From Annual Uncertainty to Sustainable Investment: VOA-NNJ on New Jersey’s FY27 Budget

JULY 1, 2027—Volunteers of American-Northern New Jersey released the following statement in response to the New Jersey FY27 Budget:

“Volunteers of America-Northern New Jersey welcomes the preservation of funding for critical nonprofit services in this year’s budget and investments in our social safety net agencies, including the Department of Community Affairs. 

The programs this funding supports–housing, behavioral health, and other essential supports reach thousands of New Jerseyans who rely on nonprofit providers like VOA-NNJ every day. 

Funding preservation alone, however, is not enough. Relegating core programs to the edges of the budget belies the significance of the role they play for New Jerseyans. Moreover, critical programs like the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit remain underfunded, hampering our ability to match the scale of need. 

By failing to have a needs-based approach to setting funding levels and allocating dollars for core services, New Jersey remains behind its peers in spending on housing, behavioral health and human services. Year after year, the organizations delivering essential services face the same cycle of uncertainty–unable to plan, hire, and invest while contract rates remain stagnant. 

We share Governor Sherrill’s assessment that the current earmark process is unsustainable. We also believe that dedicated resources are necessary to ensure adequate spending on housing and homelessness. The state must now work with the nonprofit community to build a transparent, needs-based funding model that offers the accountability and stability New Jerseyans deserve.