East Orange Renews Its Battle Against Homelessness (VIDEO)

EAST ORANGE, NJ — The City of East Orange is taking a renewed look at how it addresses the issue of chronic homelessness in its borders.

Mayor Ted Green and other city officials recently held a press conference to introduce an expansion of the Mayor’s Homeless Initiative, which was created in 2020 (watch the video below).

According to a news release from the city:

“The initiative, which is spearheaded under the leadership of the Department of Health and Human Services, aims to provide assistance to individuals and families who are imminent risk of homelessness due to an eviction summons, those already living on the streets or in emergency shelters, and those who have experienced domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or any other dangerous or life-threatening condition that relates to violence against them or their family members.”

“We believe that every member of our community deserves to live in safe, quality housing,” Green said.

“Our emphasis this year is to strengthen our resources and cross-collaborative partnerships to help any individuals or families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness immediately get on a path toward self-sufficiency and stability,” the mayor continued. “In today’s turbulent economy, we know that many people are just one paycheck away from eviction or losing their home.”

East Orange had the second-highest number of people experiencing homelessness in Essex County in the most recent “point in time count” done by Monarch Housing Associates. There were 66 homeless people counted in East Orange – second only to Newark (which had 1,361).

• See Related: Essex County's Homeless Total Drops, But Still Leads New Jersey: Study

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