How do you become homeless? This Ocean Township teen found answers that might surprise you

In the summer of 2022, 16-year-old Zac Levy and his father were standing in line at a Boston convenience store when a disheveled young woman tried to purchase a bottle of iced tea.

She didn’t have the money, so Zac’s father, Izzy Levy, stepped forward and bought it for her. As she repaired to a bench outside and chugged the drink, it became clear to the Levys that she was homeless.

“It just felt so personal to me,” said Zac, who estimated the woman to be about 18 years old. “I wanted to understand how someone could end up in a position like that.”

Thus began an extraordinary yearlong quest for the Ocean Township teen. With the help of local nonprofit leaders, Zac launched a winter clothing drive and met with eight homeless Monmouth County residents at length.

He chronicled their stories — and what he learned about the problem of homelessness in New Jersey — in a 175-page book that he published last week. Titled “Project Unhoused: A Teenager’s Journey to Share Stories of America’s Homeless,” it dispels some persistent myths about the issue.

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“So many times I kept hearing that the causes of homelessness were drug addiction and mental-health issues,” Zac said. “People for their own comfort, I guess, like to assume it’s always the homeless person’s fault.”

Certainly, addiction and mental illness are catalysts. But so are domestic violence, catastrophic illness, economic inequality and just plain bad luck.

It’s scary to think that many of us are a rough break or two from the brink. That’s what Zac saw in a 79-year-old grandmother he interviewed at Lunch Break, the food and social services nonprofit in Red Bank.

Rose Malmberg was living in her car.

'Society failed her'

Malmberg lived in Middletown for 31 years. Her husband died of lung cancer in 1997. She retired from a career in data entry in 2009 at age 65. With income from Social Security and her son’s low-paying jobs not enough to pay the bills, she wound up sliding from a single-family home to an apartment to a motel and, last year, to living in her old Chevrolet Silverado truck for a spell.

Rose eats breakfast and lunch at Lunch Break daily, and recently she has been staying with a friend.

“I’m not happy that I’m homeless, but it’s a fact of life,” she told the Asbury Park Press last week.

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She is happy, however, that Zac Levy took an interest in her story.

“It’s good for anyone to pay attention to the homeless population, especially women,” she said. “Women are out there and families are out there, and nobody is really paying attention.”

It's troubling, when you look at it: The cost of living blew past what the safety net provided this lifelong taxpayer and seemingly regular, everyday American.

“As a senior citizen, society failed her,” Levy wrote. “I just don’t understand how that can happen, nor can I accept it.”

His book is quite literally dedicated to Rose.

“With all the proceeds I get (from sales), we’re hoping to provide a monthly or annual stipend to people I interviewed, people like Rose who need that money to get a security deposit on an apartment,” Levy said. “They can’t afford that first step to reentering life.”

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'Remarkable for someone his age'

Maybe you’ve heard this discussion about homelessness before. But have you heard it from a 17-year-old? Zac Levy is a senior at High Technology High School in Middletown. That’s what makes all this so amazing.

“It’s really remarkable for someone of his age,” said Kevin McGee, director of operations at Lunch Break. “In our culture we tend to blame the person, and that wasn’t Zac’s initial response. It was, ‘How does this happen and what can we do about it?’ He took some time to understand the problem and how complicated it is.”

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The apple didn’t roll far from the tree. Izzy Levy works in a nonprofit mentorship program. Each Friday afternoon, as part of this Orthodox Jewish family of five’s preparations for the Sabbath, they visit people who are on hospice.

“Zac is compassionate, he holds their hands and talks to them about their lives,” Izzy said. “My wife and I, we’ve worked to instill a spirit of community service (in their three children).”

That spirit sparked Zac to launch a series of winter clothing collections and distributions in the Asbury Park area last year. The initiative, like the book, is named Project Unhoused.

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“This year I’ve partnered with the Ocean Township council to set up collection sites in the library and town hall,” he said. “We hope to do distributions the entire winter.”

He’s also creating handout kits comprised of other items of need. From his interviews, he learned how difficult it can be for someone who is homeless to keep track of time – something that is essential for making social-services appointments and the like. So the kits will include watches.

“What Zac is doing at such a young age is really brave, and I applaud him,” said Donna Elms, a social worker who connected him with people to interview through Winifred Canright House, which provides transitional housing, health care and supportive services in Asbury Park.

“Everybody loved him," Elms said. "Seeing someone so young with his passion, people were surprised that he wanted to change their lives. They were very impressed.”

Zac Levy isn’t even old enough to vote, yet he’s tackling one of society’s most vexing problems.

“Hopefully,” Lunch Break’s McGee said, “this is a step along the path of him being interested in this type of work for a long time.”

The book “Project Unhoused” can be purchased online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble for $18 (paperback) or $26 (hardcover), with proceeds benefitting the Project Unhoused initiative.

For more information or to contribute, visit www.projectunhoused.com or email Zac Levy at zalevy@ctemc.org.

Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Ocean Township teen tells stories of the homeless in new book