New Jersey celebrates major milestone in effort to end veteran homelessness
The milestone comes through the Bringing Veterans Home Initiative, a statewide effort designed to ensure veterans facing a housing crisis can quickly access the resources and support needed to find permanent housing.
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State leaders say no veteran in New Jersey should ever have to go without a place to call home. That commitment was on full display as Gov. Mikie Sherrill joined officials and advocates to celebrate a major achievement in the state's fight against veteran homelessness.
The milestone comes through the Bringing Veterans Home Initiative, a statewide effort designed to ensure veterans facing a housing crisis can quickly access the resources and support needed to find permanent housing.
"These veterans have put their lives on the line for us. They have served us, and it's our turn to serve them," said Jacquelyn Suárez, Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs. "We probably shouldn't have even been here today. If we were doing what we needed for these veterans, we wouldn't have needed to develop this program."
RELATED: More than 2,500 veterans find permanent housing through state initiative
The governor emphasized the importance of supporting service members long after their military service ends.
"Something that has always offended me, really, is this idea that when we go to war, we plan for the ships, we plan for the aircraft, we plan for the munitions. We don't plan to take care of the people that fight in that war," Sherrill said. "That seems to be a secondary issue. It shouldn't be."
The initiative launched in 2024 with more than $30 million in state and federal funding. Since then, the program has helped permanently house more than 25,000 veterans, creating a coordinated system that connects veterans to housing and support services before homelessness becomes a long-term challenge.
Officials noted that while more than 75,000 veterans nationwide were estimated to be experiencing homelessness on a single night, New Jersey now presents a very different picture. State leaders announced New Jersey has reached what is known as "functional zero" veteran homelessness, a benchmark indicating that homelessness among veterans is rare, brief, and non-recurring.
Currently, more veterans are moving into permanent housing each month than are becoming homeless.
"The future is to make sure that this system is sustainable, that Bringing Veterans Home can survive any storm, whether that is funding, whether that is staffing, whatever that might look like," Suárez added. "I think we're there."
While leaders are celebrating the progress, they stress that the mission is far from complete. State officials remain committed to maintaining the support system and ensuring every veteran has access to a safe, stable place to call home.
