Homeless celebrate Thanksgiving at Toms River camp. What is being done to find them homes?
TOMS RIVER - They won't be gathered around a table in a warm home, but residents of a camp in Toms River's Winding River Park still plan to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Minister Steve Brigham, who brings supplies to about 18 people living deep in the woods, said residents plan to fry a turkey for a communal Thanksgiving meal.
On Tuesday, Brigham was out picking up propane for the heaters the camp residents use to keep their tents warm at night; he was also gathering oil for the deep fryer and other fixings to make a traditional Thanksgiving meal for people who might be experiencing their first holiday season without a home.
"They'll cook the dinner," Brigham said. "We are going to provide the oil and some other things."
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Brigham said he is not placing more people in the Winding River camp because the township and lawyer Jeffrey Wild have come to an agreement not to put more people at the site.
But other camps for those experiencing homelessness exist, including a new one in Toms River on land Brigham said is owned by Ocean County. He did not divulge the location of the newer camp site, which he said includes mostly female residents.
"It says something about our society," Brigham said about the numbers of women now experiencing homelessness. "A couple of generations ago, I don't think that would have happened."
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Wild said that efforts are continuing to find homes for those living in the Winding River woods.
"I can say that my clients and the firm have been working cooperatively to secure housing for my clients, since no one should be forced to live outdoors," Wild said. "I'm not able to provide details about discussions with the township, but I can say they have been very cooperative so far."
Toms River Mayor Maurice B. "Mo" Hill Jr. and other officials have expressed concern about camp residents as the weather gets chillier. Hill has said he is concerned that the campers' tents could collapse if there is a heavy snowfall.
Though most of the campers in Winding River have said they want to leave the woods, many are also adamant that they do not want to move to a motel or have to go somewhere outside Ocean County. They often don't feel safe in the motels they are placed in, and also complain of being bounced from one motel to another.
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Paul Hulse, executive director of homeless advocacy organization Just Believe Inc., said the Winding River campers are welcome to go to the Code Blue shelter his group operates at township-owned Riverwood Park.
The shelter provides beds, meals and also provides counseling to assist with obtaining identification or finding more permanent shelter. Hot showers are also available through an agreement Just Believe has with the Ocean County YMCA.
The shelter, one of two in Toms River, has 30 beds and is open when the temperature drops below 35 degrees. The other shelter is located at Refuge House of Prayer Church of God, 1186 Lakewood Road (Route 166). Additional shelters in Ocean County are at True Vine Ministries in Berkeley, and Warm Hearts, at the Greater Bethel Church of God, in Lakewood.
About 10,270 New Jerseyans were living without a home in late January 2023, according to a "point in time" count by Monarch Housing Associates. That's a 17% increase over 2022, attributed in part to the lapse of eviction protections in place during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as increased costs for rent and food.
Of that number, 434 people were without homes in Ocean County, up from 419 in 2022. In Monmouth County, 483 people were unsheltered in 2023, up from 453.
"We're averaging over 20 people a night, but I've gotten zero people from the Toms River camp," Hulse said of the Code Blue shelter.
Brigham pointed out that people who go to Code Blue shelters at night have to leave in the morning and find somewhere else to go.
"If they go there, they have to have an alternative place to go when it closes in the morning," he said.
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Hulse stressed again that housing assistance is available through Just Believe and other organizations that help those experiencing homelessness, including the Affordable Housing Alliance.
"We're continuing to go out to camps and invite them in," Hulse said. "We're continuing to help and case manage. They are always all welcome. It's getting colder. There is no reason to live in the woods in a tent."
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Jean Mikle covers Toms River and several other Ocean County towns, and has been writing about local government and politics at the Jersey Shore for nearly 40 years. She's also passionate about the Shore's storied music scene. Contact her: @jeanmikle, jmikle@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Toms River hidden homeless camp: What will be done to find them homes?
