The Ocean County Board of Commissioners this week approved the creation of a new homelessness trust fund, making it the 13th New Jersey county to do so. Under the plan, a $5 fee will be added to the filing of most documents in the county clerk’s office. That fee is expected to generate up to $400,000 annually for a new trust fund that will be spent on resources to assist people experiencing homelessness.
Social advocates in the county are applauding the move as a step in the right direction, but some note there is still work to be done. Ocean County is one of the few counties in the state that does not have a permanent homeless shelter, and the new ordinance does not allow trust fund money to be spent on building such a facility.
