For reasons that are unclear, A3101/S2354 the Homeless Trust Fund bill will not be voted on in 2008 by the State Senate. Even though major efforts were made by our members and allies, the bill did not get on the agenda for the December 15, 2008, final session of the State Senate. The calendar for 2009 has not been established. However, the State of the State speech will be on January 13, 2009. Thus the vote on this bill will occur at a date and time after that date.
We continue to strongly encourage our members to contact their State Senators and ask them to both sponsor and support S2354 when it comes to the floor of the Senate. We can provide draft letters upon request. To find out who represents you in the Senate click here.
Senator Dana Redd
Although the dealy in the vote is a disappointment, we continue to believe it is only a minor bump in the road toward eventual approval. However, with colder than normal winter predicted for this year and with a dramatic increase in homelessness, passage today would have been a sign of hope to the more than 35,000 “Foster Dunlaps” in New Jersey who are homeless. On Monday December 8, 2008, when the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee approved the bill by a vote of 4-0, Senator Redd, the prime sponsor of S2354 and the Vice-Chair of the committee spoke passionately about the importance of the bill. She spoke about Foster Dunlap, a former Harvard Law professor who became homeless and died spending the night outside in Camden in subzero weather. She said “my vote is for Foster Dunalp a homeless person who would otherwise be forgotten and all of the others who are homeless and need our help.”
The bill is currently sponsored by:
Senator Dana L. Redd (D-Camden)
Senator Brian Stack (D-Union City)
Senator Robert W. Singer (R-Jackson)
Senator Barbara Buono (D-Edison)
Senator Joseph F. Vitale (D-Woodbridge)
Senator Ronald L. Rice (D-Newark)
If you are interested in helping with the campaign we encourage you to read the sign on letter and have your organization become one of the leaders in this important campaign. To view a list of those who have endorsed this campaign click here.
For a fact sheet click here or for a description of possible uses and populations to be served click here.
A list of Frequently Asked Questions can be found by clicking here.
For more information click here [Email address: rbrown #AT# njaneh.org - replace #AT# with @ ].
