Cities across NJ enact Code Blue to ensure homeless have shelter
In the state’s capital, Code Blue went into effect Wednesday and will continue until Jan. 27. Essex County goes into effect Thursday, Jan. 22, and will remain in effect until Thursday, Jan. 31.
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A bitter chill is expected to blow in on Friday, and there could be a wintry mess for the weekend, so counties and cities across the state are enacting Code Blue protocol.
In the state’s capital, Code Blue went into effect Wednesday and will continue until Jan. 27. Essex County goes into effect Thursday, Jan. 22, and will remain in effect until Thursday, Jan. 31.
In Newark, the state’s biggest city, officials have extended Code Blue well into next week, as residents brace for temperatures that are expected to drop to almost single digits.
Last year, there was a total of just over 2,000 people who were without an address, just over 1,900 were in shelters, almost 200 were unsheltered. The Code Blue in Newark took effect at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
RELATED: News 12 New Jersey Weather Center
News 12 spoke with Luis Ulerio, the director of Homeless Services for The City of Newark, about some of the city’s efforts during the extreme weather.
"In addition to that it activates additional shelter beds that our existing partners expand overnight, and we also invested in a larger street outreach program that is 24/ 7. There’s actually street outreach members now at this moment, canvasing our city, looking for our most vulnerable to bring them indoors. We go to different hotspots like the transit hubs at Penn Statio,n deep into our communities," Ulerio said.
The city has also launched a texting service that calls on the help of fellow Newark neighbors. If you see someone who is unsheltered and needs non-emergency services, text the person’s location to “Path Home” at 855-11. That text will go to the street teams, and they’ll be able to find that person and offer help.
