“A year and a half ago, our administration launched ‘The Path Home,’ a three-year plan to end chronic homelessness in the City of Newark. We are nearly halfway through this comprehensive, data-driven plan that focuses on empowering residents lacking addresses with new housing pathways, integrated medical and clinical support, innovative technology for dashboard analytics and hotline texting, and expanded services. One year into our initiative, we reached a 57.6 percent reduction in the city’s unsheltered population.

“However, as impressive as this statistic is, it reminds us that we have far to go, not only as a city, but as a nation and society in general. In our neighborhoods and across the world, millions of people lack decent homes. This crisis must be solved both locally and globally by eliminating the many conditions that cause homelessness in the first place.

“I am proud of what we have achieved with ‘The Path Home,’ but World Homeless Day reminds us that we have an immense amount of work to do here in Newark, within our region, and across our nation. It is a day to renew our commitment to work towards solutions that bring stability and comfort into the lives of those who need it most.”

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