2. a. The Legislature finds and declares that it is in the public interest for State policymakers, providers of services to people who are homeless, advocacy organizations, and other concerned representatives of the public to engage in an intensive collaborative effort to seek to devise more effective means of coordinating among various State and local initiatives that provide assistance to persons who are homeless or at risk of being homeless; to identify public and private sources of funding for programs to meet the needs of persons within New Jersey who are homeless or at risk for homelessness ; and to develop more permanent housing solutions for this population.

b. There is established the “New Jersey Homelessness Prevention Task Force.” The purpose of the task force shall be to serve as an advisory body to the Office of Homelessness Prevention in the Department of Community Affairs, to develop recommendations, through an intensive collaborative effort among representatives of State government, providers of services to the homeless, advocacy organizations, and other concerned representatives of the public, and to develop, promote, and support efforts for the most effective means of coordinating among various State and local initiatives that provide assistance to persons who are homeless or at risk of being homeless; to identify public and private sources of funding for programs to meet the various needs of persons within this State who are homeless or at risk for homelessness ; and to develop more permanent housing solutions for this population.

c. The task force shall consist of 15 members including the Director of the Office of Homelessness Prevention in the Department of Community Affairs, or the director’s designee, the Director of the Division of Family Development in the Department of Human Services, or the director’s designee, and 13 members, who shall be appointed by the Governor no later than the 60th day after the effective date of P.L.2019, c.73 (C. 52:27D-287.5 et al.), and who may be government officials or members of the public with a demonstrated expertise in issues relating to the work of the task force.

d. The Director of the Office of Homelessness Prevention, or the director’s designee, shall serve as chairperson of the task force. The task force shall organize as soon as practicable following the appointment of its members and shall select a vice-chairperson from among the members. The chairperson shall appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the task force.

e. The public members shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for necessary travel expenses incurred in the performance of their duties and within the limits of funds available to the task force.

f. The task force shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any State, county or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, or agency as it may require and as may be available to it for its purposes.

g. The task force may meet and hold hearings at the places it designates during the sessions or recesses of the Legislature.

h. The Department of Community Affairs shall provide staff support to the task force.

i. Vacancies in the membership of the task force shall be filled in the same manner provided for the original appointments.

L.2019, c.73, s.2.