SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · NEW JERSEY
ASSISTING HANDS (UNIT) franchise in New Jersey: what the public record shows
Franchisees of ASSISTING HANDS (UNIT) in New Jersey have taken 6 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $404,000). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. ASSISTING HANDS (UNIT) has too few seasoned resolved loans nationally for a national ratio. Its latest FDD Item 20 state table reports 20 franchised outlets in New Jersey (fiscal 2025) — about 0.21 per 100k residents.
Loans in NJ
6
Charged off (all years)
0 of 2
Loss ratio in NJ
—
Loss ratio nationally
—
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = NJ. Loss ratio = charge-offs among loans approved through FY2020 ÷ the charge-offs expected if each had defaulted at the national rate for franchise loans approved the same year; 1.0× is the same. Only charged-off and paid-in-full loans count. A ratio is shown at 30+ such loans; “not clear” marks a ratio chance alone could produce. The all-years count mixes every era and is evidence, not a rate to compare. Borrowers are matched to the brand by name and SBA franchise code; some matches may be wrong or missing.
Businesses in this industry
1,198
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
12.6
national 17.4
Versus the country
-28%
thinner
Every business in ASSISTING HANDS (UNIT)'s industry operating in New Jersey — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across the brand-state cells in the loan data, denser markets have historically charged off less often than the thinnest (see the research page). A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$857
New Jersey, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$799
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+7%
costlier to staff
What ASSISTING HANDS (UNIT)'s industry actually pays workers in New Jersey, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This cost signal is independent of the FDD: a market can look demand-rich above and still carry a margin headwind here if local wages run hot for the sector.
| Fiscal year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 17 | — |
| 2024 | 18 | — |
| 2025 | 20 | — |
| System | Loans in NJ | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in NJ | Units in NJ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right at Home | 9 | 0 of 6 | — | 21 |
| Home Instead | 7 | 0 of 4 | — | 14 |
| SYNERGY HOME CARE | 6 | 0 of 1 | — | 38 |
| Firstlight Homecare | 5 | 0 of 3 | — | — |
| Interim Healthcare | 5 | 0 of 2 | — | 3 |
Other systems in ASSISTING HANDS (UNIT)'s sector whose franchisees borrowed in New Jersey. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.
A broker is usually paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid only by you, never by a franchisor you're considering — and the job is pressure-testing ASSISTING HANDS (UNIT)’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.