Mayor Ras Baraka presents State of the City address –  says “Newark is on the rise”

Written By Jaysa Dold

Public Square Amplified will present the community response to the Mayor’s address in the coming weeks.


Newark, NJ – Mayor Ras Baraka delivered his 12th State of the City address on Tuesday night, centering his message on Newark’s resilience and growth in the face of adversity. Baraka chose to focus on key issues like housing, education and public safety, while highlighting the city’s progress and strength. 

Here are some of the specific policy and initiative highlights Baraka presented in his address:

Housing and Homelessness 

Newark, like much of New Jersey, faces a housing crisis. Newark is short 16,000 units of housing, according to a 2022 report. 

  • 199 affordable housing units received Certificates of Occupancy with 968 units currently under construction 

  • Received a $1.4 million dollar grant that would provide financial assistance up to $40,000 per homeowner looking to build or upgrade an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU), or a housing unit located on the same lot as a single-family home

  • Housed 165 formerly homeless residents through Path Home Housing Program

  • Connected 1373 unhoused residents with emergency shelter 

  • Will be opening the Homeless Drop-In Center this summer, which will provide mental health and housing navigation services to unhoused Newark residents

Baraka further stated….There were 1,922 homeless individuals identified in Newark, according to a 2025 point-and-count survey . This number is down from 2,089 the year before.

The mayor intends to finish this year with another 500 affordable housing units complete and looks to complete 2,500 to 3,000 units in the next four years. 
Baraka and his administration have established  a list of “bad landlords” – those with a number of violations and open legal cases. He read some of the names from this list aloud on stage and affirmed that those on the list are ineligible for support from the city.

Education and Youth Programs 

Twenty-four percent of Newark’s residents areunder the age of 18 and the city has the largest public school system in New Jersey, which was declared “High Performing” by New Jersey’s Department of Education in 2025.

Crime, Violence and Public Safety 

Crime has been on the decline in Newark, seeing larger-than-average drops compared to other cities. This decrease has gained national attention and Newark has received praise for its community engagement approach to preventing crime.

Health and Food Security

Many neighborhoods in Newark are designated as food deserts and have limited access to nutritious, affordable food. Newark also has more than 37,000 SNAP recipients whose access to benefits became threatened after President Donald Trump slashed federal support for SNAP late last year. 

  • Activated five food hubs throughout the city in response to SNAP disruptions

  • Gave out 880,000 meals through partnership with HelloFresh

  • Starting five free grocery stores in the city, which will allow people to purchase items based on their income 

  • Plans to build Kawaida Towers, an affordable housing development that will include a grocery store that sells items at a cost below market prices

Social Justice 

Baraka says that as Black, Brown and immigrant communities continue to be discriminated against across the country, he is committed to protecting and uplifting these communities in Newark. 

  • Announced the return of the Forty Acres and a Mule Fund (FAM), an investment fund that serves historically “undermined and neglected” communities 

  • Contracted over $200 million to black and brown businesses over “the last few years”

While $200 million may seem like a large sum, Baraka admits that number is only 12 percent of Newark’s procurement spending. 

“We can no longer compare ourselves to what others have done,” he said. “We have to do better ourselves.”

To do better, Baraka says he is looking to appoint someone whose sole focus will be doubling the city’s spending to Black, Brown and women vendors by 2028. 

Climate and Clean Energy

Newark suffers from the urban heat island effect, which means it can experience much warmer temperatures than other nearby rural areas. 

  • Planted 876 trees in 2025 at part of the Rooted in Newark initiative 

  • Gave away 350 fruit trees, thousands of seedlings and offered support to 13 community gardens in 2025

  • Starting in May, the city will begin painting rooftops white to help cool city temperatures through the Cool Roofs Newark program

Baraka also highlighted an energy cost savings program through a partnership with Solar One. The program has enrolled1500 residents and projects $900,000 in savings in the first year. He encouraged more Newark residents to apply. 

“I know some of y'all got that letter and thought it was bogus,” said Baraka. “We need more of you Newarkers to sign up right now.”

Arts and Culture

The location of one of the first film studios, and hometown to stars like Whitney Houson and Michael B. Jordan, Newark has maintained a strong cultural reputation for decades. 

Transportation 

About 19 percent of Newark residents rely on public transit, according to a 2025 report from the Regional Plan Association.

  • Provided 32,000 free rides through Via, a service that provides free rides within the city  

Ras Baraka’s full State of the City address can be watched here and the State of the City Report can be viewed here. 

Public Square Amplified will provide a follow-up explaining Baraka’s initiatives in greater detail and exploring the community’s response to the mayor’s policy.

Jaysa Dold

Jaysa Dold is a NYC-based reporter covering climate and the environment. She is also a graduate student at Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism.

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