♪♪ >> From NJ PBS Studios, this is "NJ Spotlight News" with Brianna Vannozzi.

>> Hello, and thanks for joining us tonight.

I'm Joanna Gagas, in for Brianna Vannozzi.

Coming up in the broadcast, we look at the shrinking number of women politicians in the state and efforts to get more involved.

Plus, from the front lines to the home front, what's being done to assist veterans struggling with homelessness in New Jersey.

And later, we talk with a disability rights advocate calling for better protections of wheelchairs and scooters that are all too often broken during air travel.

But first, electricity rates in New Jersey spiked 17% last year.

For the average household, that's an increase of about $260 a year.

And that puts New Jersey in the lead as the state with the highest increase in the country, second only to Washington, D.C.

This data comes from a new report released by the Democratic Joint Congressional Economic Committee.

But it's not just New Jersey and D.C.

In fact, energy costs rose by at least 10 percent in about a dozen states, and only four states decreased their costs.

The committee used the report as a way to point out the difference between President Trump's campaign rhetoric, promising to slash energy prices in half within his first year in office, and the reality that exists today.

It's also an issue that was front and center on the campaign trail here in New Jersey, with Governor Sherrill promising to address the high costs here in her first year.

So far, she's enacted a freeze on electricity rate hikes.

Today, Congressman Josh Gottheimer announced a plan to increase energy production, modernize the grid, and reduce rising electricity costs, but it's a plan that'll need bipartisan support to move through Congress.

Coming up, why is the number of women in public office shrinking here in New Jersey?

We'll take a closer look.

That's next.

Funding for NJ Spotlight News provided by the members of the New Jersey Education Association.

Making public schools great for every child.

Governor Mikey Sherrill is only the second woman to hold the highest office in the state's history.

At one time, New Jersey was a leader nationally in the number of women who held elected office.

But as more women across the country enter public service, New Jersey's representation has stagnated, even dropping in the last election.

The Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University is trying to change that with their annual Ready to Run event.

I'm joined now by their Associate Director, Jean Sinsdak, as part of our Under the Dome series.

Jean, so good to have you with us.

Thanks for taking a few minutes.

Where does New Jersey stand right now in terms of women holding elected office, particularly looking at our legislature?

Our legislature, obviously we just had legislative elections this past November.

And as a result, we lost women in the state legislatures.

So we've slid backwards in the overall national rankings for women serving in state legislatures around the country.

And currently New Jersey is 34th in the country.

So, and we have been hovering sort of in the middle of the pack for a long time.

There was one time not too long ago that we actually basically were in the top ten for women's representation in the legislatures.

And it's not so much that overall New Jersey has done poorly since, although we did lose women this year.

It's that other states have done much better than we have in recent years.

So you know and that's why we held steady for a while.

But now we're we're sliding backwards.

And so the news is not good on that front.

Yeah.

Just looking at the last election, as you mentioned, I believe six women chose not to run for re-election, one retired.

That was a loss of seven.

And then three new women were elected.

So net loss of four there.

But I'm just curious, looking at New Jersey, why is it that we see women either make the choice not to run for re-election or not choosing to run at all?

Well, in New Jersey, it mirrors a lot of the same, what we're seeing around the country.

Part of it is the power of incumbency and how many opportunities there are for women and other newcomers to the political process.

So that's a big part of it, always.

But the other piece of it is that we know women aren't asked to run for office at the same rates that men are.

We do know that when they do run, they win at the same rates as men do in comparable races.

So it's not the winning, it's the recruitment.

We have a real pipeline challenge.

And we've seen that particularly in New Jersey in recent years.

Things have changed a little bit after the party line on the ballots got erased.

And so theoretically, that's opened up new opportunities for more women candidates.

But we do know that party organizations still have a tremendous amount of power in terms of both recruiting and then supporting the candidates that are running.

And so we really need to do some work on the recruitment pipeline to get more women to run for office.

We've also heard from women across the board at all levels of elected office, but particularly Senate and Assembly representatives who've said there's a real toxic work environment for women in Trenton.

In particular, I know former Senator Loretta Weinberg was a bastion for women, you know, kind of changing that environment.

She created a female task force to address it.

With that in mind, I just want to ask you, why is it important for women to have representation in the legislature and other elected office, including the governor's office?

Absolutely.

Yeah.

Well, so as you pointed out, the complaints about a toxic environment have been a problem long in New Jersey, but also around the country.

It's a near universal story that we've heard.

And so we need more women in these positions of power, both because we know that they will change when more people are serving, more women are serving on these governing bodies.

They can change that environment and make it more open and welcome and less likely to be problematic.

So that's a big piece.

We want more representation within the halls of power and that's the only way it's going to change for the long term.

Can you tell us about Ready to Run?

What is this program?

The Ready to Run is our annual nonpartisan campaign training program to encourage more women to run for office.

We have numerous leaders who come as speakers, keynote speakers, party officials, elected officials, you know, other women leaders in the community who come and help train women to run for office.

It's this Friday and Saturday, March 20th and 21st on the campus in Rutgers, New Brunswick.

And we still have registration open.

The online registration will be open for another couple of days and then on Friday, on-site registration will be available.

We do encourage any women who are interested in running for office or even thinking about getting involved in politics.

Since we have two tracks, track one is I'm running for office, now what?

And you'll get the real nuts and bolts of launching campaigns.

But track two is, you know, I'm not quite sure yet.

I want to get involved, but I don't know where to start.

And covers everything from how to get involved in party organizations to getting appointed to working on campaigns, and then hopefully running someday themselves.

So there really is something for everyone, no matter where you are on the political spectrum, in terms of your involvement.

Yeah, it's a great point, because as you said, this is non-partisan.

It's anyone, any female who's looking to get involved.

What are the characteristics that someone, considering whether or not they might be a good candidate, should ask themselves whether or not they possess or perhaps work towards strengthening within themselves?

Well, you know, certainly the first thing we say to people, people say that to us all the time, like, "Do I have what it takes?"

and, you know, "Do I need to do some prep work?"

I mean, obviously, campaign training is really helpful, but, you know, the number one requirement to running for office is that you are committed to the community that you live in and you want to make a difference.

And that's all you really need.

The rest of it you know you learn as you go.

And you know we need public leaders from all walks of life all backgrounds to run and serve.

That will make all of our communities richer.

So again you don't need any special qualifications except the desire to serve.

And can some people can people just show up on the campus or do you need to register in advance for this event.

Ideally we have people would register online although online registration will close on Thursday tomorrow.

But we have on site registration available.

So if you miss the online registration you can just come on Friday and we'll be there at the Douglas Campus Center on Friday and then goes through Saturday March 21st.

All right.

Great advice.

Good luck with your event.

Gene Sinsdack associate director for the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

Thank you for your time today.

Appreciate it.

Thank you so much for having me.

Under the Dome is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting a private corporation funded by the American people.

Last Tuesday, Governor Sherrill delivered her budget address outlining her fiscal priorities for the upcoming year.

It's a speech that often highlights the divide between the political parties in the state, but one area of focus that received bipartisan applause, Sherrill's efforts to eliminate homelessness for veterans living in New Jersey.

It's through a program called Bringing Veterans Home, an effort that would be bolstered by an $11 million allocation.

Our next guest is entrenched in that work every day.

He's Richard Uniak, president of Bridges Outreach.

Richard, great to have you on the show.

- Thanks so much.

- Your organization is the service provider of bringing veterans home in Essex and Union County.

Can you just first describe what that initiative is?

- Sure, sure.

So, importantly, this breaks the state into, bringing veterans home breaks the state into six regions.

So it's not tackling homelessness along the COC kind of couting lines that it's usually dealt with.

And in each region there is a 10 person dedicated team, street outreach, case management, housing navigation and leadership that collaborates with all providers who are serving veterans within that region and throughout the state.

They leverage data, they develop a by name list, they engage in case collaboration, and they've made it very very easy for veterans to get referred to these BVH programs and then they just keep going down the list, right?

Working on how do we resolve this situation, that situation, and and it really drives accountability and it drives speed with engaging with a veteran, making sure that, you know, the way we kind of represent it is, if a veteran is at a VFW, maybe having a drink at the bar and asks, "Is it okay if I sleep in my car when this place closes up because I've got no place to go?"

That bartender knows who to call and we can get you at least into a hotel tonight.

So, let's break down a couple things.

First, you said BVH, Bringing Veterans Home.

Bringing Veterans Home.

There is clearly an epidemic of homelessness in New Jersey.

Yeah.

When you're not even looking at the veteran population.

Can you just break down -- I know we do the point-in-time count every year just to try to get a handle on it.

Big picture, homelessness, and then do we understand how many are veterans here in New Jersey?

Give us those numbers.

>> I'm so glad you brought up the point in time count.

Because that is a snapshot.

The point in time count in 2025 yielded just over 13,000 people experiencing homelessness in New Jersey.

The all-in data that we have in the state's HMIS system yielded more than 45,000 people in New Jersey who experienced homelessness in 2025.

Veterans represent almost one in 10.

So we are definitely seeing an increase in homelessness.

And we're seeing far more than what the point in time count is ever going to be able to capture during a week in the coldest part of the year in late January.

And just so far since January 1, we've had 505 veterans get newly referred to the Bringing Veterans Home program.

So this is continuing with the inflow.

We continue to see eviction for veterans, especially veterans.

Number one cause of homelessness in New Jersey is eviction.

Why?

What are the driving factors behind that eviction?

It's largely the rising cost of everything else.

And it's also the number three cause, which is loss of job or reduction in income that leads to eviction.

It all ends up going together, right?

As we're all paying more at the pump, as we see job loss throughout the country, as we see increased prices in everything, right?

We were just talking before we got started about how expensive it is to live in New Jersey.

That makes it so far out of reach for a lot of people, one in ten of whom are veterans.

So how do you tailor a program specifically to veterans?

You talked about, you know, connecting with the bartender so that they can refer for services.

I mean that level and degree of outreach feels intangible in some respects.

How do you how do you get your team of 10 out there in that region to make sure that you're you're meeting the needs of the people who have the need.

Yeah.

And the most important thing is making sure that there's no wrong door.

That we have you know a pathway to being referred into this program whatever region you're gonna be served by.

Absolutely everywhere.

Right.

From libraries to hospitals to VFWs and American Legions.

It has to be very very very easy.

And then in each region we've got a dedicated street outreach team as well as a dedicated case management team.

So those street outreach teams which by the way they collaborate with with every other veteran service provider in the state right.

They have to respond within 24 hours to engage with this veteran to get them a safe place to stay tonight.

Even if that's going to be a hotel room something that is very very temporary and then into permanent housing as fast as possible.

What you're talking about costs money.

Talk about the allocation that the governor has said she wants to put behind this initiative.

Eleven million dollars just for this program.

But what are the numbers that she's proposed.

Let's start there.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So we're very grateful that this is a policy priority and a budget priority for the governor.

The reality unfortunately is that eleven million dollars is is not a sustainable number for this program.

What does it need to be?

I mean last year was 26 million plus another 14 million for vouchers right and that's where I think we're still looking for a little bit of clarity in terms of what the 11 million represents.

Is it 11 instead of 40 or is there additional voucher support coming from somewhere?

So it's 11 million instead of 26.

That's still only 42 percent.

Right.

It's less than half as a provider.

That's not an SSVF provider.

We have to stand up a dedicated team that is not already in the field to do this.

And it really kind of makes it unsustainable for providers like us.

And it makes us really think long and hard about what resources are available and how we approach this.

When you talk about vouchers, what do you mean there?

I mean really housing vouchers.

So we need folks to be self-sustaining at a certain point.

We do get a fair number of veterans who have a disabling condition and may not be able to work and they're going to need a housing voucher to make sure that they're not paying more than 30% of their income, which may be limited to Social Security disability or other benefits.

I know you work in the housing space, but very often you encounter folks who have a need that runs the gamut, right?

How do you work to get them connected to services that could include food support, maybe transportation, maybe job support?

Yeah, it's all of it.

I mean, we leverage a housing stabilization matrix that looks at all the key functional areas.

We want to make sure that their household finances are straight, whatever their source of income.

However that goes, we look at their food insecurity.

We'll do everything from call Ubers to rely on other systems to make sure that they get transportation to wherever they need to go or take them ourselves.

But we absolutely have a wide range of partners in order to aim for reduced friction in those connections, those really important connections.

If somebody needs health care, whether they're getting it from the VA or they're not, if somebody needs behavioral health care or substance use treatment, which sometimes occurs, right?

These are not primary drivers into homelessness, even for folks who are not veterans.

These are not causal for homelessness in New Jersey, even when they are present and even prevalent in some populations.

So what we have to do is just is really make sure that there's a very tight connection for anything that they need.

And of course just quickly this requires some coordination between departments within the governor's office.

Right.

We've got the Department of Community Affairs and Veterans Affairs.

How do you.

Just a few seconds.

But how do you see those departments working together.

Where could they improve.

I think they're doing a great job.

And I know Commissioner Salamino is doing a great job and really hitting the hitting the whole state making sure that everybody is is really tightly connected.

That seems to be working really really well.

I think what they need is more financial support.

All right.

That's what everyone's asking for.

Not everyone is going to get it in this tight budget season.

But Rich Uniac thank you so much for your time.

Thank you Joe.

More than 11,000 wheelchairs or scooters get damaged, delayed or lost each year during air travel.

That's according to the U.S.

Department of Transportation.

Well behind that statistic are the real life impacts on the people who depend on them.

People like Emily Liddell who experienced her wheelchair getting damaged on multiple occasions including earlier this month.

Emily is the author of the book Demystifying Disability.

What to know what to say and how to be an ally.

She joins us now to share her story.

Emily.

Emily thanks so much for coming on the show.

Just earlier this month you experienced this.

Unfortunately not for the first time.

What happened to your wheelchair.

Thank you for having me.

First of all I wish it was under better circumstances.

But I am really glad to be raising awareness about this issue.

So I flew from LaGuardia Airport to Minneapolis St.

Paul Airport and it was on Delta Airlines.

And when I arrived I was informed that my wheelchair had taken a fall while they were removing it from the airplane.

And it is a 450 pound device.

So a fall is it quite dangerous for something that heavy.

And it turned out that the wheelchair was totaled.

It was completely destroyed.

Just OK.

So I'll have a lot of questions quickly.

The cost of that wheelchair.

What is it.

So it is a little over seventy five thousand dollars because it is a custom wheelchair.

So it's not just a standard issue.

There are multiple features that it has including elevation because it helps me reach things.

It has a tilt and recline function which is for my can relieve pressure and avoid pressure sores.

It's also custom measured to my specifications.

So it really is a very expensive durable medical equipment.

So in this case here you are landing in Minneapolis about to go do a speech where you rights advocate.

What happens next how do you then get around what is your mobility at that point.

Well I was at first in quite a panic because without my wheelchair I have no way of getting around.

I am unable to walk so my wheelchair is essentially akin to legs for me.

It is my freedom of movement and mobility.

So what happened is that the complaint resolution team at the Minneapolis-St.

Paul Airport immediately got in touch with the company that they contract with called Scootaround and it is Scootaround's job to help source a loaner wheelchair.

And this was particularly a challenge because as I was just mentioning my wheelchair is custom so it's not as though you can just pull one off the shelf and give it to me and it's not as though they're always in immediate supply but miraculously within about four and a half hours they were able to source a wheelchair for me.

It was not at all the right dimensions.

It was much too large for me and it was hard for me to sit in.

But it did have an elevation feature which was essential for me to be able to transfer in and out of it.

So at the end of the day I actually consider myself quite lucky that they were able to find a functional solution for me to get out of the airport.

Sadly like I said this is not the first time that this has happened to you.

In fact you had posted on social media just before this trip because you shared concerns about this.

What is the impact on you and so many thousands of others who depend on their wheelchairs or scooters for mobility when it comes to deciding whether or not you can travel whether or not you can go on a honeymoon.

In your example.

Well I'm really glad that you mentioned it's not just me.

The implications are incredibly far reaching and I'm so appreciative that I have the opportunity to talk about this issue.

But there are so many times when stories like this go completely under the radar.

And the implications as you said are very far reaching.

For me I was traveling because it was a business trip.

I was going to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse for a speaking engagement and so not being able to travel puts my livelihood at risk.

But my husband and I were also supposed to go on our honeymoon to London next month and after the quite frankly trauma of having my wheelchair broken we just could not fathom getting back on an airplane not to mention we didn't know if I would yet have a replacement workable wheelchair so this is a matter of impacting livelihood it's a matter of impacting leisure and beyond that it's just a matter of impacting people's freedom of choice to go where they want to go when they want to go there.

You are calling on the FAA to make a change that allows folks who depend on a wheelchair to stay in that wheelchair on their flights.

Where is the FAA as far as you understand in terms of considering that rule?

So under the previous administration, there was a lot of work being done to hold airlines accountable and hopefully either prevent damage to wheelchairs or at least eliminate the hoops that people have to jump through if their wheelchairs or mobility equipment are damaged in flight.

So I am at the very least calling on the Federal Aviation Administration to not roll back the work that was done on implementing those heavier protections for the disability community in the hopes that they really will hold the feet of the airlines to the fire.

But beyond that there's an organization called all wheels up that's been working with the FAA to crash test the technology needed to allow wheelchair users to roll their mobility equipment right on to the airplane and stay in their mobility equipment and just have it tied down and secured in the same way that you might if you were rolling onto a public bus.

For example Emily with I'm sorry.

Would that then require more open rows on airplanes to accommodate folks who need wheel wheelchairs.

It's a great question and I know that there is a financial concern about it.

But the technology that's being developed is such that the airline wouldn't have to lose money because the seats would be replaceable if they weren't filled by a wheelchair user.

So it's not as though the seats would go empty.

So right now we have the testing.

We have the technology.

What we need is the airline industry and the FAA to work together to implement it.

And it will be time and effort, but it will not be at a significant loss because it will open up more travel opportunities for people with disabilities and people who use mobility devices.

And they won't have to pay for the damaged equipment.

And beyond that, they're not going to lose the seats on the airplanes.

So it's really a win-win for everybody.

All right, Emily Ledao, author and disability rights advocate.

I want to thank you so much for coming on and sharing your perspective and advocating for those who don't have a voice like you do.

Thank you.

Thank you for having me.

And before we leave you tonight, Lucy the elephant is getting a glow up.

The 144-year-old South Jersey attraction has been a staple in the Margate community, drawing families and tourists for generations.

>> The project is a threatened her livelihood, leaving a $500,000 gap that was needed for improvements after decades of wear and tear.

Well, on Monday, the save Lucy committee announced that about $350,000 of that funding had been restored in part from the national park services save American treasures program.

And with the help of local fundraising, the project now has the full amount needed to ensure Lucy sticks around for years to come.

Her makeover will include upgrades to her interior and >> We're going to be talking about the upgrades to her interior walls and floors, her sprinkler system and air conditioning as well as a new welcome center.

Her renovations should be complete by the summer of 2027.

That's going to do it for us tonight.

I'm Joanna Gaggis for the entire team here at NJ spotlight news.

Thanks for being with us.

We'll see you right back here at 10.

>> NJM insurance group serving the insurance needs of residents and businesses for more than 100 years.

>> Have some water.

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I see myself.

I became an ESL teacher to give my students what I wanted when I came to this country.

The opportunity to learn, to dream, to achieve, a chance to belong and to be an American.

My name is Giulia Torriani-Crompton and I'm proud to be an NJEA member.

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