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S2885
SENATE, No. 2885
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator RAJ MUKHERJI
District 32 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
���� Establishes Statewide database of beds in shelters
for homeless.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.
��
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.
���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect on the 60th day following enactment.
STATEMENT
����� 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.