New Jersey’s homeless population increased by 8% this year.
That’s according to NJ Counts 2022, New Jersey’s annual Point-In-Time (PIT) Count of the Homeless.
The count, which took place January 25, 2022, captures important information such as households experiencing homelessness, where they find shelter, what their needs are, and what factors contribute to making them homeless.
The count includes people in emergency shelters, transitional housing programs and those living on the street or in other conditions, according to the Star-Ledger.
As our team digs deeper into this issue, we want to share the following data accumulated by NJ Counts 2022. The data describe a serious problem in our communities.
Total Homeless Population
On the night of January 25, 2022, a total of 8,754 persons, in 6,631 households, were experiencing homelessness in New Jersey. Nearly three quarters of these individuals stayed in emergency shelters. More than 10% were wholly unsheltered.
The overwhelming majority of New Jersey’s homeless are from New Jersey originally; only 4% of the respondents reported that their last permanent address prior to becoming homeless was out of State.
Racial Disparities in Total Homeless Population
In comparing the racial breakdown of those experiencing homelessness to the racial breakdown in the general population and those living in poverty, disparate impacts along racial lines are evident.
Black or African American individuals are 12.4% of the overall population, yet 22.3% of the population in poverty and 48.2% of the homeless population.
Homelessness Exists in all 21 Counties
There are homeless individuals and families in all 21 New Jersey counties. As the below chart shows, the problem is especially acute in Essex County, which has 22% of the state’s total homeless population.
Interventions That Work
Family Promise
Family Promise has more than 200 affiliates in 43 states, yet is based right here in New Jersey. Its mission is to help families experiencing homelessness and low-income families achieve sustainable independence through a community-based response. Popular among fundholders at the Community Foundation, Family Promise provides temporary housing, meals, and services to more than 125,000 family members annually. They mentor families at-risk of experiencing homelessness. They teach financial literacy. They help find jobs and affordable housing. They create programs to meet specific needs in their communities. And they advocate for public policies that alleviate poverty and promote the economic stability of low-income families.
Covenant House
Covenant House helps youth between 18 and 21 years old who are facing homelessness and human trafficking. This is a critical time for intervention, and a chance to change a young person’s life. Covenant House provides immediate shelter and care, as well as services to promote resilience and the transition to independent living. Covenant House has also established CHART – Covenant House Action and Research Tank. CHART aims to contribute practical, evidence-based, and client-centered program approaches to regional and national dialogues about homelessness and trafficking. You can learn more about the work at CHART by clicking here.
Homeless Solutions
Homeless Solutions has a clear goal: they want everyone in Morris County to have a home. To this end, the organization offers shelter, services, and supportive housing to the homeless and working poor throughout Morris County. Homeless Solutions’ Main Shelter is open 24/7 and includes 85 beds in dormitory-style living that accommodates single men and women, families, and Safe Haven for those with a mental health diagnosis. It’s a safe, drug and alcohol free environment. At the Shelter, Homeless Solutions staff provide a Life Skills Curriculum and Case Managers work closely with each guest, providing job search assistance, counseling, connections to childcare and medical services, household budget planning, and housing assistance.
HomeFront
Since its inception 25 years ago, HomeFront has worked to break the cycle of poverty and end homelessness in Central New Jersey, serving thousands of Mercer County families. In the past year alone, almost 14,000 heads of households walked through HomeFront’s door looking for help. Started by volunteers providing meals for families living in welfare motels, HomeFront has since developed a holistic array of services for clients who are either homeless or at high risk of becoming so. On any given night, they provide emergency shelter, transitional housing and permanent service-enriched housing to over 450 people, two-thirds of them children. Some of HomeFront’s many services include case management, homelessness prevention services (including back rent & utility assistance), emergency food, free clothing and household goods at their FreeStore, affordable housing searches, job placement and readiness skills.
Fair Share Housing Center
Access to affordable housing is crucial to creating integrated communities that reflect the economic and racial diversity of New Jersey. The Fair Share Housing Center leverages legal and policy strategies to dismantle decades of discriminatory housing policies that have harmed low-income residents and communities of color. Fair Share Housing Center also advocates for local, state, and federal policies that create more opportunities for affordable housing development, such as inclusionary zoning and affordable housing funding. After Hurricane Sandy devastated communities in 2012, they secured the largest fair housing settlement in the nation for low-income renters and homeowners across New Jersey. They continue to advocate for fairer and more equitable disaster relief processes and increased investments to build resilient communities at the state and federal levels.
Bridges
Bridges ends homelessness through volunteer-driven outreach and individual case management focusing on health, housing, and independence. They form relationships with those experiencing homelessness while meeting their most urgent needs.
The Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless
The Elizabeth Coalition recognizes the needs to help its clients raise themselves up, while also doing so in such a way that they are empowered to take the lead and help themselves. They offer programming for children in Bernice’s Place to help give kids a place to be kids and let them grow in safe environments. People who qualify for their emergency assistance can turn to them with the knowledge that they pass no judgment, and simply wish to help ease their anxiety of becoming homelessness. Qualified families are offered shelter in their hospitality houses, allowing them to build a nest egg so that they could move on to a place of their own. And during the coldest months of the year, those who would otherwise rest their heads on the street can find a network of volunteers willing to clothe them, give them food, and offer rest in their warm houses of worship through Operation Warm Heart.