From NJ PBS Studios, this is NJ Spotlight News.

>> Hello, and thanks for joining us tonight.

I'm Brianna Vannozzi.

Coming up, how the state's new Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner is looking to expand services and reach more of our vets.

Joanna Gaggis takes a deeper look ahead of this Memorial Day.

Plus, how the Girl Scouts is helping young women build the confidence they need to empower themselves.

Raven Santana has that conversation with the CEO of Girl Scouts, Heart of New Jersey.

But first, I speak with State Senator Troy Singleton about the state's deepening housing affordability crisis and his proposals to fix it.

That's next.

Major funding for NJ Spotlight News is provided in part by NJM Insurance Group, serving the insurance needs of residents and businesses for more than 100 years.

Well, state lawmakers are confronting a housing affordability crisis that many experts say has been decades in the making, estimating a shortage of more than 200,000 affordable homes.

State Senator Troy Singleton is pushing a wide-ranging package of reforms aimed at increasing housing supply, streamlining development rules, and encouraging redevelopment of underused land.

Think empty malls and office parks.

At the same time, Singleton is also leading a proposal to bring New Jersey's Urban Enterprise Zone program to Burlington City, the heart of his district.

Arguing economic revitalization and housing policy have to go hand in hand.

Senator Singleton joins us now as part of our Under the Dome series to talk about whether any of these measures can make a dent in housing costs in one of the most expensive states in the nation.

Senator, thanks for your time today.

You know, looking at your package of reforms, it really frames this as a supply problem.

How does building more housing bring costs down for everyone?

I think, Brianna, you hit the nail on the head.

At the outset, we have a supply problem.

We have an increasing level of demand and not enough housing production here in our state to meet said demand.

So by activating our state legal framework to allow more housing production, adaptive reuse in places like dilapidated malls and old underutilized commercial spacing is one avenue in which we can utilize in a densely populated state, existing infrastructure, existing development to actually grow and help us meet that housing shortage, because it is truly a supply problem that we're facing.

How much housing capacity do you believe is currently being blocked from the existing zoning laws?

Well, at minimum 200,000 affordable housing units, but we know that demand is so much higher.

In fact, a record study was put out not too long ago, and it talked in great detail about how New Jersey's lack of production in housing period, whether that's affordable, moderate level middle class housing, working housing for workforce development, we were short about 150,000 units per year because of the fact that we were not building to the capacity in which was necessary to keep up with the demand.

So while there's a 200,000 affordable housing shortage, many of us would argue we're actually short far more in a higher greater number because so many individuals who are looking for housing now are almost in a permanent rental class which stymies opportunities for generational wealth as well as for broader community development.

Yeah, I mean, as you know, the state already has affordable housing obligations under the Mount Laurel doctrine.

Why hasn't that worked to produce enough affordable units on its own to this point?

Well, actually, it has worked pretty well.

I mean, one of the big challenges we have is like, frankly, for a significant period of years for about eight years under the former administration of Governor Christie, the Council on Affordable Housing was effectively debunked.

And the work that was being done to make sure that housing production was happening in a sensible, moderate fashion was literally being tied up in court fights back and forth.

So once we were able to move beyond that, we sought to try and codify the court doctrine known as the Mount Laurel Doctrine that's well over 50 years of legal precedence to really move housing forward.

In the short period of time that we've been able to do that and working collectively with so many advocates throughout the state, we've been able to see a significant debt put in that number.

It's still at 200,000, but it would be exponentially higher if not for the work that was done.

So that was part of the reason that held it up was because the affordable housing mandates that were in place prior.

Governor Christie suspended those by taking away the Council on Affordable Housing.

So many groups just would allow their housing obligations to toll until we had a framework in place to really sort of activate how housing has to be developed.

And unfortunately, it is affecting a lot of towns because they're seeing this idea that so many units are happening simultaneously.

But it is necessary for us to really put downward pressure on pricing and meet the demand that is out there.

There's also a proposal, sort of a play on NIMBY, but instead a yes in God's backyard proposal that puts unused, underused religious land on the table.

Why is state legislation necessary to do this?

Why not allow towns or those religious organizations to decide locally?

As I know you hear, as I often hear from mayors, that the infrastructure is the biggest concern.

You know, increasing density without overwhelming schools and water systems and the like.

So smart planning has to go hand in hand with any type of development.

And obviously smart planning when you think about where the existing infrastructure lies in order to be able to create more housing.

That is the most effective way of actually developing a policy that also meets the policy rationale but also meets the pragmatic sort of application of what we need to see moving forward.

That proposal about around utilizing religious prop religious organizations to utilize property for housing does a couple things.

One is consistent with the mission of so many of our religious institutions who believe that is their calling to address their the community's needs and housing is one of our great community needs that we see right now.

So that's one component of it.

But secondarily it's about being mindful to make sure that when you have existing infrastructures all of these places have the ability to be able to develop the housing that is necessary to move forward.

It's just a natural extension of what I call again smart adaptive reuse not going out and putting housing in places where the infrastructure doesn't exist.

Let me ask you Senator quickly about the U. E. Z. program and adding Burlington City to it.

It's been around for decades.

What's different about Burlington City now that you believe it should be included.

And why do you feel this policy is the right one to fix the issues that you're looking to.

So economic development is all a lot.

A lot of oftentimes very locally based in Burlington City is a crown jewel on the Delaware River in the heart of Burlington County.

And it's an area that is working so incredibly hard to make sure that its local Main Street is able to flourish and grow.

And in other communities where we've seen the advent of the urban enterprise zones we know is created a jolt not just to the local economy but also to investment that wants to come into those particular communities.

And there's a great history around our state around municipalities who've been added to the UAZ zone and seeing that as an actual ramification of that action.

We believe Burlington City has so much potential and as better states are in front of them that this opportunity allows its economic development engine to be fired up and really move forward and really help the communities of Western Burlington County all throughout the River towns that exist.

State Senator Troy Singleton for us.

Thanks so much.

We appreciate your time.

Thank you, Brianna.

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

New Jersey is home to more than 300,000 veterans, and state officials say the demand for support services continues to grow.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is launching several new initiatives focused on mental health, homelessness, and women veterans.

Joining me now is Major Vincent Salamino, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Veterans Affairs.

- Commissioner, it's great to have you with us.

Thanks so much for taking some time.

When Governor Sherrill took office in January, she split one of her departments.

The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs is now two.

You are heading the Department of Veterans.

Let's just start with why was that change important?

The change was important because it represented a once in a generation opportunity for us to elevate the voices of veterans, their family members, their caregivers and survivors.

We're focused on increasing investments and expanding access to services up and down New Jersey.

Tell us about those services.

What types of services do you offer within the department?

Briana Vannozzi Mikie Sherrill Doug Geed Well, the New Jersey Department of Veterans Affairs is different from our colleagues at the federal level, which folks often refer to as VA.

We serve as a point of entry for veterans and their families to access benefits that they have earned through their time in uniform.

Those benefits could take the form of VA enrollment in health care and VA health care, disability compensation claims, state tax benefits, as well as municipal property tax deductions, and for some individuals, total exemptions.

We look at ourselves as the bridge to make sure that individuals have the support that they need to access sometimes complex systems.

In addition, we provide long term care at three veterans homes, Paramus Menlo Park Vineland, police to report that they're not only meeting standards, but exceeding them.

And we also work every day to ensure that no veteran who raised his or her right hand goes to sleep without a roof over their head.

Since taking office, which has only been a short time since taking on this role of Commissioner, you've expanded of the Veterans Services offices.

There were 14.

You now have one in all 21 counties.

Explain why you needed that expansion and what goes on at these physical locations.

So that expansion is actually a legacy of the former administration.

It's one that we are honored to sustain that Governor Sherrill in her proposed budget continues to invest in and support this office location one in each of our 21 counties is manned by a trained and accredited veteran service officer as well as support staff who can help a veteran understand the benefits programs and services at the local county state and federal levels that they should avail themselves of.

Of course, there are a ton of needs and we know we're going to talk about some of them from mental health to housing and all of it that you're addressing, but I want to talk for a minute specifically about female veterans because this year a separate office was created called the Office of Women Veterans.

Just explain that office and how the needs of female veterans differ from that of their male colleagues.

The women veterans community is the fastest growing demographic among those who have served in the armed forces for perspective about 25 years ago, women represented roughly 1% of the veterans community today.

That number is approaching 25%.

So, we believe in this administration that it was vitally important to examine and assess the services that we are provided to women who wore America's uniform and ensuring that they not only had a seat at the table, but that we were designing programs and services that met their unique needs.

Give me an example.

Well, there's one example that I think is unfortunate to talk about, but it's the experience of military sexual trauma or MST.

Data has shown, and this data has been conducted by social scientists, psychologists, that the more we talk about this issue, the more we are able to reduce the incidence of veterans who die by suicide.

And unfortunately, women have experienced MST at a higher rate than their male counterparts.

So our new Office of Women Veterans has already hosted a MST clinic to connect women veterans in New Jersey with psychological support, with VA health care and other services.

It's a moving target and our work will never be done.

But I'm really proud that Governor Sherrill is making this investment in the United States.

And I'm really proud of the work that she's done.

And I'm really proud of the work that she's done.

That is right.

And I also believe that the governor has a unique perspective.

She is the first woman veteran ever elected in the history of the United States to lead a state or territory.

And so my marching orders are clear.

We need to serve everyone who has worn a uniform, but let's pay particular focus on the members of our community who may not have had a seat at the table in the past.

We know that veteran homelessness continues to be a problem here in New Jersey.

It's something you're trying to tackle head on.

What are you doing to ensure that those who have served make sure that they stay in or access the housing that they need?

That is, I'm so glad that you asked that question, because when our motto as a state is liberty and prosperity, we need to make sure that every person who wore America's uniform has access to stable housing, because we know that that drives success in so many other areas, whether it's mental health, employment, just overall well-being.

I am immensely proud of the achievements that we have had here in New Jersey.

Through the Bringing Veterans Home program, which is led by my counterpart at the Department of Community Affairs, our agency is assisting.

We have been able to deploy 2,000 dedicated housing vouchers for veterans.

We've deployed street outreach teams up and down the state in six regions to identify homeless and at-risk of homeless veterans.

And finally, and I believe critically, we have now provided wraparound case management services so that as we assist veterans, we're not just handing them the keys to a home or an apartment, but we're actually charting out a path so that they can access the support services that they have earned through their time in uniform.

And I'm so much pleased with the data.

Sorry, how much of the need or the struggle around housing is tied to the struggle of mental health for those perhaps who've served in conflict?

That's difficult to say.

I know anecdotally from my conversations with folks who are what we call street homeless that oftentimes they're dealing with different physical and emotional and mental health needs.

But what I believe the common thread is, is that the number one cause of homelessness in New Jersey is eviction.

And so part of the governor's agenda is to focus on affordability to make sure that there's adequate access to housing.

And with our bringing veterans home program, I am so pleased that we have permanently housed since the program's launch in January of 2025.

Under the previous administration, we've permanently housed over 2300 veterans.

We are on track by July 1 to declare functional zero, which means that we've effectively ended veteran homelessness in the Garden State.

With Memorial Day coming up this weekend, we want to thank you and all those who've served across New Jersey across our country.

Major Vincent Salomino, thank you so much for your time today.

Thank you for having me.

Girl Scouts is about so much more than cookies.

It's about leadership, confidence and real world skills for young girls.

Joining me now is CEO of Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey, Natasha Durant.

Natasha, welcome.

Thank you for having me, Raven.

So glad to have you here.

Finally.

I know.

Catching up.

There's a lot to catch up about.

You know, when we think about Girl Scouts, there's this stigma, and it really bothers me.

That Girl Scouts is just about cookies and crafts.

And we know this is not true.

By the way, I'd like to mention that I was a Girl Scout.

Our director, Brenda, who came in, the Green Moon, was a Girl Scout.

Her girls are a Girl Scout.

There's a lot more to this.

Can you just speak to that?

And do you continue to hear that in 2026?

We do in 2026 continue to hear that Girl Scouting is about cookies or about crafts or about camping.

It's really about courage, confidence and character.

It's about looking at things in your community and making them better than you found them.

It is a leadership building organization.

If you want your Girl Scout to be a leader in the community, work with Girl Scouting and the volunteers in that community so that they can, in fact, make the world a better place.

I was a leader as well to a group of 32 Girl Scouts for 10 years.

And seeing them now reach out to me and send me a text message about them and their GoFundMes, they're going to Paris and they're going to Japan, and saying how much being their leader meant to them and has stayed with them, that's the kind of stuff that you never get tired of hearing.

I would be remiss to not mention, you know, a CDC report that says, unfortunately, there are some concerning trends when it comes to teen girls.

Three in five, the CDC found, were persistently sad or lonely.

And that is a problem when we think about mental health.

Okay?

So, I know that the Girl Scouts has their own report, the New Jersey Girls Report, that has even more research and data to support kind of these challenges.

Can you speak a little more about that?

Because we know that lack of research is really also a problem.

So I partnered, my Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey partnered with the other three Girl Scout councils in the state to do some research, some data mining on what is affecting our girls.

What do they need from us and how we can bring community together in order to solve some problems that they are having and mental health, mental wellness is a big part of it.

It's one of the biggest findings in the New Jersey Girl Report, which was introduced last year.

We came together because being a Girl Scout is one thing.

Being a girl who has no idea that Girl Scouting is for them is a whole 'nother thing.

So we wanted to pull together data, listening to girls, not leaning on what we think is affecting them but hearing directly from them and their parents what they need from us, from other community organizations, and how we can come together to fill the gaps in order to help them empower themselves.

That's what the New Jersey Girl Report does for us and is all about.

Girls are sad.

And with everything that's happening in the world, things are confusing for adults, let alone confusing for girls.

and how they engage with difficult conversations and things that they can't control that is happening in the world.

We need to find solutions for them and connect them with organizations and advocate for them the way that we would have wanted our organizations surrounding us when we were growing up to advocate for us.

I also want to talk about representation.

I mean Girl Scouts is great at that, right?

I look at you, you are the first black woman to be the CEO, Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

And it's been eight years.

Wow.

Can you believe that?

I can't.

It has been eight years.

And look at all you've accomplished in those eight years.

Can you believe that?

I can't believe it.

Can you believe that, Natasha?

All that my team has accomplished.

It takes a great team to be able to take the vision that I am sharing or that we're co-collaborating on and bring it to life.

When we first started in 2018 with me as the CEO, I was talking about the vision of expanding Girl Scouting to communities of color.

And not that Girl Scouting is any less important in communities that are predominantly white or communities that are predominantly black, but we have here in New Jersey, the history of not having a welcoming organization or one that does not do intentional outreach to communities of color.

And that was honestly a big part of my first year's battles as CEO.

- Wow.

- And helping people understand that Girl Scouting is for all girls.

- That's right.

- Regardless of color, regardless of socioeconomic status, all seven counties that our council operates in, there are girls from all walks of life that deserve the benefit of the Girl Scout Leadership Program.

- How can people support the Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey, people who are watching, and why is it so important?

I think people see all these things, are gonna hear all these things and say they're fine.

There's plenty of money flowing through.

- So two things I'll share with you.

People have this myth, or the general public thinks, that Girl Scouting doesn't need funding because we have the Girl Scout Cookie Program and it makes millions of dollars a year.

The profit from the Girl Scout Cookie Program annually stays directly here in the seven counties that we serve to deliver programming to the girls who are earning during that program.

Stays right here.

Doesn't go outside of these seven counties.

- And so in order to invest in girls who are gonna change the world, we have to do more than buy a box of cookies.

That is great, but we need philanthropic dollars and the voices of people like you and others in the state to support girls and invest in the girls' future.

- I think partnerships are critically important for us.

Funding is being cut all around the US, and we're no strangers to those funding cuts.

Because of the size of our budget, many of our councils cannot apply for grants through foundations because of the Girl Scout cookie program, and it inflates our revenue.

But that's not adult-generated income.

We need more support from adults who believe in the power of girls.

There's also this misconception that Girl Scouts don't need adult-generated income.

We don't need philanthropic support.

And that couldn't be farthest from the truth.

We have three camp properties that we're running.

We have three service centers that we're running.

We have a Girl Scout Leadership Center here in Newark that it's not free.

Making sure that girls have what they need and that we provide safe environments for them costs money.

and every year it is a challenge to try to find people who believe in the Power Girls and who are willing to invest in them.

Well, I'm confident you will find that partnership and as you just walking into the studio, you had two other women who are products of the Girl Scouts.

And so you can see how powerful and how impactful, and I'm speaking from my own experience, what the Girl Scouts has done for me and what I'm seeing that it's doing for my seven-year-old and soon to be my five-year-old, who will be a Daisy next year.

Oh, I cannot wait.

I cannot wait.

So thank you so much for being here.

And I appreciate you and everything that you're doing for girls.

Because the future is female.

- That's gonna do it for us tonight.

I'm Brianna Vannozzi for the entire team at NJ Spotlight News.

Thanks for being with us.

We'll see you right back here tomorrow.

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