Newark expands pilot program to house the homeless using retrofitted shipping containers
News 12 Staff
Updated on: Jul 23, 2021, 2:44am
An innovative pilot program to help house the homeless in Essex County has gotten the green light for a second location.
Newark Hope Village was a program that transformed shipping containers into housing. The city has now announced plans for a second Hope Village, which will house even more of the city’s homeless population.
“Most of the individuals that came into Hope One were living in tents on the street for a number of months. Some years,” says Newark Homelessness Czar Sakinah Hoyte.
This Newark school building was shuttered in 2012. Now, it’s becoming a homeless shelter.
Updated Feb 25, 2021;
Posted Feb 25, 2021
Mayor Ras Baraka announces the conversion of a former school into a shelter on Miller Street in Newark on Thursday, February 25, 2021John Jones | For NJ Advance Media
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Miller Street Elementary School closed in 2012, but now officials expect the building to become transitional housing for men, women and families by September. The shelter will feature a commercial kitchen and drop-in center for people to use individual bathrooms, showers, laundry, phones and televisions.
“The drop-in center will serve as an opportunity for case managers to engage our shelter-averse population, build relationships and take the steps to build the trust that is necessary to engage them into services,” said Newark Homelessness Czar Sakinah Hoyte.