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Bill

A 4933

Requires Director of Division of Housing and Community Resources in DCA to establish program to reimburse municipality which provides services to nonresident homeless persons; requires participation in Homeless Management Information System; appropriates $10 million.

2026-2027 Regular Session

Creates a state-funded reimbursement program for shelters serving nonresident homeless individuals, with HMIS data use and last-known residence documentation.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Housing Committee
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · A 4933

Overview

Bill A-4933 (NJ, Session 222) establishes a cost-sharing reimbursement program for municipally-operated emergency shelters serving people experiencing homelessness. It aims to reimburse shelters that provide services to nonresident homeless individuals and at the same time integrate shelter bed occupancy data through the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). The bill includes an appropriation of $10 million to fund these initiatives and related HMIS participation.

Main purpose and intent

  • Create a cost-sharing program to reimburse municipally-operated emergency shelters that serve homeless individuals who are not residents of the shelter’s municipality.
  • Encourage collaboration and efficiency among shelters by standardizing participation in HMIS and coordinating regional responses to homelessness.
  • Strengthen data collection on homelessness through mandatory HMIS participation and by cataloging last-known municipalities of residence.

Key provisions and changes

  • Definition and scope:
    • Establishes terms for the program, including “agency” (NJ Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency), “Director” (Director of the Division of Housing and Community Resources, DCA), “Division,” and “Homeless Management Information System” (HMIS).
    • Defines “municipally-operated emergency shelter for the homeless.”
  • Cost-sharing reimbursement program (Section 2):
    • The Director shall establish a cost-sharing program to reimburse shelters that serve nonresident homeless individuals who seek services at a shelter outside the person’s last-known municipality of residence.
    • Objectives:
    • Compensate shelters that serve homeless populations from other municipalities.
    • Require a portion of costs to be paid by the nonresident individual’s last-known municipality of residence, as determined by the Director.
    • Eligible costs (list to be developed by the Director) may include emergency shelter, temporary housing, food, clothing, transportation, and other appropriate costs.
    • Reimbursement formula factors include: number of nonresident individuals served, duration/type of services, regional cost variations, and available funding.
    • Exclusions: costs are not reimbursable if the individual voluntarily relocated for employment or family reasons, if last-known municipality cannot be verified, or if the individual has resided in the shelter’s municipality for more than 12 consecutive months.
    • Participation: shelters must apply with documentation showing eligible costs and verification of last-known residence outside the shelter’s municipality.
    • Encourages regional coordination to reduce duplication and improve outcomes, without mandating relocation of individuals due to municipal residency.
  • HMIS participation (Section 3):
    • All municipally-operated shelters must use HMIS (or the Office of Homelessness Prevention if HMIS is transferred) to provide real-time bed occupancy data.
    • Shelters must catalog the last-known municipality of residence for each person seeking services, using official records (ID, prior addresses, social services docs, etc.).
    • If a person seeks services in a municipality other than their last-known residence within the prior 12 months, the shelter may seek reimbursement from the last-known municipality for those services (linking to the cost-sharing framework in Section 2).
  • HMIS and governance (Sections 4-5):
    • Amendments to establish the Office of Homelessness Prevention’s authority and its data access, coordination duties, and potential transfer of HMIS between agencies, with rules to require participation.
    • Require shelter operators and certain information/referral providers to use HMIS and report bed occupancy in real time (excluding domestic violence shelters).
  • Appropriation (Section 6):
    • Appropriates $10,000,000 from the General Fund to the Division of Housing and Community Resources to fund the reimbursement program and HMIS participation requirements.
  • Effective date (Section 7):
    • Takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Who and what is affected

  • Affected entities:
    • Municipally-operated emergency shelters for the homeless (and certain nonprofit shelters partnering with municipalities).
    • Municipalities whose residents use nonresident shelters.
    • The Division of Housing and Community Resources within the Department of Community Affairs (DCA).
    • The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (and potentially the Office of Homelessness Prevention, if HMIS is transferred).
  • Individuals:
    • Homeless or at risk of homelessness who seek services at shelters outside their last-known municipality of residence.
    • Last-known municipalities of residence may incur reimbursable costs when their residents use out-of-municipality shelters.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Implementation: The Director must establish the cost-sharing program and HMIS participation requirements, and shelters must begin HMIS reporting and last-known residence cataloging as a condition of eligibility for reimbursement.
  • Application process: Shelters submit applications with cost data and verification of last-known residence for reimbursement eligibility.
  • Data governance: HMIS data-sharing arrangements are established between HMIS administrators and the Office of Homelessness Prevention, with potential transfers of HMIS operations and funding.
  • Timeline specifics (e.g., start dates for reimbursements) are not detailed beyond immediate effect; the bill provides for immediate enactment upon passage.

Summary

A-4933 would create a state-funded, data-driven reimbursement mechanism to support shelters that serve homeless individuals from other municipalities, while requiring HMIS participation and last-known residence documentation. It seeks to improve regional coordination, reduce service duplication, and ensure accountability through a defined cost-sharing formula and eligible cost categories, backed by a $10 million General Fund appropriation.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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