DCA’s Office of Homelessness Prevention Announces Significant Progress in Reducing and Preventing Homelessness

• Posted on: 11/13/2023

Latest Annual Report and Update Brief Highlights Nearly 25 Percent Reduction in Unsheltered Homelessness

TRENTON, NJ – The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) today issued the Office of Homelessness Prevention annual report and update brief, highlighting the significant strides that have been made to address homelessness and housing insecurity in New Jersey, putting the State within striking distance of its goal to reduce unsheltered homelessness by 25 percent statewide by 2025.

Speaking at a press conference at the main office of HomeFront in Lawrenceville, DCA Acting Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez highlighted new data showing a 23.4 percent reduction in unsheltered homelessness and a 28.9 percent increase in access to prevention programs – programs that work with people in crisis to keep them from ever becoming homeless – so far this year compared to 2022.

“While we still have more work to do, we are extremely encouraged by the tangible progress being made to address one of the most pressing issues we face as a State. The Murphy Administration and DCA remain fully committed to implementing data-driven, comprehensive solutions to make homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring in New Jersey,” said DCA Acting Commissioner Suárez.

The press conference coincided with the release of the 2023 Statewide Office of Homelessness Prevention (OHP) Update Brief and the 2022 Office of Homelessness Prevention Annual Report, offering insights into the scope, demographics, causes, and trends related to homelessness across the state.

Michael Callahan, director of the OHP, presented key findings from the report, including that eviction was the second most common cause of homelessness in 2022, accounting for 16.44 percent of cases. Job loss and household breakups were also major contributing factors.

The report outlines a multifaceted approach to homelessness prevention that is focused on upstream prevention, rapid rehousing, affordable housing production, income, healthcare access, and addressing racial inequities. In partnership with community service providers, local governments, volunteers, and advocates across the state, the OHP aims to reduce unsheltered homelessness by 25 percent statewide by 2025.

In line with these goals, DCA announced it is working with the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab and Delivery Associates to instruct the executive teams of eight homelessness continuum of care bodies in the state in Data-Driven Decision Making. Also, the Department earlier this year accepted 20,000 households to the wait list for the statewide Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program, which is a federally funded program administered by DCA that provides housing subsidies to New Jersey residents so they can obtain quality housing. Of these households, the Department plans to provide approximately 11,542 housing vouchers over the next two years to households at-risk of homelessness and households currently experiencing homelessness.

HomeFront CEO Sarah Steward, who is also a municipal councilmember in Ewing, NJ, emphasized the importance of collaboration between the State, municipalities, and local organizations. HomeFront is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to end homelessness in Central Jersey through prevention programs, emergency shelter, affordable housing, and children and life skills initiatives.

“Forming strong partnerships between all levels of government and community groups is crucial to finding local solutions that can meet each town’s needs and then putting those solutions into practice,” she said.

Several other DCA grantees shared success stories of how they are helping New Jersey’s most vulnerable residents through innovative homelessness prevention programs that are designed to remove barriers to benefitting from these programs. They also called for addressing the root causes of homelessness through long-term systems change.

Acting Commissioner Suárez concluded, “With continued focus on upstream prevention, rapid rehousing, affordable housing, and no-barrier support services, we are optimistic about significantly reducing homelessness and housing insecurity in New Jersey. We cannot do this alone. It requires partnerships at all levels and across all sectors. Working together, we can ensure every New Jersey resident has a safe, stable place to call home.”

The 2023 Statewide Office of Homelessness Prevention (OHP) Update Brief and the 2022 Office of Homelessness Prevention Annual Report are posted at https://www.nj.gov/dca/dhcr/offices/dhcrohp.shtml on the DCA website.

In addition to homelessness prevention, DCA offers a wide range of programs and services, including affordable housing production, local government management and finance, fire safety, building safety, community planning and development, disaster recovery and mitigation, historic preservation, and information privacy.

For more information about DCA, visit https://nj.gov/dca/ or follow the Department on social media: