For Navy veteran Justin Geraud and his fiancée Danielle Bolstad, opening the door to their new apartment means more than having a roof over their head. It marks the beginning of a new chapter after months of homelessness.

“I’m relieved,” Geraud said. “It’s just a relief that I know somebody is out there helping me.”

Geraud, who joined the U.S. Navy in 2000, lost his job last year. The financial hardship left him and his fiancée living out of their car for several months.

The couple is now settling into a permanent apartment in Perth Amboy through New Jersey’s Bringing Veterans Home initiative.

“Bringing Veterans Home is a godsend to us because we’d still be in the car,” Bolstad said. “But now we have a permanent place to come home to, and we are so grateful for that.”

The program, launched in November 2024 through a partnership between the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, aims to make veteran homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring.

State officials announced the initiative has now helped more than 2,500 veterans secure permanent housing, making New Jersey one of a select number of states recognized for effectively ending veteran homelessness through a coordinated statewide system.

“This work is about making sure no veteran has to wonder where they’re going to sleep at night,” said New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Commissioner Vincent Solomeno III. “One homeless veteran is too many.”

According to Solomeno, the number of veterans experiencing homelessness in New Jersey has dropped dramatically. He said about 256 veterans are currently experiencing homelessness statewide, including 17 who are unsheltered.

The initiative takes a coordinated approach, bringing together state agencies, nonprofit organizations, housing providers, landlords, and federal partners, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

As part of the effort, the state dedicated 2,000 housing vouchers specifically for veterans, deployed six regional street outreach teams across New Jersey, and expanded case management services to help veterans remain stably housed after moving into permanent housing.

The program also provides a range of services, including:

“We deployed street outreach teams up and down the state of New Jersey,” Solomeno said. “Those teams identify veterans who are at risk of homelessness or who are currently homeless and connect them with the services they need.”

Officials say permanent housing is only the first step. Veterans continue receiving case management and support services designed to help them maintain housing and prevent future homelessness.

For Geraud, the support has meant more than finding an apartment.

“We do a lot for this country. We put our lives out there every day,” he said. “And when we come home, it’s like, ‘Okay, what do I do now?’”

He says now he and his fiancée finally have the opportunity to build the future they’ve been waiting for.

“We are so grateful for Bringing Veterans Home, for everyone that has helped us, and to finally have a permanent place that we can start a life together.”

Veterans experiencing homelessness or at risk of losing their housing can be referred through New Jersey’s coordinated entry system, community partners, or by contacting NJ Vet2Vet at 1-866-838-7654 or NJ 211. An online form can also be submitted.

Those in need of immediate shelter should contact NJ Vet2Vet first. If additional emergency housing assistance is needed, veterans can also contact NJ SOS VETS at 1-855-289-8527. Anyone experiencing a medical emergency should call 911, and those facing a mental health crisis should call or text 988.