>> Major funding for "NJ Spotlight News" is provided in part by NJM insurance group, serving the needs of residents and businesses for years.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

And by The PSEG Foundation.

Briana: Tonight, price hike relief, the governor announcing millions to offset customers' spiking energy bills this summer.

>> Starting next month our administration will begin providing direct economic relief to the people of New Jersey to lower the cost of your monthly energy bill.

Briana: Plus, Summit passes a modified version of their homeless ban ordinance but it still includes jail time and fines.

>> If there is no available emergency shelter or other housing and that is the Saturn reality in many places in New Jersey, it would be unconstitutional to punish someone just for surviving the only way they can.

Briana: A protest outside Delaney Hall for a Patterson woman wrongfully arrested, then detained for overstaying her visa.

>> She speaks of conditions of inhumane conditions where cells are overcrowded, she has been sleeping on floors, cockroaches.

As a Muslim, she hasn't been given religious accommodations or space to pray.

Briana: Getting ahead of the opioid overdose crisis by delivering harm reduction kits to those in need.

>> We are client-centered.

We tell somebody to stop using it if you continue using you might as well do it in a safe manner.

Briana: NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

♪ ♪ >> From NJPBS Studios, this is NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi.

>> Thank you for joining us.

Briana Vannozzi is off.

Governor Murphy announced new subsidies today to help offset the 20% spike we are all about to see on our energy bills.

The state is allocating $430 million in relief funds that will promise a minimum of $100 in savings for households between July and September.

That is nearly a direct offset to what is expected to be a $25 increase per month for each household and a $250 rebate for low and moderate income families.

But it is only temporary relief or what could be long-term pain for energy customers in New Jersey.

Democratic legislators blame PJM, the grid operator for New Jersey in 12 other states, that holds auctions to help set the market rate.

The last option increased electricity rates by nearly 10 times.

>> While there are multiple factors driving up the cost of energy in our state, there is one culprit that is largely responsible for placing the burden of that cost on the people of New Jersey and that culprit is the Pennsylvania Jersey Maryland interconnection, otherwise known affectionately as PJM, which manages the flow of power to households in New Jersey, as one of 13 states in the District of Columbia in our region.

During a time in which demand for electricity is on the rise, PJM has failed to plan for increased energy capacity or for bringing, especially for bringing new clean energy sources online.

Joanna: But Republicans and business groups blame the state's energy master plan.

The Senate minority leader called it "just another Band-Aid that doesn't fix the overarching problem."

He says it simply delays the pain to avoid political fallout in an election year.

Murphy said the state is looking to get more solar online quickly and that they are actively considering new nuclear projects.

Also, the Trump administration may end a federal consent decree meant to curb redlining practices in a county.

Redlining is where banks discourage loans to homes and it has been outlawed under the fair housing act, but it still happens today.

Lakeland bank reached a settlement in 2022 with the Biden Justice Department because it was found to be redlining in and around Newark, it was placed under a consent decree that required the bank to issue loans to those who would have previously been denied and to open two branches in Newark where there are too few banking options.

Lakeland has issued some funds and open one of those branches, but has since merged with Provident.

The Trump Justice Department has asked the issuing judge to drop the consent decree.

That has brought the ire of the Newark Mayor who condemns it as a betrayal of people who were harmed and he is calling for a reversal of the move.

Provident issued a statement saying it acknowledges the benefit of the mortgage loan subsidy to underserved communities and if the motion is granted, it will commit to spending the remaining amount under the subsidy.

Advocates for fair housing practices are worried about the impact of removing the consent decree and the precedent it could set.

>> We think it sends a very bad message by the Trump administration with regard to its enforcement of fair lending laws.

And it actually, what consent orders are meant to do with writing past wrongs is also to set a precedent that no fair lending violations will be tolerated by any administration.

When you see an administration actively working to undo consent orders, that since about message across the industry.

Joanna: Climbing temperatures are mixing with smoke from the Canadian wildfires which has led the National Weather Service to issue air-quality alerts for much of New Jersey.

Upper level wind has been caring plumes of smoke across New Jersey even as far south as the Gulf Coast.

New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection has issues -- issued guidance for those most vulnerable to the poor air quality including the elderly, those with respiratory issues, and anyone with heart or lung disease.

If you fall into that category you are cautioned to stay indoors, keep your windows closed, use an air purifier when possible and if you have to go outside, limit your activity level and wear a mask.

There are over 200 fires burning in Canada right now and half are considered out of control.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court's historic ruling giving municipalities the authority to fine or jail people sleeping in public, several cities and towns in New Jersey have considered writing laws to allow them to do just that.

The Summit city Council is one of those towns and has seen long, contentious hearings over its proposed homeless ordinance.

It voted last night and Ted Goldberg has more on what the final version of the law looks like.

Ted: Jeff Wild was not a fan of the original summit ordinance meant to address homeless people sleeping in public spaces.

Jeff: The original ordinance was terrible.

If Jeff Wild was in a public park and I fell asleep on a bench, that would have violated the original ordinance which prohibited sleeping on public land.

Ted: Summits common Council passed a revised ordinance that threatens fines and possible jail time to anyone who sleeps in public spaces when there is no available indoor housing or if they turned out help to find housing.

Wild is an attorney serving on the New Jersey coalition to end homelessness.

He helped to rewrite the ordinance, arguing the first one was unconstitutional.

Jeff: That is not legal in our view because there is a right to survive.

If there is no available emergency shelter and that is the sad reality in many places in New Jersey, it would be unconstitutional.

Ted: They have argued the ordinance is needed to keep the city safe.

Councilman Jamal Boyer set his daughter was threatened by a man experiencing homelessness.

>> This recognizes to our commitment to passion by laying out expectations.

Specifically it reinforces service first responses by codifying the practice of connections to housing and support services.

Ted: A council meeting ran seven hours.

The amended version passed earlier this week unanimously, After members of the public gave their input and offered suggestions for further changes.

>> I urge you to include express protections for women and victims of domestic violence and human trafficking.

It is a glaring omission that should be addressed.

>> The Council has arrived at a final ordinance that balanced -- balances the interests of vulnerable individuals and public places.

>> We don't want people at the bus stop sleeping.

Going around town sleeping.

We don't want our children to see sleeping bags.

>> The underlying assumption in the ordinance, that people will move from homelessness into housing when threatened with punishment, discriminates in our opinion against people with disabilities, by assuming a level of rational thought that may not be possible for a person with cognitive impairment, mental illness.

Ted: The amended ordinance includes language that if a person could be a danger to themselves or others, they would be subject to hospitalization or psychiatric treatment, following state law.

Some have argued that enforcement might be difficult.

>> The provision for available indoor housing assumes a correct record of available shelter beds on off-hours.

It assumes that law enforcement can find the placements.

It assumes that those placements will work out for the people.

>> I believe we are going to have to collaborate much more closely with summit PD for their officers to know who it is we are working with to determine what their status is, whether they have access to housing and further whether any such temporary shelter bed is available to them in that moment.

You know?

At 2:00 a.m. That seems unrealistic.

>> Not likely conceivably, but what they can do it a minimum essay, do you need any help?

Are you in house?

Are you willing to get housing?

Do you want housing?

Ted: Even though he helped write the ordinance, Wild doesn't think it is necessary and give credit to the homelessness task force for reducing the number of people who reduce homelessness in Summit.

People who violated face a $100 fine to start to penalties increasing to 90 days in prison for repeat offenders.

I'm Ted Goldberg, NJ Spotlight News.

Joanna: President Trump last night announced a new travel ban from 12 countries he says pose a risk to America.

Some are Middle Eastern countries like Afghanistan, Iran , and Yemen.

Haiti is on the list, but most are African countries including Sudan, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Libya, Somalia, and others.

The president said these are countries without proper vetting or screening processes which is why he says they pose a danger.

He enacted a similar ban in his first term that was called the Muslim band, referring to the population most impacted by it.

The move comes as arrests and deportations continue across the state and nation.

In New Jersey, protesters gathered in support of a Paterson resident arrested after overstaying her student visa.

But her family says she was targeted for participating in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University last year.

Brenda Flanagan has more on her story and the protests around her arrest.

>> we will not be silent.

Brenda: Protesters rallied outside of Delaney Hall to show solidarity with a Palestinian woman who got picked up by ice in March, charged with overstaying her student visa and then flown to a federal holding facility in Texas.

>> She speaks of inhumane conditions in which the cells are overcrowded.

She has been sleeping on floors, cockroaches.

>> What happened is not an exception, it is a warning.

As the Palestinian community, we live in fear every day.

This is not abstract, this is real, it is personal.

We are watching our people disappear.

Brenda: Leqaa Kordia drew ice to scrutiny a year after she joined pro-Palestinian protest outside the gates of Columbia University.

She got arrested then but officials dropped the charges.

Her attorney says the Trump administration's focus on Palestinians protesting inside the U.S. revived the case.

>> Those of the folks the Trump administration has targeted and they have targeted them individually and specifically not only in the media, but also through the actions they have pursued in court.

Brenda: Homeland security Secretary Kristi Noem did single out Leqaa Kordia, saying it is a privilege to be granted a visa to live and study in the United States of America.

When you Abby -- advocate for violence and terrorism, that privilege should be revoked and you should not be in this country.

This protest unfolded against a much larger political landscape where the Trump administration is expanding its crackdown on immigrants with expired visas and beyond.

After agents discovered the suspect in the recent Boulder, Colorado terror attack had overstayed a visa, the president vowed to double down on enforcement, but supporters say Leqaa Kordia is not a terrorist, she is entitled to free speech and due process.

>> She is a completely different person than the person detained in Colorado and for the Trump administration or any law enforcement agency to group folks together that way is just an injustice.

>> That is what this administration has done with our humanity.

It has played with our humanity to say that we are no longer able to even travel.

Did you guys know about the travel ban yesterday?

Brenda: Protesters deplored the president's new travel ban which barred citizens from a dozen nations which he says the lack of security checks.

>> Among the national security threats, the large-scale presence of terrorists, failure to cooperate on visas 80 -- V says security, inability to verify traveler identities, in attic record-keeping of criminal histories, and persistent high rates of illegal visa over stays.

Brenda: Trump called his first travel ban successful and said this one scheduled to take effect Monday prompting frantic reactions.

>> This is Muslim band 2.0.

It happened before and it is happening again.

The villain is Asian of Muslim people, the villain is Asian of -- villainization of Muslim communities is expanding.

Brenda: as for Kordia, her attorneys Sager visa status has been resolved and they hope she will be released from detention following the court hearing today.

I'm Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News.

Joanna: There is a mental health crisis facing LGBTQ+ children in America right now.

The Trevor Project, a nonprofit that supports youth in that community, released new data that shows an alarming number of LGBTQ+ young people considering or attempting suicide and even more who would like to receive mental health services but didn't.

Care Plus NJ is working to support this community and joining me right now is the senior director of trauma services at Care Plus.

Thanks much for taking the time to talk with us today.

We see some statistics come out of a recent report by the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit.

Can you talk us through what this report showed that is pretty alarming?

>> Yes, so the Trevor Project report we are talking about is the most recent data from 2024.

It shows us a lot updated to be concerned about.

34% of youth in this survey reported that they seriously considered suicide in the past year, with 10% of those saying they actually made an attempt.

These are youth that are LGBTQ+.

Additionally, we see that 45% of youth wanted mental health care, but encountered barriers in access to health care, whether that was from their home or even in the community.

Fewer than 35% of youth found that their home was in fact LGBTQ+ affirming.

Meaning that it was not a safe space in their own.

Joanna: To clarify, the youth in the statistics you said our LGBTQ+ youth across the country, yes?

Jen: yes.

National data from youth who identify as LGBTQ+.

Joanna: So what do you believe are some of the factors contributing to these statistics?

I mean 34% who considered suicide, 10 percent who attempted it, that is alarming.

Jen: Very alarming.

In this survey, it showed 90% of youth that were surveyed are actually citing that current political issues are really making them feel very unsafe in their schools and communities and also their homes.

It is impacting our young folks mental health.

Joanna: How has Care Plus tried to step into this space to offer resources?

Jen: Care Plus NJ, we are a nonprofit certified community behavior Health Center.

We accept Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance.

We never want insurance or costs to be a barrier to youth and two families.

That is important to families facing economic hardships and potential loss of health care benefits.

We have been increasing services for all folks, but in particular paying attention to those of our LGBTQ+ youth, where we offered tailor services for youth experiencing trauma and also identify as LGBTQ+, as well as group services for them to really grow their support network.

Joanna: We know that only 35% say they live in a home that feels affirming to who they are.

For the other percentage, how do they access care if they are not in a space where they might have support to get those services?

Jen: Yes, the Trevor Project is a really great space for youth that might be struggling to access services.

It is not the same thing as therapy.

However, they do have Trevor space, which is a safe space monitored by employees of the Trevor Project.

That is something online that you can access and they can rapidly escape the website so when the instant somebody is coming that doesn't approve of them using it, they can rapidly escape.

In this online forum, they receive support from other LGBTQ+ use monitored by Trevor space employees to ensure that folks are being given the number four 988 as an example, the national suicide hotline, if they are needing that, and really linking them with services in addition to those in their community.

Joanna: What can community leaders, school leaders or folks in the community who want to be supportive, what is your message to them?

Jen: My message to everyone is look for the helpers and the helpers need to be identifiable.

Be in all community spaces so folks know you are there when they need you.

Joanna: So important are youth receive support at every level.

Thank you so much.

Jen: Thank you.

Joanna: The opioid epidemic continues to take the lives of people across our state and country.

Many people end up in hospitals when they overdose, which is where health care providers are able to connect survivors to resources.

A team of medical professionals at RWJBarnabas health, an underwriter of NJ Spotlight News, is going beyond the usual prevention methods by creating harm reduction kits handed out to those in need.

Raven Santana has more.

>> About 15 years ago, I overdosed on heroin.

I was in the hospital for my own personal overdose.

You were medically cleared for discharge and that was it.

Raven: Amy Franco says her near-death experience fuels her passion to help others.

She is part of a dedicated team from RWJBarnabas Health, an underwriter of NJ Spotlight News, working to assemble 15,000 Naloxone and harm reduction kits.

It offers support services for those with substance use disorders across hospitals, outpatient facilities, and immunity settings.

>> We see overdoses in our emergency rooms every day.

We started providing Naloxone from the recovery specialists for just Naloxone overdose patients.

In the few hundreds.

But during this process, we recognized that number one, just having the Naloxone was not enough.

They needed a place to hold it, some extra care items.

So we came up with the idea to start care kits along with Naloxone.

So we have Xylazine strips, we have gloves, we have care items like seasonal items like socks and mouthwash and some other just items that people might need to take care of themselves.

Raven: The director of the Institute of invention and recovery leads one of the largest in hospital.

Recovery programs -- P are recovery programs in the nation.

The program's mission is to create a pathway toward recovery.

>> Eliminating some of the steps in between has helped eliminate that stigma.

You don't have to ask for this, you don't have to go somewhere, you don't have to hand a prescription to a pharmacist, you don't have to worry about paying for it, you don't have to worry about transportation.

Raven: Team members say the goal is to get the kids to as many people -- kits to as many people as possible aiming to bridge the gap to recovery.

>> Harm reduction is the path, we are client-centered.

We tell somebody to stop using but if you are going to continue using you might as well do it in a safe manner.

>> I was a working professional, educated, and put on a suit and tie every day and fooled a lot of people for a lot of years.

We are out there.

We are struggling.

We are trying to put on our best face, but inside a lot is going on.

Raven: Patrick Conley, manager of the recovery program, says harm reduction efforts such as expanding efforts to Naloxone have played a key role in reducing drug related deaths in New Jersey and across the country.

>> It is probably I would say one of the easiest life saving that exist.

To be able to help somebody right where they are at and bring them back to a place where than they can have proper medical attention provided to them, it gives them that little bit of space to still be with us.

Raven: Conley says once all the kits are assembled, they will be distributed to patients at every RWJBarnabas Health Hospital on June 23.

I'm Raven Santana.

Joanna: Before we leave you tonight, keep it right here for NJ decides 2025 primary election night coverage.

That is next Tuesday, June 10, right here on NJPBS and it would not our YouTube channel and on our digital site until the last race is called.

I'm Joanna Gagis.

For the entire team, thanks for being with us tonight.

We will see you tomorrow.

>> New Jersey Education Association, making public schools great for every child.

RWJBarnabas Health, let's be healthy together.

New Jersey Realtors, the voice of real estate in New Jersey.

More information online at NJrealtor.com.

And Ørsted.

Committed to delivering clean, reliable, American-made energy.

>> Ørsted believes clean energy is more than a power source.

It is an opportunity to create stronger economies and communities.

Together, the wind projects from Ørsted will provide American wind powered energy for New Yorkers and support jobs, education, and the local supply chain.

Ørsted, committed to a clean energy future for New York.

♪ ♪