Newark Gives 50 Homeless Residents Jobs ... And Hope (VIDEO)

NEWARK, NJ — “Mom… I’m so proud of you.” These are the words that make “Audrey,” a homeless New Jersey woman, choke up with emotion.

For three more months, it’s moments like this that will fuel Audrey on the walk to her job picking up trash on the streets of Newark. Her task? To beautify her neighborhood as part of a unique, city-run job program that aims to empower the Brick City’s most vulnerable community with employment, income and most importantly, hope.

“I had no mother, no father, no grandmother… it was just me,” Audrey recalled in an interview released by the city (watch video below).

“But I’m OK,” the resilient mother asserted. “As long as I have a job, I’m good to go. When I get up in the morning, I’m so happy because I’m going somewhere.”

The pilot program, a product of Mayor Ras Baraka’s administration, has been dubbed the “100 Days Clean-Up.” It was rolled out on April 23 and is slated to end on Sept. 7. While it lasts, the program will employ 50 local residents who work five days a week, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants are recruited from local homeless shelters at Apostles House, the YMCA and Sussex Ave.

According to city officials, the workers are paid $11 per hour. The overall price tag for the program came to $275,000.

The simple-yet-powerful idea of giving local homeless residents the means to earn a living has already made a big difference in the lives of people like “Barbara,” who said that many in the program have “made mistakes in life” such as drug use, committing crimes and going to jail.

“My self-esteem was low,” she said. “When I was told about the program that the mayor offered, I was truly, truly grateful… I can see better days ahead.”

• See related article: This New Jersey County Had The Most Homeless Residents In 2017
• See related article: Homeless Man Will Pay It Forward After Woman Raises $380K For Him
• See related article: New Jersey Road Warrior Gets Minivan Donation To Help Homeless

Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photos: City of Newark

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page here.