TOMS RIVER, N.J. — In a letter to residents, Toms River Ward 4 Councilman David Ciccozzi voiced support for a county-operated homeless shelter while sharply criticizing Mayor Dan Rodrick’s handling of local homelessness, including the recent clearing of an encampment in a wooded area downtown.
Mayor Rodrick had helped to place dozens of homeless individuals in the downtown tent city into temporary housing and connected them to state resources for long-term relief and options. The illegal encampment operated for years under former Mayor Maurice Hill, a close ally of Ciccozzi.
In a letter to Ward 4 residents, Ciccozzi stated that while he opposes placing shelters in residential neighborhoods, he supports Ocean County taking the lead in establishing a permanent facility in a suitable location.
Rodrick today doubled down on his opposition against the county-run facility on Route 9, saying he does not want Toms River to be a ‘dumping ground’ for the state’s homeless population. Rodrick criticized the Ocean County Board of Commissioners of fabricating a homeless crisis for political and fiancial gain.
Rodrick said that he endorses Anthonty Matarazzo in the June 10th primary election. Matarazzo said he does not support a countywide homeless shelter in Toms River. Matarazzo is running against Ciccozzi in Ward 4.
Ocean County officials are planning to build a large homeless shelter on Route 9 (Route 166) just north of the Shop-Rite Plaza at the intersection of Route 37. The “homeless campus” as it is being referred to by Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore, an advisor to the camp’s reported developer Jack Morris, is being courted by the five-member board of Ocean County commissioners.
Ciccozzi also defended the Christ Episcopal Church in their ongoing process with Toms River to convert part of the church into a homeless shelter.
Ciccozzi criticized to Rodrick’s recent decision to clear homeless encampments from wooded areas, calling it a “reactive policy” that failed to offer sustainable alternatives. He said clearing that homeless camp, which was scene to multiple law enforcement incidents during its time, was not a viable long term solution.
Since the clearing of the homeless tent city in the woods, Rodrick has blamed county officials for attracting the state’s homeless by opening what he calls a “soup kitchen” in the Ocean County Library’s main branch in downtown Toms River. Since its opening, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department has increased deputy presence at the library in response to rising incidents and drug overdoses.
The lease for the soup kitchen expired this month, but the county has extended its lease in light of the controversy.
