SENATE COMMUNITY AND URBAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

 

STATEMENT TO

 

SENATE, No. 2161

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

DATED:  JANUARY 14, 2021

 

      The Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 2161.

      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 (DCPP) 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.

      As reported by the committee, this bill is identical to Assembly Bill No. 1229, which was also reported by the committee on this date.