Newark Raises Bar For Homeless Outreach In Coronavirus Crisis

NEWARK, NJ — Newark’s ambitious effort to test every homeless person in the city for the new coronavirus will take another step forward on Monday.

Last week, the city kicked off a campaign to offer COVID-19 testing to its entire homeless population, as well as staff members who work at local shelters. It’s a program that’s the first of its kind in New Jersey, and possibly the entire nation, officials said.

In all, the city has reportedly committed about $2 million for housing, testing and medical supervision. Newark officials estimate there are about 2,200 residents without permanent addresses in the city.

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Anyone who tests positive will be quarantined for 14 days under medical supervision, unless they need to be hospitalized, and then returned to their original shelters, officials said.

The testing will be done by the Mary Eliza Mahoney Federally Qualified Health Center under the direction of Mark Wade, the head of the Newark Department of Health and Community Wellness.

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“I think we have collectively been successful in helping these residents without addresses to understand the gravity of the COVID-19 crisis and are getting them to safety, which is not always an easy thing to do,” Wade said.

“This has been a novel, life-saving approach and I don’t know of another major city in the country that has done this,” Wade said.

Mayor Ras Baraka said the program is a critical part of his overall plan to invest in rapid, short-term housing for Newark’s most vulnerable residents during the viral outbreak.

“We had to get our residents without addresses off the street and inside for their own safety and the safety of others,” the mayor said.

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The program is being conducted in partnership with the Salvation Army, Bridges Inc. Outreach and Engagement, the Newark Homeless Coalition, the Essex Continuum of Care and the Newark Homeless Commission.

Officials got the ball rolling on May 4, holding a testing event for 194 residents at a local airport hotel. According to Wade, a new, “less intrusive” anterior nasal swabbing method was used, which makes the process quicker and safer.

Testing will continue at 11 a.m. on Monday with another event at the downtown YMCA parking lot at 600 Broad Street. About 475 people will be tested, officials said.

Eventually, the city plans to test residents at all 21 of its shelters, officials stated.

• See related article: Coronavirus Can't Stop Nonprofit's Homeless Outreach In Newark

In addition, Wade said the city’s Contact Tracing Task Force will handle any new positive cases to try to follow the patterns of where patients have been, and whom they’ve had contact with.

“This is what we need to truly understand this disease, how it is spread and what we must continue to do to stop it,” Baraka said. “Contract tracing is one of the most important weapons we have.”

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