[Amended 10-4-2018 by Ord. No. 18-45]
There shall be a Department of Health and Human Services, the
head of which shall be the Director. The Department shall include
the Division of Health, Division of Community Relations and Social
Services, Division of Economic Opportunity and the Division of Recreation,
Natural Resources and Culture.
Within the Department there shall be a Division
of Health, the head of which shall be the Health Officer. The person
appointed shall be the holder of a Health Officer's license issued
by the State Department of Health and Senior Services of New Jersey
and shall have had thorough education and training in public health
theory and practice. Within the Division of Health there shall be
a Bureau of Vital Statistics, a Bureau of Environmental Health, a
Bureau of Children's Health Services and a Bureau of Animal Control.
Under the supervision of the Director, the Division, through its aforementioned
bureaus, shall:
A. Have all of the functions, powers and duties of a
local board of health under Title 26 of the Revised Statutes, except
that as required by the Charter, the Council shall have and exercise
all local legislative powers under that statute.
B. Plan and administer a comprehensive public health
program, including, without limitation thereto, environmental sanitation,
communicable disease control, child and adult health and health education,
laboratory services and such other services as may be authorized by
the Charter or ordinance.
C. Administer and enforce local health ordinances and
the licensing of dogs pursuant to law.
D. Maintain and administer vital statistics, including
births, deaths and marriages in accordance with state law, and receive
applications for and issue marriage licenses pursuant to law.
Within the Department there shall be a Division
of Social Services, the head of which shall be the Director. The Division
shall plan, develop and administer policies and programs to maintain
and improve the delivery of human services to residents within the
City. In particular, the Division shall:
A. Assess the impact of human services programs operated
by the Department, and develop and implement recommendations as necessary.
B. Plan, develop, administer and coordinate the operation
of socialization programs and social services for children, families
and adults. Within the Division there will be an Office on Youth Services
and an Office on Aging Services.
C. Prepare demographic data and statistical analyses
in order to prioritize and deliver human services.
D. Enter into and perform cooperative agreements and
contract with other public agencies and voluntary charitable organizations
to effectuate other functions under this section. Coordinate human
service delivery systems in conjunction with other public and private
agencies and organizations.
Within the Department there shall be a Division
of Economic Opportunity, the head of which shall be the Director.
Within the Division of Economic Opportunity there shall be a Bureau
of Municipal Welfare, the head of which shall also be the Division
Director. The Division of Economic Opportunity under the supervision
of the Director shall:
A. Plan, and where feasible, administer a comprehensive
economic opportunity program for individuals, including emergency
food and shelter, public assistance, compensatory education, employment
training, job readiness and job placement with the goal of assisting
individuals in attaining self-sufficiency.
B. Maintain and administer a municipal welfare program
headed by the Local Assistance Board pursuant to law.
C. Administer laws and ordinances relating to relief
for the needy, including the furnishing of all forms of public assistance
and emergency assistance to needy persons who are eligible for assistance
provided by law through county, state and private agencies.
D. Provide and arrange for the shelter and custodial
care to dependent and homeless men and women.
E. Provide and arrange for employment readiness, employment
training and employment placement opportunities to persons requiring
assistance in gaining self-sufficiency.
F. Cooperate with other public agencies, institutions
and with voluntary institutions in the certification of medically
indigent patients for care and treatment.
G. Provide related social services such as counseling
investigation, addiction screening, indigent burials, employment development
and other public welfare activities.
H. Enter into and perform cooperative agreements and
contracts with voluntary charitable organizations and services to
effectuate other functions under this section.