Homelessness Counts Up In Ocean County: Study

OCEAN COUNTY, NJ — Homelessness is continuing to rise in Ocean County, according to a new study.

Annually, in the last ten days of January, Monarch Housing Associates coordinates NJCounts, the Point-in-Time Count of homeless individuals and families.

The 2023 report showed that there were 434 people experiencing homelessness in Ocean County on Jan. 24 - an increase of four percent from 2022.

The homeless population was in the 600s in 2014 and 2015 before dropping low to 224 in 2017, according to past data. But since 2020 the number has steadily been rising, with homeless counts in Ocean County the highest they've been since 2016.

About half of the county's homeless population can be found in Toms River, according to the data, where at least one homeless camp is located. Read more: Conflict Over Toms River Homeless Encampment Highlights Complex Issues

What Causes Homelessness?

How did these residents end up in this situation? The most common cause reported by the Ocean County population was domestic violence. The next most common factors were eviction or threat of eviction, and loss or reduction of job income, according to the data.

Monarch Housing Associates noted that a rise in homelessness statewide can be attributed to the pandemic eviction moratorium being lifted on Jan. 1, 2022, as well as, simply put, a lack of affordable housing.

The median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the Toms River area is nearly $2,300 per month, according to Zillow. Home rentals are no better, with a median of more than $3,000.

Ocean County is the only county in the state without a dedicated homeless shelter. The county spends millions each year on short-term emergency housing, including hotel stays, but until earlier this year when the county established the Homeless Trust Fund had done little beyond the short-term.

“Nineteen percent of Ocean County households struggle with factors of housing insecurity,” Deputy Director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners Gary Quinn previously said. “The creation of the Homelessness Trust Fund is in response to the changes we have seen in getting assistance to those who need it.”

The trust fund will go towards things like the Code Blue program, which provides shelter to the homeless population in cold weather, and to provide additional services to those in need. But the fund won't go towards a permanent shelter, which has been the subject of controversy in Ocean County for years.

You can read the entire report by Monarch Housing Associates here.

This article contains additional reporting by Karen Wall.