TRENTON — Governor Mikie Sherrill announced that New Jersey has established a statewide system intended to ensure veterans experiencing a housing crisis can quickly access stable housing and support services.

The milestone was reached through the Bringing Veterans Home initiative, a coordinated effort involving the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, the Department of Veterans Affairs, federal agencies and veterans service organizations.

State officials said the initiative has created enough permanent housing capacity for veterans to enter stable housing faster than new homelessness cases occur. The program is designed to make veteran homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring across New Jersey.

“No veteran in our state should endure the hardship of homelessness,” Sherrill said. “We are proud that New Jersey is a leader in ending veteran homelessness, and we stand ready to serve as a model for other states on this critical issue.”

Bringing Veterans Home launched in November 2024 with more than $30 million in state and federal funding committed over two years. Since its launch, the state has helped permanently house more than 2,500 veterans, including eligible members of active-duty and reserve components.

Six regional coordination hubs have also been established across New Jersey to improve access to housing assistance and standardize services for veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Each hub is managed by a social service organization specializing in homelessness intervention.

Available resources include Veterans Affairs Supported Housing vouchers, State Rental Assistance Program vouchers, HOME program assistance, Supportive Services for Veterans and Families, rapid rehousing, street outreach and emergency shelter.

“If a New Jersey veteran experiences a housing crisis, Bringing Veterans Home is the backstop preventing full-scale homelessness,” Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez said. “Our work is more than housing placement. It is about long-term stability.”

Veterans can refer themselves to the program through its online form, by contacting NJ Vet2Vet or NJ 211, by visiting an affiliated housing provider or by speaking with a Bringing Veterans Home street outreach team. Community partners and existing service providers may also submit referrals.

The program requires veterans to be contacted within 24 hours of a referral and establishes a goal of securing stable housing within 30 days of the initial contact. Staff members assess each veteran’s housing needs, identify potential barriers and develop an individualized placement plan.

Property owners interested in participating in the initiative may contact the Department of Community Affairs at (609) 376-0811. Additional information and referral resources are available at bvh.dca.nj.gov.

NEWARK — Governor Mikie Sherrill signed the Fair Price Protection Act into law, protecting New Jersey shoppers from discriminatory surveillance pricing. The law prevents businesses from using personal information, such as online activity, location or purchasing history, to charge different prices for identical products based on what an algorithm predicts a shopper is willing or able to pay.

“New Jersey families are already feeling the pressure of higher costs,” Sherrill said in a statement. “The last thing they need is companies secretly using their personal data to charge them more than someone else for the exact same product. This law puts New Jersey shoppers first by protecting their privacy and ensuring fairness in pricing.”

Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said the price shoppers pay at the grocery store should be based on the cost of a product, not on what invasive data collection suggests they may be willing to pay, and that her office is committed to enforcing the new law.

Surveillance pricing uses consumer data, often gathered through large-scale data collection and artificial intelligence, to set prices for individual shoppers. While retailers have long adjusted prices based on market conditions, surveillance pricing allows them to tailor prices based on the characteristics of individual shoppers, often without their knowledge.

The Fair Price Protection Act prohibits retailers from using personal data to set individualized prices on groceries and other necessities, but does not ban loyalty programs or discounts. It also places a one-year moratorium on new use of electronic shelf labels while the New Jersey Innovation Authority studies the technology’s effects, though existing labels may still be used, repaired or replaced.

“Surveillance pricing is an abuse of modern technology where artificial intelligence is used to set different prices for different customers,” said Senator Joe Cryan, a Democrat representing Union County. “Consumers are being hurt at a time when families are already struggling to pay their bills.”

Assemblyman Onyema, a Democrat representing Essex and Union counties, said the law establishes clear protections to ensure that pricing is based on the product being sold rather than on data collected about the buyer.

Ademola Oyefeso, international vice president of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, praised the law’s moratorium on electronic shelf labels as an important step to ensure the technology does not harm shoppers or workers, noting large grocery chains nationwide are rushing to adopt it.

The Fair Price Protection Act complements the Sherrill administration’s recent actions on junk fees and algorithmic rent-setting, establishing guardrails for emerging technologies while protecting shoppers from discriminatory pricing practices based on their personal information.