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Bill

A 4566

Requires municipal participation in sheltering homeless individuals.

2026-2027 Regular Session Introduced by Rosy Bagolie and 1 co-sponsor

New Jersey municipalities must operate, partner with, or fund county shelters for the homeless, with real-time occupancy reporting via HMIS.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Housing Committee
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · A 4566

Summary of New Jersey Bill A-4566 (Session 222)

What the bill aims to do

  • Establishes a requirement for municipalities in New Jersey to participate in sheltering homeless individuals.
  • Municipalities must either operate an emergency shelter within their borders, partner with a private nonprofit to operate such a shelter, or contribute funds to a county that maintains an account to support municipally-operated shelters in the county.
  • The bill requires real-time occupancy reporting for shelters through the state’s homelessness data systems.

Key provisions and changes

  1. Municipal obligations (Section 1a–1b)

    • A “municipally-operated emergency shelter for the homeless” is defined and recognized for the purposes of this act.
    • Each municipality must choose one of the following:
      • (1) Operate an emergency shelter within the municipality, or partner with a private nonprofit to operate one.
      • (2) Pay to the county in which the municipality is located an amount equal to $5 multiplied by the municipality’s total population (per the most recent federal decennial census). This money is to be held in a county account for subsection b purposes.

  2. County distribution and funding (Section 1b)

    • Counties receiving these payments must annually distribute the funds to each municipally-operated shelter in the county.
    • Distribution is proportional to the shelter’s share of the county’s total homeless population served annually.
    • The intent is to offset operating costs for shelters.

  3. Offset of costs (Section 1c)

    • Municipalities may use funds from certificate of occupancy fees (per N.J.S.A. 52:27D-133) to offset costs associated with implementing subsection b.

  4. Shelter data reporting (Section 1d)

    • All shelters operating under the act must use the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) administered by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, or the Office of Homelessness Prevention (if HMIS is transferred to that office).
    • Purpose: provide real-time information about shelter bed occupancy.

  5. Effective date (Section 2)

    • The act takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Who is affected

  • Municipal governments: Must decide between operating a shelter, partnering with a nonprofit, or paying a per-capita fee to the county.
  • Counties: Manage the collection of per-municipality payments (when a municipality chooses the monetary option) and distribute funds to municipally-operated shelters within the county based on shelter usage.
  • Municipal shelters: If operating or partnered, they must report occupancy data to HMIS.
  • Nonprofit shelter partners: May be involved in operating shelters under municipal agreements.

Financial details and mechanics

  • Payment amount to counties: $5 per resident (based on the per-decennial census population) from each municipality opting to contribute financially.
  • Distribution basis: Funds allocated to shelters in the county are proportional to the shelter’s share of the county’s homeless population served.
  • Potential offsets: Municipalities may use existing occupancy/permit fees to help cover these costs.

Procedural and timeline considerations

  • Introduced March 10, 2026; referred to Assembly Housing Committee.
  • Immediate effective date upon enactment (no delayed effective date specified).
  • Requires coordination with HMIS and, if applicable, transfer to the Office of Homelessness Prevention for data reporting.

Summary of impact

  • The bill centralizes and standardizes municipal participation in homeless sheltering, ensuring every municipality either operates/partners or financially supports county shelters.
  • It creates a predictable funding mechanism to support shelters, tying funding to population and shelter usage.
  • It enhances data transparency through mandatory HMIS reporting of shelter occupancy, enabling real-time bed status visibility.

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

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