There's A New Plan To Address Homelessness At Newark Penn Station (See The Details)

NEWARK, NJ — There’s a new plan to help people experiencing homelessness near Newark Penn Station, authorities say.

On Wednesday, officials with the City of Newark, NJ Transit, Essex County and the Newark Alliance held a news conference to announce the new plan.

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Here’s what the blueprint looks like, they said:

HOMELESS OUTREACH TEAMS – Three-person medical teams consisting of a nurse, social worker and outreach worker will be deployed at Newark Penn. The teams will assess and provide “on-the-spot” mental health care and substance abuse disorder treatment. They will also connect people with housing resources and other social services to help get them off the streets. The teams will operate in partnership with the NJ Transit police and the City of Newark.

NEW HELP CENTER – The city plans to create a new “state-of-the-art” drop-in resource center for people experiencing homelessness at an 8,765 square-foot condominium in downtown Newark. It will be open around the clock, and will have showers, laundry and food services, as well as rest lounges and computer stations. Guests will also be able to access medical, housing and workforce services. It is scheduled to open in “late 2025.”

HOUSING FUNDS/VOUCHERS – The city’s “Path Home” housing program will get funding to expand wrap-around support services for 200 transitional housing units reserved for “chronically homeless” residents. Meanwhile, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs will support the effort by deploying 100 HOME tenant-based rental assistance vouchers.

CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP – Newark Penn Station will become the “Home of” Prudential Financial in a sponsorship agreement.

The busy train and bus depot has seen its share of people in need, many of whom seek shelter at Newark Penn and other NJ Transit facilities, according to Christopher Trucillo, the agency’s chief of police.

It’s no big secret – and it makes sense, other local officials say.

“Residents experiencing homelessness generally gravitate toward transportation hubs and facilities to find shelter,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said.

It’s a recurring issue in Newark, the state’s largest city. There were 2,089 people experiencing homelessness in Newark during an annual statewide count last year: about 64.3 percent of the entire total in Essex County. Read More: Homelessness Is Surging In This NJ County, Data Shows

The renewed effort to ease homelessness at Newark Penn stands in stark contrast to other governmental reactions to the problem.

In Summit, the city council recently introduced an ordinance that could potentially charge the homeless fees or possibly jail them for sleeping outside on public property. Morristown had also introduced a similar ordinance, but pulled it following community backlash. Read More: Affluent NJ Town Plans To Fine, Jail The Homeless

New Jersey’s largest city is taking a different approach, its mayor says.

“In Newark, we operate from a core belief that people’s value is not entwined with what they have, where they work or how they live,” Ras Baraka said.

“Their value is inherent in the fact that they are members of our human family,” he added.

“As such, our policy is to embrace our most vulnerable residents with outreach that encourages trust as a foundation for wraparound services that enable stable housing and progress toward a sense of meaningful fulfillment,” the mayor said. “This important collaboration is another essential step in our quest to end homelessness in Newark.”

• See Related: Baraka Shares Plan To Tackle Housing Crisis If Elected NJ Governor

The new services and outreach at Newark Penn is just one part of a larger plan to put a big dent in Newark’s homelessness totals. Some other recent initiatives include creating street outreach teams, partnering with health organizations to provide care for the homeless, and rolling out a new texting hotline.

According to city officials, the effort is working. Despite a nationwide surge in homelessness and an intense influx locally, Newark has seen its number of homeless residents drop for two straight years.

• See Related: Newark Sees Huge Drop In Unsheltered Homeless Population, State Says
• See Related: Newark Is Trying To Give A ‘Path Home’ To Its Homeless
• See Related: Homelessness In Newark: ‘Hope Village 2’ Builds On Earlier Success

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