Senate Republican Leader Anthony Bucco wants local, state, and federal leaders to collaborate to address the state’s homelessness crisis and the lack of affordable housing options in the Garden State.
“Homelessness is a human issue that transcends our political environment,” Bucco, R-Boonton, said in a statement. “A 24 percent increase in homelessness is simply unacceptable. We have the tools at our disposal to devise a comprehensive plan to eradicate this crisis but we cannot allow egos to get in the way of helping our fellow citizens.”
According to a recent NJ.com article, New Jersey’s homeless population grew to over 12,000 this year, with children making up more than one-fifth of the total.
“I was proud to vote yes on establishing the Interagency Council on Homelessness but clearly that is not enough. This is just the latest evidence that the way the State has approached this issue is simply not working,” Bucco added. “Now is not the time to point fingers, but it is past time we get our heads out of the sand, do the work our constituents sent us to Trenton to do, and help people get off the streets. Everyone needs a seat at the table—from those who experience homelessness to the State agencies that oversee its prevention—and have an honest conversation with all possible solutions so we can find the best response.”
The top three factors that contributed to homelessness were being asked to leave a shared residence, loss or reduction of job income, and eviction or risk of eviction.
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