As mounting economic pressure pushes more New Jerseyans into homelessness, resource fairs like one at Cathedral Kitchen in Camden offer critical tools to rebuild lives.
For Daniel Waterfield, the support goes far beyond a meal.
“I’m riding buses to stay warm — and I just don’t come here to eat, I come here to network and stay educated,” Waterfield said Thursday.
Stories like his are becoming more common. New Jersey homelessness is on a five-year upswing, according to Monarch Housing Associates, and advocates expect another increase. State unemployment in December and November was 5.4%, outpaced only by California, the New Jersey Business and Industry Association reported.
Linda Geise, who uses the kitchen’s services, says its three annual fairs offer nothing short of survival — especially now, while New Jersey is in the grip of a dangerously cold weather pattern that shows no sign of easing.
“We could get hurt out there — like, really bad trouble,” Geise said. “Just the weather and my age and everything — it really helps. It’s just lifesaving.”
At least 15 vendors on Thursday offered housing assistance, job support, legal aid and mental health resources. That was in addition to the kitchen’s hot breakfast, lunch-to-go meals, hygiene kits, winter clothing — and a service that many don’t expect: free haircuts.
Those details matter, Cathedral Kitchen leaders say.
“Haircuts are small things that we take for granted that give us dignity and makes us feel presentable, and we feel fresh and cool after we get a haircut,” said Cait O’Donnell, director of social services and data management for the nonprofit, whose founders started serving free meals in 1976. “That is out of reach for people in this situation who are coming to get food here.”
‘Where did you stay last night?’
This event coincided with NJ Counts, the annual Point-in-Time homelessness census mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. A year ago, volunteers identified nearly 14,000 people experiencing homelessness statewide, an 8% increase from the previous year and highest in a decade.
The kitchen asked clients to complete the Point-in-Time survey before dining and talking to service providers. O’Donnell said the survey’s results help inform the kitchen’s operations, and the resource fair offers a comfortable environment for clients to participate.
“Otherwise, it’s hard to incentivize people to take that survey, which is personal,” she said. “The questions on that survey ask about the housing situation, how old are you and where did you stay last night?”
Camden County has “shelter for everyone” amid subfreezing temperatures, according to county Commissioner Jennifer Cooley Fleisher. As it serves roughly 600 people, though, the county is witnessing families “right on the verge of losing everything.”
The county’s goal by 2030 is “functional zero,” when housing placements outpace the number of people becoming homeless. For now, the work is day to day with clients like Pedro Plaza, who identified himself as a disabled veteran who had lost his job, had a car accident and was on the street when Cathedral Kitchen came to the rescue.
“They are going to help me get housing,” Plaza said. “I see the work they do and how they help me and other people.”
