New Homeless Population Numbers Released In Union County

UNION COUNTY, NJ — Union County has conducted its annual "Point-In-Time" (PIT) County and Survey of its homeless population, and new data has been released.

The PIT, also known as NJCounts, takes place every January and asks for a count of unsheltered and sheltered individuals experiencing homelessness. This program ran through Tuesday, Jan. 31 is mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and for the tenth year, Monarch Housing Associates coordinates the statewide effort, along with Continuums of Care.

Union County altered how they conducted the homeless account in 2022 due to effects of the pandemic. Teams of Union County staff, government officials and local nonprofit organizations banded together in smaller groups of four to six people during a seven day period in the morning, afternoon and late evening hours.

Smaller groups surveyed people throughout the County who "sleep outdoors, in parks, alleys, under bridges, or places not meant for human habitation, such as cars, abandoned buildings, garages, or other structures without electricity or water."

For the 2023 unsheltered count, which took place at 3 a.m. on Jan. 25, 33 volunteers gathered at Social Services in Elizabeth and Plainfield and surveyed the areas of Elizabeth, Plainfield, Summit, Roselle, Roselle Park, Garwood, Linden, Rahway, Hillside and Union.

The five groups that went identified 14 unsheltered homeless persons that were further assessed for services at the Union County DHS/Division of Social Services office.

Over 200 adults and children were provided shelter through the County’s Code Blue program.

The group also provided materials for the homeless, including blankets, coats, clothing, toiletries, socks, hats, gloves, sandwiches, provided by Be the Change from Kean University, as well as scarves, soup, provided by Mo’s Café and hot coffee.

During the seven day count, which took place from Jan. 25 through Jan. 31, from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily, five groups that went identified a total of 24 homeless persons.

"The Point-In-Time Count is an important initiative that gives our Department of Human Services a more accurate count of persons experiencing homelessness and gathering information on what resources are needed," said Commissioner Chairman Sergio Granados, who also serves as liaison to the Human Services Advisory Council.

"At the end of the day, these individuals are members of our community and understanding the scope of homelessness in our County is vital. It also helps us assess what caused them to become homeless; how long they have been on the streets and what is preventing them from becoming or staying housed and most importantly providing them with the resources to get out of homelessness," Granados said.

Additionally, on Wednesday, Jan. 25 and Thursday, Jan. 26, service fairs were held by the City of Plainfield and the Plainfield Action Services at the Plainfield Performing Arts Center and the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless at the Mickey Walker Center in Elizabeth.

Plainfield’s service fair had a total of 61 people in attendance and Elizabeth’s service fair had a total of 279 people in attendance. Both service fairs offered resources from over 18 social service providers.

The Union County Office of Health Management also provided 43 individuals with the COVID-19 vaccination; of which 16 of them either received their first dose or completed their primary series. All 43 people received a gift card from NJDOH for $25.

The data collected during NJCounts also helps determine how much McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance HUD funding Union County will receive and provides crucial resources for the homeless and housing insecure living in Union County.