Van Drew Bill to Establish Housing Pilot Program for At-Risk Veterans Now Law

TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senator Nilsa Cruz-Perez and Senator Jeff Van Drew that establishes the “Veterans Affordable Housing Section 8 Voucher Pilot Program” to assist veterans and their families who are confronting homelessness or are residing in unsafe housing was signed into law.
“As an Army veteran, I have seen first-hand the sacrifices that our men and women in the military have to make each and every day,” said Senator Cruz-Perez (D-Camden/Gloucester).  “They have selflessly served this country and do not deserve to live in fear of becoming homeless.”
“We owe our freedoms to our nation’s veterans who have sacrificed so much so that we can live as we do today,” said Senator Van Drew (D-Atlantic/Cape May/Cumberland).  “We have an obligation to help them, especially those who are at risk of becoming homeless.”
The Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Program is a federal program, operating under the Department of Housing and Urban Development that assists low income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing on the private market
S-1988 authorizes the Commissioner of Community Affairs to establish and operate a project-based voucher pilot program under the federal Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Program for veterans and their families who are confronting homelessness or are residing in unsafe housing. The law requires the commissioner to annually allocate to the pilot program at least 1.5 percent of the unencumbered amount the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides to the State Department of Community Affairs’ Housing Choice Voucher Program for five years.
The law takes effect immediately.