By Sunayana Prabhu
To help communities working to eliminate homelessness across the country, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced $59 million in Homelessness Assistance Funding to the state of New Jersey, with over $4 million awarded to Monmouth County. The funds are carved out of a total of $3.16 billion awarded by HUD’s Continuum of Care Program nationwide, the largest awarded by the federal program in its history.
The 2023 Homelessness Update report published by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, indicated a growing demand for support services in addressing homelessness and at-risk populations within New Jersey.
According to the report, in 2022, the total population accessing homelessness services and support, which includes both at-risk individuals and homeless individuals in the state was 108,020. By the end of October 2023, that number rose to 130,260, representing a 21% increase.
“I have never seen the level of homelessness we’re seeing now,” said Steve Heisman, executive director of HABcore, Inc., a Red Bank-based nonprofit that has helped house the homeless since the 1980s. The nonprofit that started with one boarding home in Red Bank has expanded to currently house more than 400 residents, including 90 families with 150 children, across Monmouth and Ocean counties.
According to Heisman, a spike in the real estate market in the area has made it “next to impossible to find affordable units and the crisis is compounded exponentially when you factor in the special needs of people.”
Almost 20 organizations on the frontlines to end homelessness in Monmouth County will benefit from the federal funds, including nonprofits like HABcore, churches and other nongovernmental agencies.
The funds will be administered through the county’s Monmouth ACTS (Assisting Communities Through Services) program, a public-private partnership established between county employees from the Department of Human Services and community nonprofit leaders who are both embedded and invested in their local communities.
The county’s Housing & Homelessness Hub within Monmouth ACTS “is actively working to address both the causes of homelessness and the barriers to housing stability in consonance with the organizations serving the community,” Monmouth County Commissioner Director Thomas Arnone said in an email response to The Two River Times. The federal funds will help to promote access to and effective utilization of mainstream programs and optimally serve those experiencing homelessness, he said.
“The county continues to allocate its resources to support services and organizations helping individuals in need throughout Monmouth County,” Arnone said.
Arnone added the county works with housing service providers to retain existing affordable housing and create opportunities for new affordable housing throughout the county. This includes assisting individuals to fully access and use housing vouchers.
“The vital funding goes directly to HABcore programs supporting families, veterans and individuals experiencing homelessness with special needs,” Heisman said. “It allows HABcore to find suitable, safe homes in healthy communities where our staff can provide supportive services ranging from financial literacy to parenting skills to supported employment. It allows the households to stabilize and then gives them the opportunity to thrive.”
The federal Continuum of Care Program is designed to end homelessness by providing funding to nonprofits and state and local governments. The federal program has served or permanently housed 1.2 million people experiencing homelessness in the last three years alone.
The latest round of funds will serve over 7,000 projects nationwide to provide housing assistance and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness. The awards also cover costs related to planning and data collection on homelessness within communities.
The $3.16 billion also includes provisions for other human services throughout the country such as approximately $136 million awarded to the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) to serve younger individuals experiencing homelessness.
The overall grant also includes $57 million for new projects that will support housing and service needs for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.
“The historic awards we are announcing today will help expand community capacity to assist more people obtain the safety and stability of a home, along with the supports they need to achieve their life goals,” HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge said in a Jan. 31 press release announcing the grant awards.
The article originally appeared in the February 8 –14, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
