North Jersey Community Research Initiative (NJCRI)

The North Jersey Community Research Initiative (NJCRI) is one of Newark's cornerstone LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS service organizations, based on Central Avenue in the Central Ward. Founded to tackle the AIDS crisis that hit Newark's queer communities of color hard, it has grown into a full-service agency offering testing, prevention, care navigation and social support. For LGBTQ+ visitors and residents alike, NJCRI is best known for its youth-facing programs — a drop-in space and the Project WOW web-outreach initiative for LGBTQ+ young people aged 14 to 24 — and the Pride Center of Newark, which serves adults 25 and over with community programming and support groups. It is a practical first point of contact for anyone looking to plug into Newark's organized queer life.