The Camden County Board of Commissioners organized a homeless services and resource fair on Wednesday to provide essential services for individuals in need. Attendees had access to on-site showers, haircuts, meals, and assistance from organizations focused on employment and housing.
“Access to essential services and support on their journey to stability can make a life-changing difference for our residents who are experiencing homelessness,” said Commissioner Jennifer Cooley Fleisher, liaison to the Department of Health and Human Services. “The Board of Commissioners are committed to ending homelessness in Camden County by 2030, and resource fairs such as this help us move closer towards that reality.”
The timing of the fair coincided with NJCounts, an annual Point-in-Time Count mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This initiative identifies individuals residing in emergency shelters, transitional housing, safe havens, or locations unsuitable for habitation during the last 10 days of January.
Organizations participating at the event included Camden County Board of Social Services, Camden County Office of Mental Health & Addiction, Camden County Division of Community Development, Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, South Jersey Legal Services, Volunteers of America, Senior Citizens United Community Services (SCUCS), Center for Family Services, Cooper Center for Healing, and Camden County Office of Economic Opportunity.
To address homelessness further, the Commissioners have developed a six-point plan with the Camden County Office of Homeless Services. The plan involves partnerships across all municipalities within Camden County to achieve “functional zero” homelessness by 2030—a status where the number of people experiencing homelessness does not exceed monthly housing placements.
Camden County operates through a seven-member Board of Commissioners responsible for legislative and executive duties. The county provides public safety programs, health support initiatives, infrastructure improvements, parks maintenance, economic development activities and community programs in collaboration with local partners (official website). These efforts aim to improve quality of life across its 37 municipalities in southern New Jersey.
