Number of homeless doubles in Morris County

MORRIS COUNTY — The number of homeless people in Morris County has almost doubled in the past year to 653, according to an in-person search conducted on the streets of the county in January.

The search, done by a host of social services agencies and volunteers, explored the best-known havens and hangouts for the homeless, trying to determine the extent of the situation in the county, said Morris County Human Services Director Mary Jo Buchanan.

“With the economic downturn, we expected to see an increase, and we sure did,’’ said Buchanan, who said the count is important in getting state and federal assistance to help homeless people.

She also said efforts are made to try and connect the homeless into the county’s social services safety net. There were 350 homeless people counted in Morris County in January 2008.

Source

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/03/number_of_homeless_doubles_in.html