Bringing Veterans Home Initiative Off to Promising Start

• Posted on: 04/17/2025

In the Month Since the Initiative’s Resource Surge, More Than 50 Veteran Households Have Been Housed or Avoided Homelessness

TRENTON, NJ – The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs today announced that more than 50 veteran households experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness have been stably housed through the Bringing Veterans Home initiative in the last month. This is part of the initiative’s resource surge that kicked off March 12 with a goal of housing 300 veterans by mid-September and, ultimately, reducing veterans’ homelessness to functional zero by July 1, 2026.

Functional zero means stably housing all veterans and strengthening the State’s homelessness prevention system such that any newly homeless veteran can be placed in stable housing within one month.

“We are pleased to see Bringing Veterans Home get off to a promising beginning in the month since the State started the program with targeted resources and training,” said DCA Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez. “We remain confident that we can reach all at-risk veterans in New Jersey and provide them with the support they need to remain in housing and not enter or return to homelessness.”

The Bringing Veterans Home initiative coordinates efforts between DCA’s Office of Homelessness Prevention, the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMAVA), federal partners at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and multiple veterans service organizations. On March 12-13, DCA and DMAVA held a two-day training session at the National Guard Training Center in Sea Girt to officially ramp up the program’s homelessness prevention services.

“Our progress represents lives saved,” said Brig. Gen. Yvonne L. Mays, Commissioner of the NJDMAVA and the Adjutant General of New Jersey. “Thanks to Governor Murphy, the Legislature, veterans service organizations, and the passion of volunteers throughout the state, we are turning the corner together.”

In this initial one-month sprint, 16 veteran households have received rapid rehousing rental assistance, 18 at-risk veteran households have been diverted from homelessness, and 17 veteran households have leased housing units with vouchers, for a total of 51 veteran households who have been housed or who have avoided homelessness. Also, another 112 unsheltered veterans are currently working toward housing through the Bringing Veterans Home initiative.

“It is the State’s goal that the words ‘veteran’ and ‘homeless’ do not appear in the same sentence in New Jersey,” said DCA Assistant Commissioner Janel Winter, who directs the Division of Housing and Community Resources. “We are thankful for all the support we’re getting from our partners in the Bringing Veterans Home initiative. With their help, we know we can realize the vision of this program – that housing paired with services works to end the cycle of homelessness.”

Currently, 781 veterans are listed on the State’s by-name list that tracks all homeless veterans statewide.

More than $30 million in state and federal funds have been committed to support services and interventions that include Veterans Affairs Supported Housing (VASH) vouchers, other rental assistance, and Supportive Services for Veterans and Families (SSVF) programs. Additionally, the initiative expands homelessness diversion, rapid rehousing, street outreach, emergency sheltering, and permanent housing voucher programs to more rapidly achieve housing stabilization for all program-eligible veterans.

Six regional coordination hubs have been established across the state through the program to improve case coordination and standardize a homeless veteran’s access to housing services. The following organizations were selected from a competitive request for proposals (RFP) to manage the regional hubs and accelerate housing outcomes:    

Region #	Counties	Organization	Funding Amount
1	Bergen, Hudson, Passaic	Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey, Inc.	$2,782,542
2	Essex, Union	Bridges Outreach, Inc.	$3,663,891
3	Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, Warren	Community Hope, Inc.	$4,968,695
4	Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean	Garden State Home	$2,782,542
5	Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Salem	Monarch Housing Associates, Inc.	$167,960
5	Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Salem	Soldier On, Inc.	$2,614,828
6	Burlington, Camden, Gloucester	Veterans Multi-Service Center	$4,087,568

The RFP sought responses from organizations with at least three years of experience in homelessness prevention, street outreach, homelessness diversion, rapid rehousing, and other veteran support services related to obtaining and sustaining housing.

Referrals in to the Bringing Veterans Home program can take place in three ways:

• Existing service providers can make electronic referrals through the NJ Homelessness Management Information System or DCA’s SimpliGov platform;
• Community partners can submit referrals through a web-based form; and
• Veterans can self-refer either through the web form, by calling NJ Vet2Vet and/or NJ 211, by visiting any affiliated housing or homelessness services provider, or through engagement with a Bringing Veterans Home street outreach team.

The Bringing Veterans Home initiative will utilize a comprehensive process to ensure veterans are served. The process includes assessing veterans for housing priority, identifying any barriers they face, and developing a detailed plan to facilitate housing as quickly as possible. The program requires veterans to be contacted within 24 hours after referral, an individual plan of action to be completed within 96 hours of the initial contact, and that 80 percent of veterans have a defined pathway to permanent housing within 20 days of the initial contact.

For more information about the Bringing Veterans Home initiative, visit https://bvh.dca.nj.gov/. 

DCA’s Office of Homelessness Prevention coordinates efforts among federal, state, and local agencies and private organizations; evaluates best practices; and analyzes data all with a goal of implementing homelessness prevention strategies around the state. To achieve this goal, the Office consults with stakeholders, including people who are experiencing homelessness, to identify effective policies and initiatives.

DCA offers a wide range of programs and services, including affordable housing production, building safety, community planning and development, fire safety, disaster recovery and mitigation, and information privacy.

For more information about DCA, visit https://nj.gov/dca/ or follow the Department on social media: