SENATE BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

[First Reprint]

ASSEMBLY, No. 2186

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JANUARY 6, 2022

      The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 2186 (1R).

      This bill would require the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) to allow operators of shelters for the homeless and others who place persons in homeless shelters to have access to real-time information about the occupancy status of shelter beds, as collected by the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), to determine the availability of shelter beds in the vicinity.  Each homeless shelter operator would be required to update information about available shelter beds not later than one hour after a bed becomes available, or an available bed has been filled.  These provisions will allow operators of homeless shelters that are currently full to ascertain whether there are available beds in nearby shelters so as to enable them to direct individuals in need of emergency shelter to locations that can accommodate them.  This bill also requires a shelter for the homeless to cooperate in providing any necessary information to the database, as determined by the HMFA, the Department of Community Affairs, and the Department of Human Services, as a condition of being eligible to receive funding for the shelter from the Departments of Community Affairs and Human Services.

      The bill would not apply to shelters for victims of domestic violence.

      As reported, this bill is identical to Senate Bill No. 1599 (1R), which also was reported by the committee on this date.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      This bill is not certified as requiring a fiscal note.