♪ >> From NJPBS Studios, this is "NJ Spotlight News," with Briana Vannozzi.

Joanna: Hello and thank you for joining us today.

I am Joanna Gagis.

Briana Vannozzi is off.

We are looking at the impact of summer on some of the state's most vulnerable residents.

With continued heat waves hitting, we will look at the impact of high temperatures on individuals experiencing homelessness.

And how summertime can mean food insecurity for some.

We talked with the head of an organization working to keep kids and families fed while school is out.

From the frontlines to the home front, what is being done to address veterans struggling with homelessness.

>> Major funding for "NJ Spotlight News" is provided in part by the insurance group.

Serving the insurance needs of residents.

Joanna: For too many veterans, one of the challenges after returning from service is finding and keeping permanent housing.

The administration is continuing a program started in 2024 called bringing veterans home.

Governor Mikie Sherrill said there is a statewide system to help support those who have given so much to their country.

Here with us and discuss that effort is the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Veterans Affairs.

It is so great to have you on the show.

I spoke to you back in May and we spoke about a number of different initiatives in your department.

Today we want to zero in on the bringing veterans home initiative.

Can you describe the program that was lost on Veterans Day in 2024?

>> Absolutely and thank you for having me back.

I'm so proud of what New Jersey has achieved through the state of New Jersey's bringing veterans home program.

Together with our partners at the New Jersey Department of community affairs along with nonprofit and federal partners, the state of New Jersey as permanently housed over 2500 Garden State veterans and we are on track to ensure that veteran homelessness in New Jersey is brief, rare and non-reoccurring.

Joanna: The governor joined with you and the Department of community affairs, the commissioner recently at the war Memorial.

Announcing the state has fully funded housing resources so no veteran has to go homeless.

Can you help us understand what that means and what that looks like, that funding piece from the state?

>> That is right.

There are three key components to Bringing Veterans Home.

1, the state has surged the number of housing vouchers for veterans.

2, identifying homeless veterans as well as veterans at risk of homelessness.

We find the number 1 because of homelessness in New Jersey is eviction.

We have been very broad in doing our best to average the folks to provide them with the services they have earned through their time in uniform.

We do not believe in handing some of the keys to a house or apartment and sing good luck.

Bringing Veterans Home's provides case management support so veterans can access the benefits they have earned through their time in the Armed Forces.

Joanna: You looked up my notes and you knew where I was going.

Certainly there is a lot to drill down on.

When we talk about housing vouchers for those not involved in the lingo and the language, what does that actually mean?

>> New Jersey set aside funds in the state budget under the governor's leadership and deployed vouchers which provide a veteran with the ability to go to a private landlord and rent their home using the voucher, which is typically around the market value, depending on where they are in the state.

I want to emphasize these vouchers are largely state, but also some federal.

That is a result of our partnership with the U.S.

Department of Veterans Affairs.

Joanna: You talked about Street teams and how you reach those in need.

With the conversations we have had with folks who work in the homelessness space, they tell us consistently it is hard sometimes to find the people who need the help the most.

How do teams deploy to find those individuals in need?

>> As I mentioned we have six regions we have that loosely correspond to other regions used by our partners in homelessness prevention throughout New Jersey.

The street outreach teams are managed, executed by nonprofit organizations with specific local subject matter expertise in their area.

Sussex County, New Jersey is very different than Middlesex County.

By dividing the state into six regions, we deploy these teams into the community to identify, 1, the most tragic and frankly most dangerous bring extreme heat or cold, but also the teams work with veterans service organizations.

We have partnered with the American vision, Veterans of Foreign Wars, disabled veterans of local posts and chapters, when they encounter a veteran in crisis they know how to get in touch with Bringing Veterans Home.

Within hours -- and I mean that -- within hours the veteran is connected to someone who could help them achieve rapid housing.

Joanna: You touched on wraparound services.

I cannot help but think of -- I do not know the numbers specifically -- but folks who were found to be dead after that extreme heat with.

They were unhoused or struggling with homelessness at the time.

How do you ensure that not only get a roof over their head but access to all the services they need, they care to help them stay on their feet?

>> For me, Bringing Veterans Home and our work to end veteran homelessness is the achievement of the last decade.

This is an example of government agencies organizing ourselves around a problem as we deploy a solution.

Our partners at the New Jersey Department of community affairs are the subject matter experts in homelessness prevention.

You spoke about the tragedies relating to extreme heat.

I'm so privileged to work beside colleagues who know exactly how to navigate the housing systems in New Jersey and then here at the New Jersey Department of Veterans Affairs we have a service office in each of our 21 counties, staffed by trained and accredited officers who can help a veteran receive health care, education, job training, a host of services.

On very proud of what New Jersey offers veterans.

We will continue to improve but this is a great start as we seek to effectively end veteran homelessness.

Joanna: Are the challenges for female veterans different when it comes to helping them access housing or other wraparound services?

>> Women veterans of the fastest growing demographic within the veterans community in a New Jersey and you correctly identify that yes, women veterans experiencing housing insecurity face different challenges.

Often times those veterans may have dependents -- children.

The solution for them when we think about rapid housing may not necessarily be a shelter.

It might be a more tailored solution.

That is what I'm pleased to partner with the nonprofit organizations up and down the state who know -- organizations like soldier on, Catholic charities, who know how to support the veteran in a need.

Joanna: You said you want to effectively end veteran homelessness.

I know the last time we spoke you use the term functional zero.

As I understand the terminology is changing.

What is the goal?

How do you describe it now?

>> We understand when we say functional 0 -- this is a term used in the homelessness prevention space -- folks may say the state has achieved functional zero, but I'm driving down the street in my town and I encounter a homeless veteran.

The state said they ended veteran homelessness.

What we have done is build a system.

We want folks to know we have the capacity to ensure that as veterans experience crises -- let's face it, we will never permanently solve the problem for good.

People of emergencies.

They lose jobs, have issues with family and substance abuse.

As veterans become vulnerable and become at risk of homelessness, we have built eight system under the governor's leadership with support from the legislature to ensure we have the capacity to take veterans entering homelessness and bring more out on the others I do permanent housing outcomes, as we have with the over 2500 Garden State euros who have been housed in this program.

Joanna: Capture as the need arises.

We appreciate you explaining this.

Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

We appreciate it.

>> Thank you.

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A private corporation funded by the American people.

♪ Joanna: School is out for summer and for most kids that means no more homework.

For many kids that also means no more breakfast and lunch provided during the school day.

It is estimated more than 270,000 children in New Jersey experience food insecurity and the summer is a tough time for that reason.

With federal changes to snap benefits, the supplemental nutritional assistance program, some families truly do not know where their next meal will come from.

I recently spoke with the CEO of an organization about what they are hearing from families who are struggling.

Thank you so much for coming on to talk about us.

We know the summer months tend to be a time when we see increased hunger and food insecurity.

This summer in particular residents are especially feeling it.

What is contributing to that?

>> We know that in New Jersey, 1 in 7 children, 200 75,000 kids experience food insecurity.

That is throughout the entire year.

When you get to the summer months when families no longer have access to free and reduced meals at school, that puts added pressure on the families.

This year, there is the increase in food costs.

We all feel it will be go to the grocery store.

We leaves with what feels like not a lot of food in the bill is so much higher than before.

It is not surprising that families are having a harder time.

Compound that with rising rent costs and the price of gas right now is so high.

All of these pressures are squeezing families tighter and tighter, making it even harder for them that it has been in previous summers.

Joanna: There has been some legislative changes.

Last summer Congress and the president made a change for snap recipients.

It applies to many who have received supplemental nutritional assistance program assistance in New Jersey.

They said they want the work requirements to reduce federal spending and reduce dependency on welfare.

Let me ask you this -- how many residents in New Jersey were impacted by the new requirements to be eligible for SNAP?

>> The most recent count is at 38,000 households in New Jersey have lost access to their SNAP benefits.

On average 38%-40% of people receiving SNAP have children.

Among the 38,000 people who have lost benefits is 20,000 children in New Jersey.

This is devastating for families.

Devastating for children growing up in this environment.

SNAP provides the basis for a lot of families to go to the store and purchase what they need.

It is not enough to cover all of the family's food needs, which is why they come to organizations like nourish NJ every day.

Once you lose those SNAP benefits, you are digging deeper and deeper into the hole, and families are really struggling right now.

Joanna: Have you seen that the change to the work requirements is actually helping folks to get out there and get employed?

Are we seeing increases in employment as it relates to this change?

>> We are not.

The vast majority of people who receive SNAP benefits are already working.

Most people who are able to work or working.

Where we are seeing people losing benefits is primarily people who are experiencing homelessness.

Veterans.

People who are the primary caregiver for their children so the need to be home.

Childcare vouchers have also been cut.

Access to care for your child has been significantly decreased.

All of these things come together in a way that if you need to be working to keep your SNAP benefits if you are not already working, the other support that you need like childcare, transportation, assistance with job searches, or just not there anymore.

All of those have gone away or been significantly reduced.

I think the most important point is most people received SNAP benefits are working already.

Joanna: You, I know, are based in Moorestown primarily.

Located in Dover and Moorestown, yes?

>> Yes.

Joanna: How do you reach people?

Who can come into nourish NJ?

>> We have been in operation for 40 years.

We started in Morristown and opened a Dover location three years ago.

We are no questions asked.

Anyone who walks through our doors is welcome to help themselves to food.

Food is the primary engagement we have.

The ultimate goal is to help families and individuals build stability in their lives.

Financial stability to help them move fast food insecurity.

It starts with the food.

No questions asked, no barriers.

Everyone deserves food.

Everybody has a right to food.

People come in, they help themselves, they get to know more social workers and that we begin to work on things with them about how to control income, control housing cost, prevent conviction, how to get people quickly re-how stiff they luster housing.

We are the SNAP coordinator for Morris County.

We provide meals to college students who cannot afford to purchase meals on campus, to help them stay in school and be able to graduate and have a better income at the end of the education.

It is really wraparound services that are geared toward helping build stability and help people thrive instead of just to survive.

Joanna: We know that food banks more and more are feeling the crunch of having to supplement the gaps.

Let me ask you this -- what is the best way for folks to help if they do want to donate, if they do want to get involved?

>> There are so many ways.

Volunteering.

We use more volunteers on an average day -- anywhere from 20 to 50 volunteers.

If you have some extra time, volunteer for a local organization.

They always need the help.

Food drives are helpful.

Reach out to organizations near to you, including Nourish NJ, and find out what the current needs are.

A lot of people have begun to donate produce from either their garden or community garden, which is incredibly helpful.

As we all know, fresh produce is one of the most important thing for families to access.

We try to focus less on canned goods and dried goods and healthy fresh foods that families have a difficult time affording.

Financial donations always help and are incredibly flexible to allow us to adapt to exactly what is what that family needs or that population at that specific time needs.

Maybe there is a need for milk and eggs, or fresh produce, or maybe we did not get the protein we ordered, so we have to get that.

Financial donations give us that flexibility to react quickly.

Joanna: I know you are doing good work on the ground.

CEO of nourish.NJ.

Thank you so much.

>> Thank you so much.

Joanna: Extreme heat at the start of July contributed to the deaths of 29 New Jersey residents.

About a dozen of the deaths are expected to be unhoused residents.

It is an issue that continued to challenge the state.

The number of people who are homeless and need services during extreme weather events.

As heat waves continue to hit the state I spoke with Connie Mercer, CEO of the coalition to end homelessness about the issue.

It is so great to have you with us.

Thank you for taking the time to talk.

We know 29 people died during the heat wave from July 2 to July 6.

What do we know about the number of individuals who were unhoused?

>> We know for sure that at least nine of them were unhoused.

Another three or four of them who were in cars that had probably been living in their cars, also died a horrible, tragic, avoidable death.

Joanna: It is absolutely tragic.

Is there anything more you can share so we understand the situation around how these individuals died?

>> They died because there is a homelessness crisis in New Jersey that has been precipitated by the increased, impossible cost of housing and all the other expenses that have gone up.

In the month of June alone, there was a 57% increase in unsheltered homelessness from last year.

And now there are more unsheltered people in the New Jersey, that is over 10,000 people on those horrible, hot knights who had no shelter.

-- hot nights who had no shelter.

Joanna: Let me jump in.

You raise a great point.

At least once a year, individuals are able to track how many are unhoused in the state.

This happens in the winter months.

In 2025, 13,700 individuals were found to be homeless.

That was an 8% increase over 2024.

This is a problem that is growing in New Jersey.

What do you believe are the steps that state officials, local officials need to be taking, especially during these extreme weather events?

>> I think it might be helpful if I gave you a brief overview of what is going on with homelessness right now.

I think that most folks just do not understand the magnitude of the problem.

There has been a 70% increase in homelessness in New Jersey over the last four years -- 70%.

Last year over 42,000 people were counted as homeless.

60% of them were homeless for the very first time.

One of the scary parts was almost three people were coming into homelessness for every one person who the system could get out, and the system cannot move them out because of the lack of affordable housing.

Joanna: Let me jump in.

What do you believe is the response?

Is it a legislative response?

I know you have said this is a systemic policy failure.

What policy helps to solve or minimize this problem?

>> There are a huge number of things that must be done.

There must be more money put into the system.

New Jersey spends less than our peer states on homelessness.

Connecticut and Massachusetts for example spend almost double the amount of money per homeless person then New Jersey does.

For the immediate problem -- on Wednesday, the temperature will be over 101 again -- we will have people who have wheelchairs.

People who have heart conditions.

People who have severe health issues who are going to be out, unprotected in the 101-degree heat.

The governor can declare a state of emergency immediately.

There could be some changes so shelters would be allowed to take in 20% or 30% more people during a state of emergency.

Or in a broader way, declare an executive order declaring a state of emergency around homelessness generally, which I think we would need to do.

We could require submission of code red plans across all 21 counties, which we currently do not have.

Identify state funding to make that a reality.

We could require cooling centers to remain open during holidays and extended emergencies.

One of the horrors during the Independence Day crisis, when so many people died, was the designated cooling centers were not open.

So often the designated cooling centers are places like recreation centers or libraries.

They had closed for the three-day weekend.

Joanna: That is such a great point that you race.

I wonder -- that is such a great point that you raise.

I wonder if it is something where the governor needs to step in or the administration is responsible.

>> The governor needs to step in and require their be realistic, well thought out plans.

And then there has to be someone responsible for enforcement.

Right now, the issue of enforcement is very, very, very unclear.

There are no penalties for a municipality or a county that does not adequately provide during an emergency.

Joanna: These are really great points.

I appreciate you coming on to talk about it.

Connie Mercer, CEO of the New Jersey coalition to end homelessness.

Thank you.

>> Thank you so much.

Joanna: That will do it for us tonight.

I am Joanna Gagis.

For the entire team here at "NJ Spotlight News," thank you for being with us.

We will see you right back or tomorrow.

>> Learn more at RWJph.org.

♪