Guide to Homeless Shelters in New Jersey

Imagine coming head to head with an unanticipated curve-ball thrown in your direction full force. This leads to homelessness most of the time a drastic turn in your life that throws you off track temporarily.
Sometimes it isn’t easy to pin down the actual cause of homelessness to a particular reason, but rather a combination of circumstances that someone encounters in their life that steer them off the right path.
Although housing is a fundamental human right, it’s a privilege for billions globally. In New Jersey, thousands of people of different ages are homeless, so if this is your current situation, you’re not alone.

What’s the Current State of Affairs?

Many people are facing homelessness in New Jersey. According to the Annual Homeless Assessment Report, 2021 edition, over 326,000 people were homeless every night in the U.S. Of this number, 40 percent comprised people in families with kids. The number of chronically homeless U.S. citizens in sheltered locations increased by 7,235 people, or 20%.
During the same year, there were 8,097 homeless individuals in New Jersey, comprising 6,210 households. Out of these, 1,493 individuals in 1,323 households suffered chronic homelessness, and 707 homeless youths below 25 years didn’t have a guardian or parent.
While this was significantly less than in 2020, when 9,662 individuals were homeless on any given day, the number is still high. This can be attributed to several reasons.

Major Causes of Homelessness in New Jersey

Numerous reasons can prompt someone to end up homeless, but here are the most common causes in New Jersey:

• Stagnant wages - Despite the fact that the cost of living has increased tremendously, nothing much has changed in terms of wages. Lack of savings to address emergencies can leave someone vulnerable to homelessness.
• Lack of affordable healthcare - Many people, especially those in minority communities, are underinsured or uninsured, yet healthcare is expensive. Spending loads of cash on healthcare while struggling with rent, utilities, and food can push someone into homelessness. 
• Unemployment - While low income is a leading cause of homelessness, the role of unemployment in making people slip into homelessness is also significant.
• Lack of affordable housing