Help for Essex County Homeless Next Week

Homeless residents in Essex County will get a helping hand next Wednesday at the sixth annual Project Homeless Connect Day, an one-stop, all-day event aimed at educating the less fortunate about social services and other programs available to them.

Hot meals and free haircuts will be available to those who attend the event, which will be held at the at Clifton and Seventh avenues in Newark from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Health screenings, public assistance, as well as mental, emergency, educational, veterans and employment services will also be offered.

The event is a collaboration between Essex County and more than than 50 faith- and community-based organizations.

"On Jan. 25, our roller skating rink will be transformed into a one-stop information center where clients can escape from the cold and connect with a variety of agencies to receive essential services," said Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr.

Essex County employees and volunteers from social service and faith-based groups will also visit soup kitchens, shelters and parks next Wednesday to count homeless residents for a "Point in Time Survey." Statistics gathered in the survey will be used by the U.S. Office of Housing and Urban Development to determine how federal aid to help the homeless will be distributed.