Landlord-tenant courts in New Jersey are coping with a record number of eviction cases as well as a large number of judicial vacancies. Tenants who are behind on rent were protected from eviction since a statewide moratorium went into effect in March 2020, but that protection expired Jan. 1, raising fears that the state could see an increase in homelessness.

Sharie A. Robinson of Essex-Newark Legal Services, an affiliate of Legal Services New Jersey, oversees a team of lawyers who are helping tenants navigate landlord-tenant court and steering them toward available financial assistance.