You are here

Chilly weather drives homeless in Newark into shelters, seeking warmth

By: 
Eunice Lee / The Star-Ledger

[The Star-Ledger] Residents of the Apostles' House in Newark typically leave the homeless shelter during the day to look for work or participate in job training.

Today, however, with cold temperatures barely exceeding single digits and the wind chill in Newark at minus 10 degrees, CEO Judy Bennett says her shelter, which takes referrals for families, is at full capacity with 36 people.

"On a day like today, I would not ask a mother or an infant to go out," she said.

She said she's had a roughly 25 percent increase in phone calls from people seeking shelter from the arctic blast that weather experts have dubbed a polar vortex.

Folks who stay at the Apostles' House, which is run by the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, are normally obligated to attend school or seek employment to stay at the shelter, according to Bennett.