Homelessness in New Jersey
New Jersey does not have a state-wide plan to end homelessness, and the practices vary widely from county to county. Here are some resources that talk about homelessness numbers and practices throughout the state. We also encourage you to learn more by visiting our Members page and to click on the links to their websites, as our members represent a variety of approaches to solving homelessness in New Jersey.
Point In Time Counts
As part of its Continuum of Care (CoC) application for homelessness funding, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requests that jurisdictions across the nation conduct a bi-annual, statistically reliable and unduplicated count of the homeless over the course of one day in the last ten (10) days in January. The CoC jurisdictions in NJ conduct an annual count of the homeless on a voluntary basis and have been doing so since 2007. The goal of the PITC is to identify the number of homeless people at a given point in time and to collect demographic and other information about those who are homeless to be used to develop effective plans to address and end homelessness. In New Jersey, through 2013, CSH was responsible for organizing the PITC as well as producing the report which includes data from all 21 Counties/CoC jurisdictions.
Monarch Housing Associates took over the PITC for 2014, and released the results of NJ Counts 2014 – the statewide point in time count of the homeless. The report, which provides a statewide snapshot of the homeless population – including, chronic homelessness and unsheltered families and individuals, found that on the night of Tuesday, January 28th, 2014, 13,900 men, women and children were experiencing homelessness in New Jersey. This was an overall increase of 1,898 persons, or 15.8%, compared to the 2013 count.*
Data on New Jersey's most recent Point in Time Counts:
Mercer Alliance Report to the Community
The Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonprofit with the goal to ensure that every resident of Mercer County has permanent, affordable, safe housing, with the ability to maintain it. Since launching in 2004, they have successfully rallied their community and formed strong partnerships working successfully toward a common goal. In June 2013, they issued their most recent Report to the Community...ADD MORE To read the full report, click here.
County Homeless Trust Funds
COAH and Fair Share Housing
Click here for the National Low Income Housing Coalition's 2014 Out of Reach Report, which provides details on the affordable housing cirsis. (MOVE TO EDUCATION TAB?)
*(description taken from CSH, Eastern Region)