It is hereby declared that a lack of sanitary, safe, and affordable dwelling accommodations for persons of moderate and low income and shelters, halfway houses and emergency housing for persons who would otherwise be homeless exists in various municipalities and rural areas of the state. Consequently, persons of low and moderate income are forced to reside in and use unsafe and unsanitary dwellings and certain other persons are unable to afford any dwelling accommodations at all. These conditions which cause an increase in and spread of disease and crime constitute a menace to the health, safety, morals, and welfare of the citizens of the state. It is a matter of public interest to provide safe and sanitary housing for the low and moderate income citizens and shelter for homeless persons, to alleviate such conditions and to encourage economic development, to increase employment in housing construction and related businesses and to create and foster conditions suitable for the welfare and prosperity of all of the people of the state by making available a more adequate supply of funds and increase the availability of safe and sanitary shelters, halfway houses, and emergency housing for the homeless and single and multi-family dwelling accommodations for citizens of low and moderate income within such municipalities and rural areas. The necessity for the provision of such homeless shelters, halfway houses, and emergency housing and such single and multi-family dwelling accommodations for low and moderate income persons and the taking of related actions provided for in this chapter is hereby declared as a matter of legislative determination to be in the public interest.