The homeless population in Atlantic County increased by 60% this year compared to last year, according to data from Monarch Housing Associates’ annual point-in-time count.
The count, which was conducted Jan. 28, found 682 people were homeless compared with 427 last year. Of the 682, 407 were sheltered and 275 were unsheltered, the organization said.
Additionally, 50% were homeless for more than a year, 73% reported having disabilities, 42% said they were chronically homeless, 11% were victims of domestic violence and 8% were veterans, the organization said.
“The PIT Count is one of the most effective tools that we have to assess the trends in homelessness in New Jersey. Increasing rates of homelessness in New Jersey, and across the country, are concerning,” Melanie R. Walter, executive director of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, said in a statement. “Although we have dramatically increased the production of housing for individuals transitioning out of homelessness in New Jersey, this year’s Point in Time Count results are a critical reminder of the fragility of many families’ housing situations and the importance of tackling the root causes of homelessness.”
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In neighboring Cape May County, 300 people were homeless, representing a 44% increase over last year. More than 230 people were homeless in Cumberland County.
The results come days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at removing unhoused people from the streets, possibly by committing them for mental health or drug treatment without their consent. Critics say the new order is vague, punitive and won’t effectively end homelessness.
Trump’s order tasks Attorney General Pam Bondi and the secretaries for health, housing and transportation to prioritize grants to states and local governments that enforce bans on open drug use and street camping.
It also comes as several local towns have created task forces designed to study and address the issue, including Galloway Township and Absecon, who seek to prevent what they say are other towns sending their homeless to the motels along the White Horse Pike.
Atlantic City’s homeless problem is such that the state appointed a “homelessness czar” to tackle the issue, among other efforts. City officials set a goal this year of reducing the homeless population in the resort by 20%.
The Point-in-Time study counts the homeless population in every county in the state with the goal of allocating services to prevent and end homelessness.
This year’s study found that 13,768 people across the state were experiencing homelessness, the most since 2015, the organization said.
“This year’s PIT Count reveals the human toll of a worsening housing affordability crisis,” said Michael Callahan, director of the New Jersey Office of Homelessness Prevention. “With over 13,000 people counted, our highest since 2015, the data confirms what our communities have long known: homelessness is being driven not just by poverty, but by deep structural inequities, including systemic racism and the dramatic shortage of affordable homes. It is a call to action for bolder, better-targeted investment in prevention, housing, and justice.”
Homelessness in the state has increased by 57% each year since the 2022 count, the organization said. Over the same period, sheltered homelessness increased by 51% and unsheltered homelessness increased by 103%.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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