TOMS RIVER, NJ—Toms River Mayor Dan Rodrick says the township has a $9 million affordable housing fund that can be used to help shelter and care for the town’s homeless residents, but state law doesn’t allow him to use it for that reason. A trust fund funded through developers over the years is flush with cash, but if the township doesn’t use it soon, the state will take that money.
Now, Rodrick is lobbying state officials to allow him to use that money to continue relocating homeless people from the town’s two homeless camps into housing.
“These people should not be living in the woods when there is money to help them,” Rodrick said. “We’ve been working with the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs to place them in housing. The last administration could have done this, but they were too busy trying to create photo-ops and headlines instead of actually helping these people.”
Rodrick said he wants to use that money before the state takes it over and even suggested using the fund balance to help the handicapped population with programs and housing opportunities.
“The state seems receptive to my ideas, so we’re continuing the talks, and I hope they will decide in our favor and allow us to move forward,” he said.
Rodrick said the township collected the $9 million fund by charging developers who wished to build affordable housing and high-density projects in town over the years.
“This is a solution that will cost the people of Toms River nothing,” he said. “But one thing we want to make sure is that we care for our local homeless population and stop others from importing homeless people from around the state into our town.”
Rodrick said the homeless numbers in town have been greatly exaggerated. Still, when asked if he felt any local charities were exploiting the homeless population for profit, he said, “They need to stop bringing these people from all over the state to our town; we cannot afford it.”
The DCA has reported 166 homeless people living in the woods in Toms River. Rodrick said only 30 people are officially living in those camps.
The numbers don’t add up.
Rodrick said even as he and township officials are working with the state to place those people, people being brought into the town from other parts of the state.
“It makes no sense,” he said. “We’re trying to fix the problem and this isn’t helping. We want to help the homeless in Toms River; we don’t have the money or resources to help the rest of the county and state.”
The mayor said he opposes a plan by county officials to build a homeless shelter in Downtown Toms River, “Why can’t they do this in another town? We are trying to place people into housing, we don’t want a shelter, that’s not a viable long term solution.”
Rodrick said once the homeless are housed, officials connect those individuals to statewide resources to help keep them out of homeless camps and shelters such as drug treatment and mental healthcare, and get them the help they need to improve their situations.
He added that even if the state turns down his proposal, the township will continue working to place all of the town’s homeless individuals into housing.
