Sponsored by:
Assemblyman REGINALD W. ATKINS
District 20 (Union)
Assemblyman BENJIE E. WIMBERLY
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblywoman ANGELICA M. JIMENEZ
District 32 (Bergen and Hudson)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman McKnight
SYNOPSIS
Directs HMFA to establish “Hotels for Housing” grant program.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act directing HMFA to establish a “Hotels for Housing” grant program 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. a. The Director of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, in consultation with the Commissioner of Community Affairs, shall establish a “Hotels for Housing” grant program within the agency for the purpose of providing grants to eligible hotels that provide rooms and breakfast services at no cost to individuals who are homeless or housing insecure. Grants shall be awarded, subject to the availability of funds appropriated for the program, based upon the submission of applications in accordance with a process and criteria developed by the agency.
b. In establishing and implementing the grant program pursuant to this section, the agency shall:
(1) require that applications include, at a minimum, the name and physical address of the eligible hotel, contact information for the applicant, and the number of rooms and beds expected to be reserved per night for the program;
(2) require the applicant to certify that, for a period of at least one year from approval to participate in the program, at least 10 percent of the eligible hotel’s total rooms will be regularly available for the purposes of the program and that breakfast services or meal vouchers will be provided to the occupants of the rooms used for the purposes of the program;
(3) develop guidelines and procedures for the submission of grant applications, and criteria for the evaluation of grant applications;
(4) establish terms and conditions for the awarding of a grant pursuant to this section, and monitor recipients’ compliance with the terms and conditions;
(5) require the recipient of a grant to report to the agency information relating to its use of grant funds for the program;
(6) submit a report to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), the Legislature, during each year the grant program is in operation, on the effectiveness of the grant program in assisting individuals who are homeless or housing insecure.
c. The agency may, pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt rules and regulations as are necessary to establish and implement the grant program.
d. The Commissioner of Community Affairs shall include with the annual budget request for the Department of Community Affairs a request for funds sufficient to carry out the purposes and intent of the grant program established pursuant to this section.
e. For the purposes of this section:
“Applicant” means the owner or manager of an eligible hotel seeking to participate in the “Hotels for Housing” grant program.
“Eligible hotel” means a hotel, apartment hotel, motel, inn, tourist camp, tourist cabin, tourist home, club, or similar establishment where sleeping accommodations are supplied for pay to transient or permanent guests.
“Individual who is homeless or housing insecure” means a person or household who is homeless or experiences periods of homelessness as either of those terms is defined pursuant to the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, (42 U.S.C. s.11301 et seq.), the Qualified Allocation Plan adopted by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, or any other State or federal program specifically designed to assist such persons or households; or a person or household eligible for, but not currently occupying very-low-income housing or low-income housing, as those terms are defined in section 4 of P.L.1985, c.222 (C.52:27D-304).
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
The bill would direct the Director of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (“agency”), in consultation with the Commissioner of Community Affairs (“commissioner”), to establish a “Hotels for Housing” grant program within the agency for the purpose of providing grants to eligible hotels that provide rooms and breakfast services at no cost to individuals who are homeless or housing insecure.
The agency would be required to ensure that applications include, at a minimum, the name and physical address of the eligible hotel, contact information for the applicant, the number of rooms and beds expected to be reserved per night for the program, and that the applicant certify that, for a period of at least one year from approval to participate in the program, at least 10 percent of the eligible hotel’s total rooms will be regularly available for the purposes of the program and that breakfast services or meal vouchers will be provided to the occupants of the rooms used for the purposes of the program.
The agency would also be required to develop guidelines and procedures for the submission of grant applications, and criteria for the evaluation of grant applications; establish terms and conditions for the awarding of a grant and monitor recipients’ compliance with the terms and conditions; ensure that grant recipients report to the agency information relating to its use of grant funds for the program; and submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature during each year the grant program is in operation, on the effectiveness of the grant program in assisting individuals who are homeless or housing insecure.
The commissioner would also be required to include with the annual budget request for the Department of Community Affairs a request for funds sufficient to carry out the purposes and intent of the grant program.