Hudson County commissioners pumped the brakes this week on nearly $684,075 in contracts meant to house people leaving jail, recovery court, and homelessness, after officials said they still hadn't received proof that two Jersey City housing providers meet local building and safety codes. The Board of Commissioners voted to carry the resolutions to the panel's September 10 meeting or sooner, rather than approve the deals outright at their regular session.
The delayed contracts would send $424,075 to Most Excellent Way Learning Life Center for five years of supportive housing services for people re-entering the community, and $260,000 to ReVision House LLC for two years of sober living housing services, according to Hudson County View. Both contracts are structured to run from September 1 through August 31, 2027, and County Administrator Abe Antun told commissioners he had not received the code-compliance information he had requested about the housing providers before the county's family services division moves forward with the funding.
Family services needs contractors that can provide short-term sober living housing and supportive services to people leaving corrections, individuals in recovery court, and people experiencing homelessness, per the county's own program requirements. Hudson County's family services requirements call for contracted clinical-based mentoring, housing, and mental health services for that population.
Why Commissioners Carried the Vote
The resolutions were originally on the agenda for the board's regular meeting but got pulled after Antun raised the compliance concerns, and Commissioner Bill O'Dea suggested that Board Chair Anthony Romano add them instead to the agenda for a special meeting scheduled for August 20. Antun supported that plan, and the board agreed the special session's agenda would not be limited strictly to its original business.
That August 20 special meeting was actually called to review a separate $33.7 million contract for courthouse HVAC upgrades before commissioners floated folding the sober living resolutions into the same session, the outlet reported. Whether the missing documentation arrives in time for that meeting or slips to the board's regular September 10 session remains unresolved. Antun said approved contracts can still be made effective retroactively to September 1, and O'Dea noted the contracts are set to begin on that date regardless of when the board formally signs off.
State Rules Behind the Holdup
The scrutiny reflects New Jersey's unusually strict oversight of this kind of housing. Under the state's Rooming and Boarding House Act, non-clinical sober living homes operating as Cooperative Sober Living Residences must hold a Class F license from the state Department of Community Affairs, and unlicensed facilities can face civil penalties of up to $25,000 per building, according to Sobriety Hub. New Jersey has rules governing sober living residences.
Rules updated by the Department of Community Affairs in January 2025 amended staff, safety and security requirements for Class F facilities, per McCarter & English. Separately, licensed Cooperative Sober Living Residences are subject to additional state oversight, according to Excel Treatment Center. Those layered requirements help explain why county officials wanted documentation in hand before releasing public funds to housing vendors.
The Providers Behind the Contracts
ReVision House LLC operates out of 481 Bergen Avenue in Jersey City. Managing partner Reginald James founded the facility at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, James told commissioners during public comments at a July 2025 board meeting, according to the county government's own records.
Most Excellent Way Learning Life Center is a Jersey City and Bayonne-based nonprofit led by Rev. Gloria Walton. Walton is the organization's president and founder, and the center provides housing, mentoring, and behavioral health support, according to information from the Port Authority of NY & NJ. The organization also collaborated with Same Sky in 2016 on a program involving female ex-offenders.
Walton's organization also carries a notable political connection: McGreevey selected her as his Ward F City Council candidate on his 2025 Jersey City mayoral ticket, according to Hudson County View. The New Jersey Reentry Corporation also works on reentry issues.
A Housing Shortage Shaping the Bigger Picture
The stakes behind the paperwork delay concern the availability of housing for people returning to the community. Most Excellent Way Life Center provides housing assistance for returning citizens. Stable housing is part of the broader reentry challenge.
Hudson County operates New Jersey's only county correctional facility with a state-certified residential substance abuse treatment program, a designation known as NJDMAS Certified level 3.5, and partners with Integrity House for inpatient care, according to the county government. The contracts under consideration involve outside community partners such as ReVision House and Most Excellent Way, which is part of why commissioners are treating the code-compliance question as more than a bureaucratic formality before releasing the funds.
