[First Reprint]
SENATE, No. 1599
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
219th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 13, 2020
Sponsored by:
Senator RICHARD J. CODEY
District 27 (Essex and Morris)
Senator NELLIE POU
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes Statewide database of beds in shelters for the homeless.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee on May 6, 2021, with amendments.
An Act concerning emergency shelters for the homeless and supplementing P.L.1983, c.530 (C.55:14K-1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency shall allow operators of shelters for the homeless and selected local information and referral providers who place persons in the shelters to have access to real-time information about the occupancy status of shelter beds in the State, as collected by the Homeless Management Information System, in order to determine the availability of shelter beds in the community or within a certain geographic area. Shelter operators shall update information in the Homeless Management Information System about the availability of shelter beds not later than one hour after a bed becomes available, or an available bed has been filled.
The provisions of this section shall not apply to shelters for victims of domestic violence.
2. A shelter for the homeless, except a shelter for victims of domestic violence, which is subject to regulation by the Department of Community Affairs pursuant to N.J.A.C.5:15-1.1 et seq., shall cooperate in providing any necessary information to the database, as determined by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, 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 Department of Community Affairs and the Department of Human Services.
1[A shelter operator shall update information in the Homeless Management Information System about the availability of shelter beds not later than one hour after a bed becomes available, or an available bed has been filled.]1
3. This act shall take effect on the 60th day following enactment.