TRENTON – A package of bills sponsored by Senators Ronald L. Rice and Joseph F. Vitale which would promote a more centralized, coordinated approach to serving homeless New Jerseyans was approved by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee today.
“In my community and throughout the State, New Jerseyans are facing alarming rates of severe poverty and homelessness,” said Senator Rice, D-Essex, and a member of the health committee. “While we have various agencies on the State, county and local levels, as well as nonprofit organizations, which provide services for the homeless population, we’re not getting the most we can for our investment in these services, and in some cases people are living in dangerous and inhospitable conditions. It’s time we spend money smarter to benefit the greatest number of people possible.”
“Now more than ever, we have a responsibility to protect people in need in the Garden State,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, and vice chair of the health panel. “These bills would promote a coordinated, comprehensive and strategic approach to helping those in need, who may be struggling to make ends meet in the current economic climate. It’s about creating a seamless safety net for our State’s homeless to make sure that no one falls through the cracks.”