This bill mandates the Director of the Division of Housing and Community Resources in the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to create a cost-sharing program that reimburses municipally-operated emergency shelters for the homeless. The program is designed to support shelters that provide services to individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness when they seek assistance outside their last-known municipality of residence. The reimbursement will cover various eligible costs, such as emergency shelter, temporary housing, food, and transportation services. However, individuals who voluntarily relocated for employment or family reasons, whose last-known municipality cannot be verified, or who have lived in the shelter's municipality for over 12 months will not qualify for reimbursement.

Additionally, the bill requires all municipally-operated emergency shelters to utilize the Homeless Management Information System to track the occupancy status of available shelter beds and to document the last-known municipality of residence for each individual seeking services. The bill also includes an appropriation of $10 million from the General Fund to support the implementation of the program and the operation of the Homeless Management Information System. This funding aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of services provided to the homeless population across municipalities.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 52:27D-287.5, 55:14K-5.5