May 4, 2026
The partnership adds Aetna Better Health NJ to a growing roster of New Jersey Medicaid MCOs that have selected Upside as their housing stability partner — reinforcing Upside’s position as the state’s leading infrastructure for Medicaid housing navigation and stabilization.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL and NEWARK, NJ — Upside, a nationally scalable housing stability platform purpose-built for healthcare, today announced its partnership with Aetna Better Health of New Jersey (Aetna Better Health NJ), a CVS Health company and managed care organization (MCO) serving New Jersey Medicaid members. Aetna Better Health NJ joins a growing roster of New Jersey Medicaid plans that have selected Upside as their housing stability partner, further deepening the company’s presence across the state’s Medicaid market.
New Jersey’s Medicaid program has emerged as one of the most active state markets for housing stability investment in the country, with multiple MCOs now leveraging the state’s Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration waiver and NJ FamilyCare Housing Supports Program to fund housing-related interventions for high-need members. Upside has been at the center of that movement, partnering with the state’s leading plans to build a consistent, high-quality housing stabilization infrastructure that operates across all geographies from Newark and Trenton to the state’s rural southern counties.
“Housing community support teams are over leveraged and under-resourced across the country. In partnering with Upside, Aetna recognizes this and knows that our coordinated model of housing care will fill the gaps in highly sensitive and urgent placements for the most vulnerable New Jerseyans ” said Chuck Hector, Chief Revenue Officer of Upside.
Under the partnership, Upside will deliver housing navigation and stabilization services to Aetna Better Health NJ members experiencing housing instability — including Pre-Tenancy Services, Move-in Supports, and Tenancy Sustaining Services, as well as transitional housing supports designed to bridge members from crisis to long-term stability. Upside’s model is built to flex across the full continuum of member need, from acute housing crisis to sustained tenancy support.
Upside’s model pairs dedicated Care Guides — licensed social workers and housing specialists — with AI-supported housing orchestration to accelerate time from referral to stabilization.
New Jersey joins a growing number of states where Upside serves as the housing stability partner for Medicaid MCOs. The company’s statewide deployment model is designed to ensure consistent service quality across urban, suburban, and rural geographies — a critical design requirement in a state as geographically and demographically diverse as New Jersey.
“New Jersey has become a model for how states and health plans can work together to make housing stability a real part of Medicaid care delivery,” said Jake Rothstein, Co-Founder and CEO of Upside. “This partnership with Aetna Better Health NJ deepens our roots in a state where we’ve already seen what’s possible when plans commit to this work. We’re here to deliver on that commitment — for Aetna’s members and for New Jersey.”
Upside and Aetna Better Health NJ are moving quickly toward launch, continuing to expand Upside’s presence across New Jersey’s Medicaid market and the state’s growing commitment to housing as a foundational healthcare intervention.
Upside is a nationally scalable housing stability platform purpose-built for healthcare. The company partners with health plans and employers to proactively identify and stabilize members and employees experiencing housing instability — connecting them to safe, supportive housing while reducing avoidable emergency care utilization and improving health outcomes. Upside’s model combines dedicated Care Guides — licensed social workers and housing specialists — with AI-supported housing orchestration to deliver measurable results at scale. The platform serves Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, D-SNP, commercial, and employer-sponsored populations across the full housing continuum, from crisis intervention to long-term tenancy support. Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, FL, Upside is redefining how healthcare organizations address housing as a foundation of care. For more information, visit www.joinupside.com.
Aetna Better Health of New Jersey is a managed care organization and CVS Health company serving New Jersey Medicaid members. The plan is committed to improving health outcomes for vulnerable populations through integrated physical, behavioral, and social health services.
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