From [HERE] Newark ranks first in the state with by far the largest number of homeless people at 2,089, according to nonprofit Monarch Housing Associates, which annually studies the homeless for the state Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency.

Jersey City came in No. 2 with 534 homeless. Camden was No. 3 with 485. 

Of the Newark total, 180, or 9%, of the homeless were found to be unsheltered, according to the count done on January 23, Monarch Housing Associates reported in its recently released annual report.

Essex County overall had 2451 total homeless persons in the report and 16% were unsheltered. 

The number of homeless in New Jersey has steadily grown since 2022 and the 12,680 total was up nearly 24% from 2023. The total unsheltered population of 1,389 was up nearly 8% from 2023.

Unsheltered homeless is defined as any individual or family with a primary nighttime residence that is in space not designed for sleeping accommodations for humans, such as a car, a park or an abandoned building, the Monarch Housing report notes.

People who stayed in emergency shelters, transitional housing and safe havens made up the sheltered homeless population.

The Monarch Housing Associates report on New Jersey is available here.

Homelessness skews toward the Black, non-Hispanic, population in New Jersey. Although African Americans make up only 12% of the state’s population, they account for 49% of the homeless population, according to the report.

The top three causes of homelessness were that the person or family was asked to leave a shared residence, eviction or at risk of eviction, and loss or reduction of job income, the report notes.

Of the homeless population reporting some type of disability, mental health issues ranked first, substance abuse disorders were second and chronic health conditions were third.

While most reported they were homeless for a year or less, about 19% were homeless for one to three years and 10% for more than three years, according to the report.

10 New Jersey municipalities with the largest homeless populations

Rank | Municipality | County | Total homeless | Unsheltered | % unsheltered

1. Newark (Essex), 2,089, 180, 9%

2. Jersey City (Hudson), 534, 122, 23%

3. Camden (Camden), 485, 124, 26%

4. Trenton (Mercer), 414, 130, 31%

5. Paterson City (Passaic), 411, 76, 18%

6. Elizabeth (Union), 308, 11, 4%

7. Atlantic City (Atlantic), 281, 143, 51%

8. Morristown (Morris), 247, 41, 17%

9. New Brunswick (Middlesex), 182, 70, 38%

10. Kearny (Hudson), 176, 2, 1%