S 4167

SENATE, No. 4167
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED MAY 11, 2026
Sponsored by:
Senator� BENJIE E. WIMBERLY
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
���� Requires municipal participation in sheltering
homeless individuals.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act requiring municipal participation in sheltering
homeless individuals and supplementing chapter 12A of Title 40A of the New
Jersey Statutes.
���� Be It
Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.� a. For the purposes of
this section:
���� �Municipally-operated
emergency shelter for the homeless� means an emergency shelter for the homeless
as that term is defined in section 2 of P.L.1985, c.48 (C.55:13C-2) that is in
operation pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection b. of this section.
���� b.� Each municipality in the
State shall either:
���� (1)� operate, or partner with
a private, nonprofit organization to operate, an emergency shelter for the
homeless located within the municipality; or
���� (2)� pay to the county in
which the municipality is located an amount equal to $5 multiplied by the total
population of the municipality according to the most recent federal decennial
census, to be held in an account maintained by the county for the purposes of
subsection b. of this section.
���� b.� A county that receives
payment from a municipality and maintains an account pursuant to paragraph (2)
of subsection b. of this section shall annually distribute the monies received
to each municipally-operated emergency shelter for the homeless located in the
county in amounts based upon the population of homeless individuals served
annually by each municipally-operated emergency shelter for the homeless as a
proportion of the total population of homeless individuals served annually in
the county.
���� c.� A municipality may utilize
monies collected pursuant to section 15 of P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-133) to
offset costs associated with subsection b. of this section.
���� d.� Each emergency shelter for
the homeless in operation as required pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection
b. of this section, shall utilize the Homeless Management Information System
administered by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, or the
Office of Homelessness Prevention if the Homeless Management Information System
is transferred pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection e. of section 1 of
P.L.2019, c.73 (C.52:27D-287.5) to provide real-time information about the
occupancy status of available shelter beds.
���� 2.� This act shall take effect
immediately.
STATEMENT
���� This bill requires
municipalities to either operate, or partner with a private, nonprofit
organization to operate, an emergency shelter for the homeless located within
the municipality; or contribute monetarily to the municipally-operated shelters
for the homeless located within the county.
���� A municipality that elects to
contribute monetarily would pay to the county in which the municipality is
located an amount as calculated pursuant to the bill.� The county would be
required to maintain an account for these payments and distribute the monies on
an annual basis to municipally-operated emergency shelters for the homeless
located in the county for the purpose of offsetting operating costs.�
���� The amount owed by a
municipality that does not operate, or partner with a private, nonprofit
organization to operate, an emergency shelter for the homeless, would be equal
to $5 multiplied by the total population of the municipality according to the
most recent federal decennial census.� The amounts distributed to
municipally-operated emergency shelters for the homeless would be based upon
the population of homeless individuals served annually by each
municipally-operated emergency shelter for the homeless as a proportion of the
total population of homeless individuals served annually in the county.
���� A municipality would be
permitted to utilize monies collected from certificate of occupancy fees to
offset costs associated with the requirements of the bill.�
���� Each emergency shelter for the
homeless in operation as required pursuant to the bill would be required to utilize
the Homeless Management Information System to provide real-time information
about the occupancy status of available shelter beds.