Nearly one in five Newark residents age 16-24 were neither employed nor in school as of 2022, a situation that could have serious consequences for them and the city if not addressed, according to a report released Wednesday.
The report, titled “A Portrait of Newark” and released by the nonprofit Newark Opportunity Youth Network, says that 18.4% of young Newarkers were what it called “disconnected youth.” The figure, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2018-22 American Community Survey, is up from Newark’s pre-pandemic rate of 17.5% in 2020 and now totals about 7,500 teens and young adults.
“The challenges facing Newark are not unique,” the youth network’s CEO, Robert Clark, wrote in the report, referring to violence, poverty and other ills linked to racism and other historical factors contributing to the problem.
But if unmet, Clark wrote, those challenges “will result in higher rates of high school dropout, fewer students transitioning from high school to post-secondary education, and fewer entry-level workers with the skills needed for many jobs in the coming years.”
Newark’s disconnected rate was nearly twice the statewide average of 9.4% and well above the national level of 10.9, according to the report compiled in conjunction with the Social Science Research Council, a Brooklyn-based think tank.
The research council’s Measure of America project gathers data on life expectancy, education, income and other areas, which it uses to calculate a separate indicator known as the “human development index,” or HDI, a gauge of overall well-being.
Referring to the surrounding region’s HDI scores, the report said Newark had “the lowest level of well-being among the 170 neighborhood-and-town clusters that make up the New York metropolitan area.”
It ranked Newark’s HDI at 4.10 out of 10, lower than Essex County’s 5.67 score and New Jersey’s overall HDI of 6.35.
To address Newark’s disconnected youth, its level of well-being, and other issues, Wednesday’s report recommended improvements to three basic areas: childcare, transportation, and broadband, or high-speed internet access.
Childcare: Provide “universal, publicly funded, high-quality care for infants and toddlers, and affordable before- and after-school childcare.” Programs should be geared toward families with the greatest childcare challenges, including those with low incomes, shift workers with non-standard hours, service workers with frequent schedule changes, single parents or working families, and those with special needs.
Transportation: Expand bus routes and increase the reliability and frequency of service that links neighborhoods to each other and to far-away schools throughout the 27-square-mile city during commuting hours. Bus fees should be waived for riders under 25 and their parents and for recipients of SNAP food assistance benefits.
Broadband: Access to high-speed internet service must be provided at the same universal level as electricity and running water so residents can attend classes and otherwise learn remotely, work from home, hold online doctor appointments and other essential meetings, pay bills, do their banking, and have access to critical information.
Noting that HDI data is available for individual Census tracts of a few blocks, the report further recommended prioritizing the creation of place-specific programs and investments in neighborhoods where the index is below 3.5.
The recommendations do not address funding.
Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka welcomed the report and said his administration has been working to address the situation. For example, since 2016 his administration has operated the Newark Street Academy, paying students a stipend to stay in school, which has led some to college. Recently, the city opened a Reengagement Center to place youths back in school, toward broader opportunities.
“We have a moral responsibility to provide our opportunity youth with access to the tools and resources they need to realize their full potential and live successful lives as adults,” Baraka said. “This report provides us with critical information and guidance as to where we can have greater positive impact.”
Stories by Steve Strunsky
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Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com