S2161

An Act concerning homeless prevention programs and services and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. The Department of Community Affairs shall prepare and make available on the department's Internet website, in an easily printable format, information on all county, State, and federal homeless prevention programs and services that are available to a homeless person or to a person who is at imminent risk of homelessness. The department shall update the information whenever new information about the programs and services becomes available. The information shall include, but not be limited to, a list, by county, of:

(1) grant programs and homeless intervention programs, including the "Homeless Veterans Grant Fund" established by section 4 of P.L.2013, c.239 (C.54A:9-25.33), "Statue of Liberty Trust Fund," established by section 3 of P.L.1987, c.57 (C.32:32-3), "County Homelessness Trust Fund," created by P.L.2009, c.123 (C.52:27D-287a et al.), and the Homeless Intervention Program in the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, that supply grants and provide referral assistance services to homeless veterans, homeless persons, and persons at imminent risk of homelessness, as applicable;

(2) homeless youth programs and other homeless services provided to teens and young adults by the Division of Children's System of Care and Office of Adolescent Services in the Department of Children and Families;

(3) homeless prevention services provided by the Division of Child Protection and Permanency in the Department of Children and Families to families involved in the child welfare system;

(4) homeless services provided by the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the Department of Human Services to persons suffering from mental illness or co-occurring addiction and mental health disease; and

(5) other county, State, or federal housing and homeless prevention programs that provide financial and other supportive services to homeless persons or those at imminent risk of homelessness.

b. The department shall notify each county welfare agency, Division of Child Protection and Permanency local office, veterans service office, emergency shelter for the homeless, health care facility, State psychiatric hospital, crisis intervention unit, screening service, library, and community-based outreach program and nonprofit organizations providing housing and homeless prevention services in the State of the requirement to:

(1) post the information specified in paragraph (1) of subsection a. of this section in a conspicuous public place in the agency, office shelter, facility, hospital, unit, screening service, library, or place where housing and homeless prevention services are provided; and

(2) provide the information, at no cost, to homeless persons or persons at imminent risk of homelessness.

c. The department shall ensure, in consultation with the Departments of Children and Families, Health, Human Services, and Military and Veterans Affairs, that:

(1) the information posted on its website is made available on the websites of the Departments of Children and Families, Health, Human Services, and Military and Veterans Affairs, and is updated as necessary; and

(2) a website link to the information is posted to the Internet website of every county welfare agency, Division of Child Protection and Permanency local office, and veterans service office in the State.

d. As used in this section, "homeless person" means a teen, a young adult, a veteran, as defined under N.J.S.11A:5-1, N.J.S.18A:66-2, section 6 of P.L.1954, c.84 (C.43:15A-6), or section 1 of P.L.1983, c.391 (C.43:16A-11.7), an unemployed or underemployed person, a person with mental illness, or a person with developmental disabilities who is living outside, or in a building not meant for human habitation or which the person has no legal right to occupy, or in an emergency shelter, in a temporary housing program which may include a transitional and supportive housing program if habitation time limits exist, or temporarily in the home of another household, or in a motel.

2. Pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), the Department of Community Affairs, in consultation with the Departments of Children and Families, Health, Human Services, and Military and Veterans Affairs, may adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this act.

3. This act shall take effect immediately, but in order to provide the department with time to prepare the website, the requirement to make the website publicly available, fully incorporating the information required under section 1, shall remain inoperative until the first day of the third month next following enactment.

STATEMENT

This bill requires that the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) prepare and make available information on its website concerning all homeless prevention programs that are available to homeless persons or persons who are at imminent risk of homelessness. The bill also requires that DCA update this information whenever necessary.

Specifically, the bill requires that the information provided by DCA include, but not be limited to, a list by county of the following programs: grant programs and homeless intervention programs that provide assistance services to homeless veterans, homeless persons, and persons at imminent risk of homelessness; homeless services provided by the Departments of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), Children and Families (DCF), Human Services (DHS), and Health (DOH); and other county, State, or federal housing and homeless prevention programs that provide supportive services to homeless persons or those at imminent risk of homelessness.

Under the bill, DCA is to notify the following entities of the requirement to conspicuously post and provide this information, at no cost, to homeless persons and those at imminent risk of homelessness: county welfare agencies, Division of Child Protection and Permanency local offices, veterans service offices, emergency shelters for the homeless, health care facilities, State psychiatric hospitals, crisis intervention units, screening services, libraries, and community-based outreach programs and nonprofit organizations providing housing and homeless prevention services in the State.

The bill also requires DCA, in consultation with DCF, DHS, DOH, and DMVA, to ensure that: (1) the updated information posted on the DCA website also is made available on each department’s website; and (2) a link to the information also is posted to the Internet website of every county welfare agency, DCPP local office, and veterans service office in the State.

Under the bill, a "homeless person" is defined as a teen, a young adult, a veteran, as defined under N.J.S.11A:5-1, N.J.S.18A:66-2, section 6 of P.L.1954, c.84 (C.43:15A-6), or section 1 of P.L.1983, c.391 (C.43:16A-11.7), an unemployed or underemployed person, a person with mental illness, or a person with developmental disabilities who is living outside, or in a building not meant for human habitation or which the person has no legal right to occupy, or in an emergency shelter, or in a temporary housing program which may include a transitional and supportive housing program if habitation time limits exist, or temporarily in the home of another household, or in a motel.

The bill provides that DCA, in consultation with DCF, DHS, DOH, and DMVA, may adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of the bill.