On Friday, Newark advocates held their fourth annual World Homeless Day to provide greater services for people experiencing homelessness. The event offers access to food clothing, shelter, employment, education, services, mental health, medical screenings and substance abuse aid.
“A lot of people think that the need would lessen because the pandemic was over, but in the emergency, all it did was highlight a need that was already there,” said Amina Bey, executive director of Newark Emergency Services for Families. “A struggle that already existed. And the numbers continue to rise. Our numbers have quadrupled in our agency. From services, housing assistance, rental assistance, all of those numbers have quadrupled over the past two years.”
Bey says the World Homeless Day event is very important to bring attention to the issue. The event started in the midst of the pandemic when the need among homeless individuals was especially great. Since then, the event has gotten bigger and included more and more providers and agencies. Last year’s event served more than 600 individuals.
“It seems like after COVID things got worse again,” said Wendy Hurling, senior case manager for St. James Social Services Corporation. “So being here we can reach out to folks. Some people don’t even know about us. So, it’s a blessing to be here.”
All the resources were made possible through donations from the community. Bey says it’s everything that we can do to help people move their lives forward.
