HUD Staff Join NJ Counts to Survey Homeless in Jersey City

Newark employees Carleton Lewis, Olena Vivchar, Deputy Regional Administrator Mirza Orriols, and Newark Field Office Director Maria Maio-Messano with other NJ Counts Volunteers.

Cold weather did not deter HUD staff from volunteering for the NJ Counts Point-in-Time survey on February 4 in Jersey City. The Count creates a snapshot of how many men, women, children, veterans, families and teenagers live in our nation's shelters and on our streets. New Jersey residents should feel proud of their State's success in the fight to end homelessness in recent years, reflected in a 33% decline in the overall homeless population since 2007. That means 5,500 fewer people are in shelters and on the streets today. But there is still a long way to go: in the 2014 count, there remained nearly 12,000 homeless individuals identified across the State. The Point-In-Time survey is a crucial tool in helping those men, women and children who are still without housing. To learn more about HUD's efforts to combat homelessness, visit www.hud.gov/homeless.

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