As Homelessness Surges, This Mercer Nonprofit Expands Shelter, Staff For Winter

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — Mercer County is currently seeing an “unprecedented surge” in homeless people seeking shelter and emergency services, according to area nonprofits.

In response, the Rescue Mission of Trenton is adding more space and staff to serve up to 85 more people a day.

“In just the past two years, there has been a 90 percent increase in the number of people asking to come to our Shelter. And that need becomes life-threatening for those living on the streets during the below-freezing temperatures of winter,” Barrett Young, Chief Executive Officer of The Mission, said. “So, we knew we had to do something different to respond to this urgent need.”

To accommodate this need, a new Comfort Center will be housed where The Mission’s Thrift Store is currently located. As a result, the store size and operations will be reduced until March.

In 2020, during the onslaught of the pandemic, that space was converted in a similar fashion to address the need for social distancing to safely accommodate more people who were seeking refuge.

The Comfort Center will be open seven days a week from 3 p.m. until 7 a.m., serving breakfast and dinner, through March.

In addition to meals and a respite from the cold, individuals can also engage with The Mission’s professional team to gain access to healthcare, behavioral health counseling, addiction treatment, financial assistance, and the possibility of obtaining housing.

Trenton native James Rein who just turned 60, and has been periodically coming to The Mission’s Shelter for more than a decade, said he always get a warm meal and a safe place to sleep at the shelter.

“This year, though, I am very grateful for the additional space that has been added. The Shelter has always been crowded when the temperatures turn freezing in winter,” Rein said.

“But this winter, with so many more people coming to The Shelter, there just was not enough room for all of us.”

To operate The Comfort Center, three additional full-time employees are being added. The additional costs, which includes food, are projected to amount to $170,192.

“While we did not anticipate these additional expenses, we know that this need cannot wait,” Young said. “So we are moving ahead – with the belief that, through the compassion and generosity of our donors, somehow, those expenses will be met.”

And for Young, expanding services is the right thing to do, especially when NJ will see the coldest temperatures so far this winter.

“Ultimately, at the end of this long winter, we will know that we did the right thing by an increase in the number of clients we serve, by a lack of reports of frostbite or death, by the number of meals we serve and clothing we provide, and, ultimately, by the number of individuals who we can help obtain permanent housing,” Young said.

In November 2024, it was reported that New Jersey's homeless population increased by 24 percent statewide. Children made up more than one-fifth of the total.

(If you are facing immediate housing issues you can call the New Jersey Housing Center at 1-877-428-8844, or the NJ State Homeless Hotline, NJ 211, by dialing 2-1-1.

If you are in Mercer County, Rescue Mission of Trenton is located at 98 Carroll St, Trenton, NJ 08609.)

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