a. To acquire property, real, personal or mixed, or any interest therein by purchase, lease, gift, bequest, devise, exchange or eminent domain; to hold and improve property; to operate, lease, sell or exchange property; to constructˆor contract for the construction of projects and community facilities other thanˆany project or facility which would be competitive with any existing public utility as the same is defined in R.S. 48:2-13; to borrow money and secure the same by bonds or mortgages upon property held or to be held by it; but nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize the authority to pledge the creditˆof this State or to constitute any bonds or mortgages so issued by its obligations of this State.

b. To receive any grant or grants to be made by the federal, State, county, municipal or other governments, or from any other sources.

c. If, for any of the purposes hereunder, the authority shall find it necessary or convenient for it to acquire title to, or any lesser interest in, real property in this State, then the authority may acquire title to such property by purchase, lease or condemnation, and shall have the right to acquireˆrealty by eminent domain in accordance with the provisions of the “Eminent Domain Act of 1971,” P.L. 1971, c. 361 (C. 20:3-1 et seq.).

d. To make and enforce reasonable rules and regulations for the effectuation of its powers and purposes.

e. To provide rental assistance grants to persons of low or moderate income to enable them to pay the fair market value for housing units.

f. To provide loans and grants of temporary rental or other temporary housing assistance to persons without housing or in imminent danger of losing housing as a result of having insufficient income from other sources to allow payment of the rental or other housing costs.

g. In order to encourage increased availability of affordable housing forˆpersons of low and moderate income, to provide subsidies or other reductions of interest rates on loans made to public or private nonprofit agencies or limited dividend corporations for the purpose of acquiring, constructing, repairing or rehabilitating residential structures to be used for such housing.

h. To establish statewide programs to assist homeless persons, such programs to include, but not be limited to, assistance in developing and obtaining housing and temporary shelter, assistance to public and nonprofit sponsors of shelters and housing projects for the homeless, and short-term financial assistance. Benefits directly or indirectly received under these programs shall not be treated as income in determining eligibility requirements for other State programs and payments and benefits directly received by a taxpayer shall not be treated as income for New Jersey gross income tax purposesˆpursuant to section 2 of P.L. 1988, c. 29 (C. 54A:6-22).

P.L. 1944, c. 85, s. 24; amended 1984,c.180,s.3; 1988,c.29,s.1.