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Newark To Expand Services for Its Homeless

Ang Santos
/
WBGO

  

Newark’s city run extreme weather shelter won’t close at least until the end of August, but Mayor Baraka is looking into other ways to support the homeless.

“Every month is not a rough weather event so don’t have justification for keeping the shelter open 365 days a year.  There are providers who can do that and will do that.  We will support them, so they continue to do that.”

Baraka is creating a city-wide commission to help the homeless.

“We’re putting the homeless commission together to begin looking at all of these issues and figure out how we can mitigate the homeless problem here.”

Newark’s mayor says the goal is to support organizations and programs that lead the homeless to jobs.

“Helping you get training.  Helping you move from homelessness to getting permanent housing or a voucher from the DCA to get permanent housing.  We’re going to facilitate all of those things to move people out of homelessness altogether.”

Newark Health and Community Wellness Director Dr. Mark Wade says Rutgers Business School is helping the city create a stable financial plan to support the chronically homeless.

“To help the city develop a business plan which would include a financial plan for addressing homelessness in Newark.”