Montclair Council Approves 3 Contracts Involving Homelessness

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The Montclair Town Council unanimously approved three resolutions involving services for people experiencing homelessness at their Monday meeting.

The council unanimously voted in favor of the following two resolutions (watch the video below). Each involved Montclair Emergency Services for Hope (MESH), a local faith-based organization “dedicated to providing basic and essential services to Montclair’s most vulnerable homeless adults and families.”

• Resolution R-23-254 – Amends the agreement with Montclair Emergency Services for Hope (MESH) for overnight shelter services to homeless residents for the remainder of calendar year 2023 (October through December). The town will provide additional funds up to $17,500, for a new maximum total amount of $35,000.
• Resolution R-23-255 – Authorizes an agreement between the Township of Montclair and the Montclair Emergency Services for Hope (MESH) for emergency overnight shelter services to homeless residents for calendar year 2024 (January 1 to December 31). The town will provide a total of $35,000 for emergency overnight respite services to people experiencing homelessness. In return, MESH agrees to provide overnight emergency respite services for the chronically homeless on nights when the outdoor temperature is expected to drop below 32 degrees, or when extreme weather conditions could “endanger homeless individuals sleeping outdoors.” Services must include obtaining and preparing a space for the operation of an emergency shelter, professional security, cots and blankets, as well as 12-hour staff coverage.

The council also approved another resolution involving Essex County’s “Code Blue” program, which helps to ensure that local residents have shelter when weather temperatures reach 32 degrees or below, or the National Weather Service declares a wind chill temperature below zero.

The Essex County Division of Community Action will provide up to $40,000 in funding to its partners for providing temporary emergency sheltering with amenities that include bathroom facilities, case management services, sleeping quarters, food and water, and housing resource for a term of three months beginning December 1, 2023 through March 31, 2024.

Resolution R-23-258 authorizes a memorandum of agreement between the Township of Montclair and Essex County Division of Community Action for providing temporary emergency shelter to persons experiencing homelessness through the Code Blue program.

Montclair has the third-highest number of people experiencing homelessness in Essex County, according to the most-recent “point in time count” from Monarch Housing Associates.

There were 62 people in Montclair experiencing homelessness last year on Jan. 24, researchers said – about 4 percent of the county’s total. The nonprofit said 56 of those people were sheltered, and six were unsheltered.

• See Related: Homelessness In Montclair: Results From 2023 'Point In Time Count'

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