1. The Commissioner of Community Affairs shall establish a rental assistance program for low income individuals or households. This program shall be in addition to and supplement any existing programs established pursuant to the “Prevention of Homelessness Act (1984),” P.L.1984, c.180 (C. 52:27D-280 et al.).

a. The program shall provide rental assistance grants comparable to the federal section 8 program, but shall be available only to State residents who are not currently holders of federal section 8 vouchers.

b. Assistance to an individual or household under the State program shall be terminated upon the award of federal section 8 rental assistance to the same individual or household.

c. The program shall reserve a portion of the grants for assistance to senior citizens aged 62 or older who otherwise meet the criteria of subsection a. of this section.

d. The program shall reserve a portion of the grants for assistance to veterans who have successfully completed the Veterans Transitional Housing Program, or “Veterans Haven,” a vocational and transitional housing program for homeless veterans administered by the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs.

e. The program shall reserve a portion of the funds available to it for tenant-based vouchers to veterans, other than those veterans eligible for assistance pursuant to subsection d. of this section.

L.2004, c.140, s.1; amended 2007, c.208, s.1; 2007, c.237; 2017, c.29.