NJ city employs homeless individuals through a unique program

🔴 One NJ city is trying to help its homeless population by giving them jobs

🔴 A select number of homeless residents have been chosen for the program

🔴 The city hopes to extend the program

ATLANTIC CITY — Some homeless individuals in the Atlantic County resort town may soon have a job, at least for a little while, the city announced.

The City of Atlantic City’s Homeless Outreach unit kicked off its Hope Work Initiative this week. It’s a new program that provides temporary employment to the homeless.

How does it work?

Through the program, 10 individuals who the City’s Homeless Outreach unit met during their daily homeless sweeps in Atlantic City, are offered jobs with the Atlantic City Public Works Department.

The 10 chosen homeless individuals will work 15-hour weeks, five hours a day, three days a week in the Public Works Beach and Boardwalk, Sanitation, and Building Maintenance divisions.

They each earn $75 a day. The money is coming from Atlantic City’s opioid settlement funds, at no cost to taxpayers, the city said.

“When we formed our Boardwalk Improvement Group, we also created an entire outreach team to help address homelessness in the great city of Atlantic City, something that was a concern in Atlantic City long before I became mayor,” said Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small, Sr.

He hopes that the Hope Work Initiative can be an impactful solution that will make a positive difference in the city’s homeless situation.

Once the 10-week program is complete, officials will consider hiring participants in the Hope Work Initiative for permanent positions.

In the future, the city hopes to expand the program, possibly employing more than 10 homeless individuals at a time.

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