplishments is well-founded. LTRAP is audited annually by a HUD-approved Independent Public Accountant (IPA) for regulatory compliance and fiscal integrity. LTRAP has never had a major audit finding. HUD’s Section Eight Management Assessment Program (SEMAP) measures the management performance of the 2,400 housing agencies that administer the Housing Choice Voucher program, in 14 key areas. While the average SEMAP score for NJ Section 8 housing agencies is 77.39%, LTRAP has always been ranked by SEMAP as a High Performer, attaining a 10-year average score of 98.6%, one of the highest in the nation.

[Press Release]