Newark Is Trying To Give A ‘Path Home’ To Its Homeless

NEWARK, NJ — Real change happens on the street. That’s the theory behind the City of Newark’s latest push to reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness within its borders.

On Wednesday, city officials, administrators and community leaders gathered to announce the launch of an expanded outreach program as part of the ongoing “Path Home” program.

“In politics and policy, we don’t use the word ‘love’ much,” Baraka said. “But look around at the people gathered here, the medical and behavioral professionals, the addiction specialists, the outreach experts who lay the ground work for trust that becomes the path to housing.”

“If you don’t see love in this room, you won’t see it anywhere,” the mayor added.

According to the mayor’s office, the program’s newest measures include:

MORE OUTREACH – A new Clinical Downtown Metro Outreach Team, in partnership with the Newark Alliance (with support from RWJ Barnabas Health, Maher Foundation and Prudential Foundation), will provide stabilizing psychiatric street treatment to unhoused residents in Newark’s downtown, with the goal of connecting residents directly to housing and supports.

TRAIN STATIONS – A newly expanded 24/7 outreach program, comprised of a collaboration with Bridges Outreach Inc. and Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey staff, will create two new concurrent teams to support 24/7 coverage. These highly trained outreach specialists will engage people experiencing homelessness and assist them with mobile case management, gaining shelter and medical checkups, and receiving other treatments. They will serve the entire city and will also work with NJ Transit police to address homelessness at Newark Transit stations.

STREET MEDICINE – An expanded partnership with Rutgers University, New Jersey Medical School, Department of Family Medicine and Department of Psychiatry will deploy additional mobile street medicine teams to address the medical, substance use and mental health needs of unsheltered residents through cost-free, direct access to treatment and resources.

SOCIAL WORKERS, DRUG COUNSELORS – An expanded Newark Office of Homeless Services Street Outreach Team with added licensed social workers and drug counselors will provide high-level mobile case management to reach people experiencing homeless “where they are,” using this as the first step on their path back to housing.

TEXTING HOTLINE – A new texting hotline with NJ 211 allows anyone to text “PATH HOME” to 855-11 to report an unhoused person on Newark city streets who needs non-emergency assistance. The texts are received by outreach teams trained to approach and assist homeless individuals. They offer support and connect them with necessary services.

Sometimes it takes persistence to reach the people who need help, according to Lasheema Sanders-Edwards, a wellness and recovery regional coordinator with Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey (CSPNJ).

“I am someone who has been homeless, suffering from mental health conditions and substance use,” Sanders-Edwards shared, adding that outreach has “personally empowered me to become an agent of change in my community.”

“The outreach teams who consistently dedicated their time to help empower me to seek services, and get the help I needed, is why I am here today,” Sanders-Edwards said. “The key is the consistent outreach for those who have lost hope in services.”

This persistence is reportedly paying off in Newark, the state’s most populated city – which routinely leads Essex County in the number of people experiencing homelessness. See Related: Homelessness Is Surging In Essex County, Latest Data Shows

The city has been taking several steps towards fighting the problem, and has been making big progress, officials say – recently seeing a 57.6 percent reduction in its unsheltered homeless population. Read More: Newark Sees Huge Drop In Unsheltered Homeless Population, State Says

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

According to the latest point in time count from nonprofit Monarch Housing Associates, 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)

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page.