During this week’s cold snap, Maplewood is working to find and help anyone who is unhoused, as well as residents who are facing an emergency because of a lack of heat.
The township contracts with Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey (CSPNJ), which provides peer outreach to unhoused people year-round and tries to keep them safe and out of the cold in the winter.
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Representatives from CSPNJ were out on the streets of Maplewood on Tuesday night from 8 p.m. to midnight, as well as during the day Wednesday and they will be back out on Friday and then again on Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. at the library branch at 129 Boyden Ave and then around town from 3 to 8 p.m., said Health Office Candice Davenport.
“People should use [the CPSNJ warm line number (848) 234-7006] to report and request a check on a person who is outdoors in the cold,” Davenport said.
On these cold days, the Maplewood Police Department lobby is open. “If the CSPNJ staff are on shift they can speak to the individual and transport them to a more functional shelter in Essex County, if they want to go,” Davenport said.
Essex County Code Blue has been extended until the morning of January 25, 2025, with warming centers open from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. until then.
In addition, residents who are experiencing a lack of heat or heating emergency should call the Mapalewood police non-emergency line at (973) 762-1234.
“Residents will be invited to the Municipal Court/Police Headquarters and housed in the courtroom until a formal heating center is opened and staffed,” said Township Administrator Patrick Wherry.
