Homelessness Is Surging In Essex County, Latest Data Shows

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Homelessness has spiked over the past year in Essex County, which once again leads the state in unsheltered residents, a new report says.

Earlier this week, nonprofit Monarch Housing Associates – which manages the “Point in Time Count” for the state of New Jersey – released the results of its 2024 study. The annual effort compiles a wealth of data about the severity and causes of homelessness in the Garden State.

Volunteers counted a total of 2,451 people experiencing homelessness across Essex County on Jan. 23, researchers said. That number was up a whopping 54 percent from 2023, when there were 1,595 people experiencing homelessness in the county.

Other New Jersey counties have also been seeing increases, with a 24 percent rise taking place statewide since 2023.

Read the full report for Essex County here. See the statewide report here.

Newark – the largest city in New Jersey – represented 64.3 percent of Essex County’s homeless total, with 2,089 people counted. The city has been taking several steps towards fighting the problem in recent years, and has been making progress, officials say. Read More: Newark Sees Huge Drop In Unsheltered Homeless Population, State Says

The next-highest totals in Essex County were seen in East Orange (99), Irvington (95), Montclair (93) and Bloomfield (46).

There are 851,117 people living in Essex County, according to the most recent estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau.

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The top causes of homelessness in Essex County included:

• Being asked to leave a shared residence (404 people)
• Eviction or risk of eviction (344 people)
• Loss or reduction of job income (182 people)
• Relocation (161)
• Released from prison/jail (138 people)

The issue of homelessness isn’t new for Essex County, which has found itself leading the state in homeless residents for the past several years. From 2020 to 2024, the county saw an 11 percent overall increase, according to the point in time count.

Other recent counts include:

• 2022 – 1,914 people
• 2021 – 1,693 people
• 2020 – 2,214 people

While the report didn’t cite a specific reason behind Essex County’s spike in homelessness, researchers cited three possible explanations for the statewide increases:

EVICTIONS – “The COVID-19 eviction moratorium was lifted on January 1, 2022. As the court system clears through the backlog of pending cases, the resulting uptick in evictions is translating into an increase in eviction-displaced persons and families becoming homeless. This development partly explains the rise in homelessness observed in 2023 and 2024.”

AFFORDABLE HOUSING – “New Jersey, like the rest of the nation, is in the midst of a housing crisis. There are not enough homes affordable to those making 30% of the area’s median income or less. The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s Report1 found that within New Jersey, there are only 30 units available for every 100 families looking for a place to call home. This means there is a shortage of 214,475 homes for extremely low-income households across the state.”

SOARING RENTS – “In much of the state, rent increases have exceeded national averages. According to the Rent Report for March 2024, prepared by rent.com, New Jersey rents increased by 6.2% year over year.”

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