Bill Text: NJ S889 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes grant program for homeless veterans shelters.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee [S889 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S889-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator KRISTIN M. CORRADO
District 40 (Bergen, Essex and Passaic)
Senator NELLIE POU
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senators Cruz-Perez, Testa, Greenstein, O'Scanlon, A.M.Bucco and Diegnan
SYNOPSIS
Establishes grant program for homeless veterans shelters.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act establishing the Southern New Jersey Homeless Veterans Shelter Grant Program and supplementing Title 38A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. There is established in the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs the "Southern New Jersey Homeless Veterans Shelter Grant Program." The purpose of this program is to award grants to the three southern-most counties in this State for identifying and providing appropriate locations and property for the State to develop and operate shelters for homeless veterans. The grants shall be awarded, subject to the availability of funds appropriated for the program, based upon the submission of applications by an eligible county in accordance with a process and criteria developed by the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs and monies appropriated by the Legislature for this purpose. The application shall, at the minimum, include a description of the proposed location of a homeless veterans shelter and the property to be provided by the county to the State for development of a homeless veterans shelter. The Adjutant General may adopt, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations necessary to effectuate the grant program.
As used in this section, the "three southern-most counties" means the counties of Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
The bill would require the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs to award grants, subject to the availability of funds, to certain southern New Jersey counties to provide veterans with improved access to homeless shelters. Under the bill, Atlantic County, Cape May County, and Cumberland County may submit applications to the Adjutant General proposing locations for homeless veterans shelters and identifying property the county would provide to the State for the development of a shelter.
New Jersey's southern counties are in particular need of shelters for homeless veterans. Because of mobility issues, homeless veterans' access to resources is often limited by geographic location. Various factors may have caused homeless veterans to locate within southern New Jersey counties. However, when conditions, such as extreme cold, require them to seek out temporary shelter, they find themselves isolated from shelters and other facilities that provide resources for veterans. This bill would result in the development of shelters in locations appropriate to meet this need.
