GreenLight Fund Greater Newark Announces $1.2M Investment to Fight Housing and Food Insecurity in Newark

Newark, NJ – Nonprofit funder GreenLight Fund Greater Newark today announced a $1.2M investment to address housing and food insecurity by bringing the two innovative engagement models of Housing Connector and Food Connect to Greater Newark. Over the next four years, Housing Connector and Food Connect have established goals to house 3,400 and serve 55,000 Greater Newark residents, respectively.

“Newark has made great strides in addressing housing instability and food insecurity. Yet we heard from the community about the significant need to facilitate opportunity for all residents and households to secure shelter and affordable, healthy meals,” said GreenLight Fund Greater Newark Executive Director Tish Johnson-Jones, JD. “As we look ahead to National Homelessness & Food Insecurity Awareness Month in November, GreenLight Fund Greater Newark is proud to announce a simultaneous investment in two proven, innovative models that address the interconnected barriers of food and housing insecurity, Housing Connector and Food Connect. By harnessing technology and working within the community to provide targeted support, Housing Connector and Food Connect will help house and provide quality, healthy food for more residents and their families in Newark.”

Housing Connector is a national technology-powered nonprofit that increases access to housing for individuals most in need, with a goal to house 3,400 Greater Newark residents. Through real-estate website and app Zillow, Housing Connector will collaborate with local organizations fighting housing insecurity, in addition to property owners and residents, creating a streamlined, effective housing search where all parties have successful outcomes.
Housing Connector, currently operating in Austin, Texas; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Orlando, Florida; Portland, Oregon; Sacramento, California; and Washington State, has housed more than 10,000 individuals through a network of more than 3,300 property partners and 350 community partners.

“Expanding to Newark allows Housing Connector to ensure that more families have access to safe and stable housing,” said Shkelqim Kelmendi, Founder and CEO of Housing Connector. “We are here to bridge the gap between property owners and community members who need homes, unlocking housing that would otherwise sit vacant. We’re excited to partner with the Newark community and GreenLight Fund Greater Newark to bring our proven model to the Northeast, ensuring more of our neighbors have a place to call home.”

The 2025 NJCounts Point-in-Time Report of homeless residents shows 13,748 people across 10,408 households were experiencing homelessness in the state on January 28, 2025. Essex County had the highest rate of homelessness at 18% (2,411 people).

“Newark has risen to the challenges to break down the barriers facing our residents without housing, including groundbreaking initiatives that prioritize long-term housing stability. Community partnerships only strengthen our ability to help residents," said Luis Ulerio, Director, Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services, City of Newark. “Welcoming Housing Connector to Newark will bolster our efforts and bring unique perspectives to our ultimate goal of ensuring all Newark residents have the ability to move toward permanent housing.”

GreenLight Fund Greater Newark’s dual-investment highlights that housing and food insecurity are often coexisting conditions and families often have to make the hard decision to choose one of the other. In 2022, about 994,800 people, including 262,260 children, in New Jersey were food insecure. 2025 data from the New Jersey State Health Assessment Data shows nearly 100,00 people in Essex County are food insecure.

Food Connect is a nonprofit working to bridge gaps in local food systems to combat food insecurity, improve health outcomes, and eliminate food waste by connecting food with communities in need and enabling last-mile delivery of fresh, nutritious meals. In partnership with organizations working to address food insecurity, Food Connect will work to serve nearly 60,000 Greater Newark residents over the next four years by enhancing transportation and creating food distribution points across Newark, providing vital support to established systems allowing residents to reliably access affordable, healthy food.

Food Connect currently delivers more than 250k meals a month to community-based sites including food pantries, shelters and schools. Community sites that receive food deliveries from Food Connect report an 80% increase in fresh food donations and save $650 per week on food expenses. Food Connect currently operates in the Bay Area of California; the Greater Philadelphia Area of Pennsylvania, Kansas City, Missouri; and the Minneapolis–Saint Paul/Twin Cities Area of Minnesota.

“Access is the foundation of resilience. When one in ten Newark residents struggle to find affordable, healthy food, it’s not just a hunger issue, it’s a systems issue. True resilience comes when families can count on food being one less thing to worry about,” said Megha Kulshreshtha, CEO & Head of Product for Food Connect. “At Food Connect, we believe food is more than nourishment, it’s a bridge to stability and opportunity. By combining technology with local partnerships, we’re building a model where communities can rely on consistent access to healthy meals and gain the independence that comes with it. Together with GreenLight Fund Greater Newark and community partners, we’re creating the connective tissue of a stronger, more equitable food system; one that helps families not just get by, but thrive.”

GreenLight Fund Greater Newark’s investment in both Housing Connector and Food Connect was informed by a year-long selection process conducted in partnership with the local Selection Advisory Council (SAC), a diverse group of talented residents, leaders and experts from various fields. Public comment sessions across the Greater Newark area were also held to collect informed responses from the community to identify the most significant areas of need. After the process, the SAC selected both Housing Connector and Food Connect due to the prevalence of housing and food insecurity as coexisting challenges in Newark.
To learn more about GreenLight Fund Greater Newark’s investment in Housing Connector and Food Connect, watch the announcement video here.

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About GreenLight Fund Greater Newark
Started in Boston in 2004, GreenLight Fund is a national philanthropic nonprofit with a local focus that partners with communities to create opportunities for inclusive prosperity. The organization, in each of its sites, facilitates a community-driven process that matches local needs of individuals and families not met by existing programs, to organizations with track records of success elsewhere. Working with communities, GreenLight identifies, invites in and launches proven organizations, providing collaborative support so they can quickly take root and deliver measurable social impact. GreenLight Greater Newark was launched in 2022. Founding investors in GreenLight Greater Newark include Horizon Foundation of New Jersey, MCJ Amelior Foundation, Prudential Foundation, among others. Additional GreenLight sites include Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area and the Twin Cities. More information at https://greenlightfund.org/sites/greater-newark/.