Rising rents and fewer vacancies:
Advocates found that 10,267 people are experiencing homelessness in N.J. — the most since 2015.
Housing
Housing instability encompasses several challenges, such as having trouble paying rent, overcrowding, moving frequently, or spending most of household income on housing. These experiences may negatively affect physical health and make it harder to access health care.
Households are considered to be cost-burdened if they spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing and severely cost-burdened if they spend more than 50 percent of their income on housing. Cost-burdened households have little left to spend each month on necessities such as food, clothing, utilities, and health care. Poor housing quality and inadequate conditions—such as lead, mold, or asbestos, poor air quality, and overcrowding—can contribute to adverse health outcomes, including chronic disease and injury.
Examining the health and well-being impacts of aspects of housing beyond bricks and mortar is essential in the context of declining rates of home ownership and consequent increases in rent.
Disparity
Fact: Black and Hispanic households are almost twice as likely as White households to be cost-burdened.
Homelessness is creeping upward in New Jersey
Racial Disparity
Black people were disproportionately represented, accounting for 48% of those counted even though only 12% of the state's population is Black.
Essex County has a homelessness crisis
Homelessness in New Jersey rose 17% over 2022 with Essex County reporting the highest percentage of people in homelessness, followed by Hudson and Burlington counties.
Indicators are Changing
Race — rather than poverty — is now a more predictive indicator of who is unhoused, according to a new annual report by Monarch Housing Associates.
“Ending racial disparities in homelessness will require policymakers to confront structural racism and build equity," Taiisa Kelly said, CEO of Monarch Housing Associates.
“When we build systems to address the needs of the most marginalized communities, we create avenues to stability for all,” she said.
Article: Annual count finds N.J. homelessness inching up, with racial disparities persisting
