Research & Innovations

From the Sacramento Redevelopment and Housing Agency's newsletter:

The Sacramento Housing Authority Marina Vista community was selected for the launch of the City of Sacramento’s Last Mile Broadband Connectivity Project at a groundbreaking on June 18, 2026. Funded by $38.7 million California Public Utilities Commission Last Mile Connectivity Grant with support from Rep. Doris Matsui, the effort is part of the City’s strategy to help bridge the digital divide by providing high-speed internet access in underserved neighborhoods.

The project is a significant community resource that will provide seamless wraparound stability in signal strength to complement the Housing Authority’s enhanced free wifi signal available to residents in this community. A Housing Authority study found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, families struggled to maintain their daily activities. Nearly 25 percent of children utilizing remote learning were dropped from their classes due to a lack of internet connectivity or low bandwidth. Funding from Intel and assistance from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and FutureTech seeded a pilot program to address the digital divide at Marina Vista and Alder Grove, two of its largest public housing communities. Testing showed that improvements to existing wifi capability and stability through state-of-the art technology combined with affordability would greatly enhance the user experience.

With a five-year $1.4 million funding commitment from the City of Sacramento, in partnership with Federated Wireless, free high-speed wifi is fully implemented, closing the digital divide and to date, connecting approximately 300 residents to greater opportunities for success. Today, through this important partnership and collaboration, the Last Mile Broadband Project will help level the playing field and give residents in our housing communities a chance to live better, achieve more, and reach their full potential. The new technology expands access to telehealth, education, employment and basic services. Students will be able to complete homework remotely and parents can conveniently apply for jobs. Approximately 300 residents are utilizing the wifi connection in their homes.

From Governor Mikie Sherrill's press release:

 Governor Mikie Sherrill today joined the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA), and military veterans from across New Jersey at the Trenton War Memorial to announce that, through the Bringing Veterans Home initiative, the State created a coordinated support system that fully funds housing resources so no veteran has to go homeless. The initiative makes veteran homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring in New Jersey. Now, more veterans enter housing in New Jersey than enter homelessness each month, and the initiative is sustaining this performance consistently.  

“I am incredibly honored to announce that, because of the quick and effective response of our Bringing Veterans Home initiative, every veteran in New Jersey can now access stable housing,” said Governor Sherrill. “This milestone is a groundbreaking achievement. No veteran in our state should endure the hardship of homelessness. 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."

“If a New Jersey veteran experiences a housing crisis, Bringing Veterans Home is the backstop preventing full scale homelessness,” said DCA Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez. “Our work is more than housing placement. It is about long-term stability. We are making sure veterans have access to the services and support they need to remain in stable, quality housing that they can call home.”

“In a state where our motto is Liberty and Prosperity, no veteran should go to sleep without a roof over their head,” said DVA Commissioner Vincent Solomeno III. “Bringing Veterans Home demonstrates what is possible when government stops asking people in crisis to navigate bureaucratic boundaries and instead organizes itself around the outcome we want to achieve.”

The Bringing Veterans Home initiative launched in November 2024 with a mission to effectively end veteran homelessness across the state. More than $30 million in state and federal funds were committed over a two-year period to help place New Jersey veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness in stable housing and provide them with support services. Since the initiative’s launch, the State has helped permanently house more than 2,500 veterans. Under the initiative, a veteran is anyone who meets the federal and state definitions of “veteran.” This includes veterans of active duty and reserve components.

DCA’s Office of Homelessness Prevention leads this effort via a dedicated project management team in coordination with DVA, federal partners at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and multiple veterans service organizations. Bringing Veterans Home marks the first time veteran service organizations in New Jersey have formally partnered with the State in the fight against veteran homelessness.

“The phrase ‘homeless veteran’ should not be a thing,” said Senator Raj Mukherji, chairman of the Senate Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “Those who served our nation in uniform deserve, at a minimum, to never go without a roof over their heads. This milestone and Governor Sherrill’s whole-of-government commitment to achieving functional zero represent serious progress toward our obligation to our veterans.”

“The primary measure of Bringing Veterans Home’s success is not a single point-in-time count of veterans who are homeless, but its sustained capacity to rapidly assist veterans in need of housing,” said DCA Assistant Commissioner Janel Winter, who directs the Division of Housing and Community Resources. “We’ve changed the paradigm in New Jersey to create a sustainable system that provides quick and effective outreach to veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and assist them quickly into shelter, housing, and access to the services they need.”

Through the Bringing Veterans Home initiative, six regional coordination hubs are now established across the state to improve case coordination and standardize a homeless veteran’s access to housing services. Each regional hub is managed by a social services organization that specializes in homelessness interventions. DCA selected the organizations through a competitive request for proposals.

The regional hubs can access resources that are supported by state and federal funds such as Veterans Affairs Supported Housing (VASH) vouchers, State Rental Assistance Program (SRAP) vouchers, HOME program assistance, Supportive Services for Veterans and Families (SSVF) programs, rapid rehousing, street outreach, and emergency sheltering.

“Bringing Veterans Home works because of consistent partner participation, robust communication, and shared data visibility,” said Tina McGill, director of DCA’s Office of Homelessness Prevention. “This achievement shows what’s possible with coordinated commitment and provides a framework we can replicate for other vulnerable populations in New Jersey.”

“New Jersey is showing what’s possible when state leaders, local providers, and veteran organizations treat veteran homelessness as a solvable challenge and organize around a clear goal: helping every veteran in a housing crisis quickly reach a stable home,” said Rosanne Haggerty, president and CEO of Community Solutions, a nonprofit organization that works with local and national partners to reduce veteran homelessness. “Bringing Veterans Home pairs sustained investment in housing assistance with real time data, coordinated action, and accountability for results. New Jersey veterans get fast, effective help in exiting homelessness, with few returning. This disciplined, outcomes-focused approach is the way to make veteran homelessness rare and brief across the country.”

Referrals in to Bringing Veterans Home can take place in multiple ways:

Community partners can submit referrals online on the Bringing Veterans Home webpage at https://bvh.dca.nj.gov/. 

Veterans can self-refer either through the Bringing Veterans Home web form, by calling NJ Vet2Vet and/or NJ 211, by visiting any affiliated housing or homelessness services provider, or through engagement with a Bringing Veterans Home street outreach team.

Existing service providers can make electronic referrals through the NJ Homelessness Management Information System (HMIS) or DCA’s SimpliGov platform.

The program requires veterans be contacted within 24 hours after referral with a goal of placement in stable housing within 30 days of initial contact. The process includes assessing veterans for housing priority, identifying any barriers they face, and developing a detailed plan to facilitate housing as quickly as possible.

Bringing Veterans Home at present has enough permanent housing capacity to ensure veterans are stably housed faster than new homelessness cases occur, with minimal returns to homelessness. 

From the King County Housing Authority's press release:

The King County Housing Authority (KCHA), joined by the City of Issaquah, US Representative Kim Schrier, public officials, funding partners, development partners, and community stakeholders, today celebrated the groundbreaking for Trailhead Apartments, a new transit-oriented housing community that will bring 154 affordable rental homes to the heart of Issaquah.

Trailhead Apartments will provide affordable homes for households earning up to 40% and 60% of Issaquah’s Area Median Income (AMI), addressing the growing need for affordable housing on the Eastside. Developed by KCHA, the eight-story community will feature a mix of family-sized apartments and amenities designed to support long-term housing stability and quality of life.

The development is part of a broader mixed-income community that includes affordable homes developed by KCHA and market-rate housing developed separately, connected by public open space and pedestrian pathways. Plans for the site include a public plaza, restored wetlands, and a multimodal trail, and community-serving commercial space owned by the City of Issaquah.

Resident amenities will include a community room, exercise room, study room, fourth-floor courtyard, bicycle storage, and other shared spaces. The development is located next to the Issaquah Transit Center and across from Tibbetts Valley Park, and is designed to support a vibrant, walkable, mixed-income neighborhood centered around transit access and community connection.

Trailhead Apartments will also include several homes operated by Life Enrichment Options (LEO) for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, creating additional opportunities for inclusive community living.

Construction is now underway, with leasing and occupancy anticipated in 2028.