Empowering Communities Through Urban Renewal
Urban Renewal Corp (URC) is a community-based non-profit organization located in Newark, NJ. URC has been providing a variety of essential social services to individuals experiencing homelessness in Essex County, New Jersey, for over 30 years. URC is the largest single emergency housing provider in New Jersey, offering over 500 emergency and transitional beds. We work with a high-quality network of partners to provide a holistic “one-stop-shop” model, which includes the provision of comprehensive supportive services, such as housing, case management, vocational training, job placement assistance, food and other basic necessities, financial empowerment education, mentoring, Rapid HIV Testing, and referrals to mental health, substance use, legal, and medical services. Partners include the City of Newark, Essex County, Rutgers University, Essex County College, Beth Israel Medical Center, the New Jersey Department of Corrections, and the New Jersey Department of Labor.
Our mission
To increase the quality of life for the economically disadvantaged and to make a permanent and positive change in the lives of each person we serve. Our goal is to help people move from homelessness, substance abuse, dependency, and public assistance into permanent employment and stable housing. We serve approximately 3,000 economically disadvantaged individuals per year and have provided comprehensive services to over 100,000 individuals since our inception in 1994. URC serves a diverse population of male and female-identifying single homeless individuals ages 18+, including those living with HIV, formerly incarcerated individuals, and those struggling with mental health and addiction issues.
In line with our mission of helping create positive change in the lives of individuals experiencing homelessness, we believe it is essential to weave the perspective of individuals with lived experiences of homelessness into our service continuum. URC hires many formerly homeless individuals and former URC clients, helping to demonstrate to our community that positive change is possible. Many of our clients express how empowering it is to receive services from someone who has walked in their shoes.
In late 2024, URC began engaging in critical conversations around long-term sustainability and succession planning. Out of those conversations, we developed a path forward. We are in the process of hiring a new senior leadership position to help support the administrative functions and capacity-building of the organization. We are excited about this next chapter and are looking for partners to help ensure that homeless individuals in the greater Newark area have access to the tools they need to live successful lives in their communities. We recognize that homelessness is not going away soon, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, we know that the services we provide at URC are critical now more than ever before. We are committed to ensuring that URC is here to respond to the needs of our community and is a part of the solution to eliminating homelessness in the Newark community.
Capturing moments of transformation and hope: Urban Renewal's journey through our photo gallery
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